Hi
Just wanting to hear from anybody with above. I received a letter from cardiologist nurse to say echo showed above, but know other information. Googling above is a little frightening so I just wondered if anybody has any personal experience and what symptoms they have.
I have heart failure, caused by the valves of my heart. I was born with a few things wrong although it wasn't until 2 years ago that I had any problems and it was a shock! I looked at lots of stuff on the internet and got really worried! Grade 1 is mild on the NYHA scale used by my cardiologist but theirs more than 1 scale used, so you need advice. Try going to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), as they have a help line that is very good and staffed by cardio nurses. They will be able to give you the best advice as to finding out what really is the matter. I also found my GP very helpful and understanding. Heart failure is a frightening word, but it covers lots of things and theirs lots of treatments depending on the cause. I hope this helps a little. SueX
Heart failure doesn't mean what you think always. It is a term to cover anything where the heart can't keep up with all the body's requirements. Grade 1 is the start of the scale so low. Lots of people life long lives with it.
Thanks for getting back to me BOBD
I may have some heart failure. One cardiologist mentioned it but blew it off. EP just normal with afib. My pulmonary doctor wen overboard on his notes though. Just seems who is looking at it and from what perspective.
Plus how bad and if treatable in their eyes and not progressing.
Hi there and welcome to our forum. I have heart failure and permanent AF - in January 2014 I was taken into hospital with severe fluid retention and breathing problems. I was in for 12 days, had loads of tests, scans ect and told I had AF and given medications. It was only when I got home that I read my discharge notes that it said that I had heart failure - I panicked rather when I read that but I was allocated a Heart Failure Community nurse who came to see me a few days after I got home and explained it all to me.
Basically my heart was not pumping effectively, hence the fluid retention and breathing problems and of course the AF did not help either. While in hospital I was put on furoseimide to reduce the fluid and Ramapril to help my heart (I had retained 2 stone of fluid over a 10 day period, when I left hospital I was 2 stone lighter). I have had a few occasions when there has been some fluid retention but no great problems. I do not take furoseimide on a daily bases only if any signs of fluid then I take when needed. I still see my HF nurse every 6 months. So for me it has not been too bad and still here over 4 years later !! For my AF I take Nebivolol, Diltiazem and Rivaroxaban, the AF gives me far more problems than the HF.
What medications are you on and what are your symptoms.
Cassie
Thanks for sharing Cassie.
I take bisoprolol, Dabigatran, Losartan, behistine and a statin. Take Tramadol for osteoporosis. My symptoms are a weird feeling in my neck that carries on down my left arm and under my arm to my waist. Fatigue is a huge problem and so is sleeping at night, feel short of breath. I had an Ablation last year for My poroxmal AF.
Just wondering if your combination of drugs may be causing some of your problems. Bisoprolol and Losartin can cause tiredness and breathing problems and I think problems sleeping as well and you are taking both. I do not have much knowledge of Tramadol, I have arthritis and have to take pain killers but I take Solpadol (codeine and parcetamol) I have this on my repeat prescription from GP. I know some people can be really knocked out with Tramadol and philologus comments on Tramadol are very interesting.
I used to be on 5mg of Bisoprolol until a couple months ago but my breathlessness was getting worse (also have mild COPD as well) so asked to change to Nebivolol (was a battle to get this changed, I think it is more expensive than Bisoprolol) and it has made a great deal of difference, breathing is much better and I think I do not get as tired as I used to.
I think it would be a good idea to speak to your Cadio, I see you have had a echo recently, are you due to see him soon. Perhaps speak to your GP as well the letter sent to you was not particularly helpful. Best wishes.
Cassie
Hello Purple, Please don't panic or over-react to what I'm going to write. We are all different and so what happened to me may not apply to your circumstances.
I was struggling to breathe and had no energy. I was taken to hospital.
I was diagnosed with heart failure at level four and I had thirty to forty thousand ectopic beats a day. I was told by the doctor that it was probably the Tramadol I had been taking for two years for arthritic pain that had caused the ectopics and, because of the very high number of ectopics my heart had become damaged and was not pumping enough blood round my body.
As with Cassie46 (above) I had put on a lot of weight caused by the fluid retention.
I stopped taking the tramadol but it didn't improve things as the damage was done. I took nebivolol and ramipril as well as furosimide and got the ectopics down to twenty thousand a day and the heart failure down to level three.
If you read the leaflet that comes with tramadol it will tell you that it can cause heart rhythm problems.
If you can't atribute your heart failure to anything else you might ask your GP to give you an alternative to tramadol.
The good news is that your heart can heal itself.
I am now down to hardly any ectopics a day (under 300) and my HF is down to level one.
As I said above, none of this might apply to you, but I thought it was worth mentioning just in case.
Hi
I only take the Tramadol as and when, at most only 1 capsule a day. This was given at option only because of bad reaction to other pain killers. Interesting what you say about eptopics, I have always had these, but are seen as innocent
Most ectopics can be ignored but when the numbers get as high as mine were it affects the amount of blood the left ventricle can pump round the body as it is getting multiple signals.
Thanks philologus for your help and replies.
I have ectopic beats and I've always had them. Although, since I started taking bisoprolol and ramipril, I hardly have any that I can feel. My EF went from 40 to 55% last year, I'm coming up for my yearly review, so I don't want to tempt fate by saying that I'm still at that level now. My NYHA was mild to moderate. I've no reason to suppose things have changed, but reluctant to say it. I take tramadol as I have osteoarthritis and I can't take most pain relief, but I do have left bundle branch block, which effects my heart rhythm.
Thanks for sharing woodbun, I can’t tolerate other pain killers, but so far tramodol works for me too, I hope your annual review goes well 🌞
I too was had a heart that was described as not pumping effectible and also persistent AF . After trying different drugs which all had horrendous side effect s including Nevibolol which was the worst. I do not take any of them. and I am now waiting for a review which will take place after the battery of test ordered up. Incidentally Nevibolol was te worst for fluid and urine retention and I stopped when I could not get my shoes on, my knees were painful and the swelling had reached my thighs. I stopped on the 20/4/18 and after a few blips am now better that I have been for months as this drug also raised my blood pressure and I was not warned of this effect. I have learned to very wary of the drugs prescribed as they can cause other problems.
My echo and review are on Tuesday, I feel a bit nervous about the result thanks for wishing me well Purple. All painkillers have side effects - a few years back I had an ulcer which burst and gave me peritonitis and spent a month in hospital - that was from nsai pain killer given after whiplash injury. Trust me!!!
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