Does anyone or know anyone with dilated cardiomyopathy?!
Question: Yes my mother was diagnosed with it 11 years ago - she is now 68. She is much better than she was 11 years ago and her medication has recently been reduced because her heart has gone back to a normal size. I don't know what the future holds for her but she is well at the moment. Hers was caused by rheumatic fever which she had when she was just 5 years old and it damaged her heart.
Answers: Yes my mother was diagnosed with it 11 years ago - she is now 68. She is much better than she was 11 years ago and her medication has recently been reduced because her heart has gone back to a normal size. I don't know what the future holds for her but she is well at the moment. Hers was caused by rheumatic fever which she had when she was just 5 years old and it damaged her heart.
My uncle had that. His heart was like jello. But he also had prostate cancer and he died.
I've had many such patients. Here's some info for you . . .
Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Dilated, or congestive, cardiomyopathy is more common and occurs due to enlarging and stretching of the heart cavity, weakening the heart so it does not pump normally.
The heart muscle becomes weak and too flexible, preventing it pumping blood efficiently around the body.
Breathlessness results as fluid builds up in the lungs, congesting them. This is called left heart failure.
There may also be right heart failure, where fluid accumulates in the tissues and organs of the body, usually the legs and ankles, and the liver and abdomen.
The cause of the condition is unknown in many cases, but it can be caused by a virus, auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, excessive consumption of alcohol or, rarely, as a result of pregnancy - peri-partum cardiomyopathy.
Shortness of breath, palpitations, tiredness, swollen ankles and angina are common symptoms.
Blood clots often form because the blood is flowing more slowly through the heart.
If the heart function remains poor, a heart transplant may be considered.