I know I'm getting off track here, but how were they able to determine on the echo that Spot's HCM was idiopathic and not related to hyperT? I didn't realize they could tell that!Originally Posted by cloud_shade
In Spot's case, the echo indicated that his HCM was idiopathic--not caused by the hyperthyroidism. I'm sure that having a sped-up metabolism exacerbated the problem, but for him, it wasn't the cause and it may have progressed on its own even if we had cured the thyroid aspect.
I'm so sorry about Spot. Katy was started on atenolol and Norvasc for her heart and they really helped her symptoms. She had a couple of follow-up echos after she was started on the meds and now just goes yearly as long as there isn't any change.Originally Posted by cloud_shade
I'm not really sure. The cardiologist report states, "The findings suggest mild hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This process may be idiopathic in Spot's case because the thyroid disease has been controlled for several months." I'm guessing that because the murmur advanced even while his thyroid levels were stable, they felt it could have another cause. I would suggest that heart murmurs should be investigated and monitored whenever it is possible because there are medications that can slow or stop the progression of heart disease. My biggest regret with Spot is that I did not remember to take him back for a follow-up echo to monitor his heart. If I had, we would have seen his condition beginning to worsen (heart disease is often silent otherwise) and we may have been able to get him on medications to less then strain on his heart.