Mezi

Hi Christina,
I´m 30 and was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy (the dilated form) last year.
DON´T BE AFRAID TO MOVE!
I´ve been going through some bad times since I learned about my disease, but it is possible to handle it and to live a happy and good life.
There are different stadiums of the disease, classified in NYHA (New York Health Association) I - IV. Stadium IV is the worst stadium. It depends on your normal constitution and on the stadium you´re in, how much you can exercise. It is important to do things like jogging or walking or biking because it will help you and your body (and your heart) to remain strong and in a good constitution. But no matter what you are doing, you must be able to talk while you´re exercising, you MUST NOT COME OUT OF BREATH, this can be dangerous.
I don´t know what kind your cardiomyopathy is, there are kinds which are reversible and others which are not. My doc told me that a third of the cardiomyopathies is reversible, a third becomes worse and worse and a third becomes better and will then remain in a certain stadium.
They treat the disease with medication and it is important to take the medication regularly. Best thing would be to see the cardiologist every three months to make sure nothing happened.
Your life will change a little bit, but don´t be afraid, not everything thats new is supposed to be bad. Perhaps you´ll see some new possibilities in your life you wouldn´t have seen before. When I was dignosed with this I also thoght my life was over and I was depressed but let me tell you I´m leading a good life and I´m happy... Except one thing.
You asked about having a baby. This was one of the first questions I asked. I´m not allowed to become pregnant. Having dilated cardiomyopathy means to have an enlarged heart. Since the heart is too big, the body cannot bear a pregnancy because the heart needs too much space. Having a baby under my heart would be a big risk for me and the baby. Another point is that a pregnancy means a big effort for the heart and it could be that my heart is too weak to handle it. And there is the medication which can be dangerous for the baby.
But ask your doc about it, don´t be afraid talk about this. If your stadium is better than mine it is possible probably.
I know it is difficult to deal with all this and sometimes I think I can´t bear it anymore, but perhaps it helps you to talk to someone in the same stuation...
Take care!
Mel