How to prevent conditions requiring septal myectomy?
Exercise: Regular exercise will reduce blood pressure and heart rate and provide health benefits. It is vital to follow the doctor’s recommendations about activity levels as extremes of exercise may be harmful to some individuals with thickened septum between the ventricles. The doctor will help determine the type and level of exercise which is right for you. If exercise causes symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath, you need to immediately stop it and report it to your doctor.
Eat Healthy: Eat a healthy diet to improve heart health. A heart-healthy diet will include a variety of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean meats and fish. A diet low in animal fat is recommended to reduce cholesterol. A nutritionist can create a diet plan and teach you ways to read food labels to achieve the best results.
Monitor Blood Pressure: Hypertension might worsen the symptoms of HCM, so it is crucial to maintain a healthy blood pressure. Take blood pressure medications as suggested by the doctor. This is because certain blood pressure medications might worsen obstruction in some individuals. The doctor might recommend using a home monitor to track blood pressure levels and report unusual findings.
Quit Alcohol Consumption: Doctors generally recommend that individuals with thick heart muscles should limit or avoid alcohol. Alcoholic drinking can worsen obstruction in your heart, reducing blood flow to the whole body. Alcohol consumption may also lead to weight gain, which might worsen symptoms.
Reduce Stress: Excessive stress might increase your blood pressure, which could raise the risk of cardiomyopathy. To manage stress, have plenty of sleep, do exercise regularly and practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing and yoga, which may benefit your body as well as mind.
Control Diabetes: If you are affected with diabetes, you may be at risk for coronary artery disease, which might worsen symptoms. Your cardiac doctor might refer you to a specialist who could help you manage your diabetes using oral medication, home glucose monitoring, or insulin injections.
Quit Smoking: Smoking tobacco could worsen some symptoms. Tobacco smoking causes narrowing of the coronary artery. The combination of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease may be dangerous.
