my partner has suffered heart failure and was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy two and a half years ago. He got prescribed a lot of medications. Recently (last couple of months), he had a really high blood pressure(in the morning, just after waking up it can be around 180/110). He got prescribed medications for high BP, but they don't seem to help much. Is waiting for a call from the hospital to get an appointment. It just seems that his condition is getting more serious and that he is being ignored by hospital or GP. When he went to a GP with a high BP and constant headaches, was given a brochure about headaches and basically ignored.
Wanted to ask, is there anything else we can do to make him better?
Any way support can be given outside of the hospital?
Thanks a lot
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kajfi
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High BP is not a good sign to improve cardiomyopathy . Please seek an appointment with an interventional cardiologist who is more experienced in cardiomyopathy. Cutting down the salt intake to the minimum is very very essential and shouldn't be ignored. Exercise certainly drops our BP significantly and a suitable exercise regimen as advised by your cardiologist should be continued. Being stress free is also equally important.
By these 2&1/2 years has your partner's excessive fatigue, shortness of breadth, swelling in ankles /feet/ abdomen, loss of appetite, constipation and depression gone? What is the latest reading of Ejection fraction? Is your partner having frequent palpitations? Drugs certainly reduce BP. For instance carvedilol is a magical drug. Together losartan with potassium and diuretics preferably spironolactone with toresemide if necessary may be considered. Please take drugs as administered by your cardiologist and the aforesaid drugs are only for reference. If required the cardiologist may also impose a fluid restriction. Cessation of smoking & alcohol, if prevailing is a must. Minimum 8 hrs sleep is mandatory. Cardiomyopathy can be treated very successfully pursuant to rapid advancement in medications. Let your partner needn't worry as everything can be fixed. All that is said here is in presumption that your partner is having dilated cardiomyopathy.
Again Pl see the right doctor and it is for certain everything can be kept at bay.
Well, his ankle get swollen pretty often and sometimes he has palpitations.
When it comes to lifestyle, he is trying to get more active again (before the diagnosis was a gym regular) ,but the problem is the fatigue. It literally hits him out of nowhere, so one day he's ok and then for a few days he can barley get to work :/ will seek advice from BHF and speak with the GP regarding the hospital appointment. Hopefully will have more luck this time.
Please consult cardiac experts at the earliest. Don't worry about fatigue and swollen ankles. Right medication will take care of it and sooner they will vanish. Don't exert much. Guard the energy. Right from now cut down salt intake and have fluid restriction. Once on diuretics (water pill) the swelling will go away. I am 100% sure that all the symptoms shall vanish and the BP will come down. As said consult BHF and have an immediate examination.
Has your partner been referred to a heart nurse, if not ask for an urgent referral, they can sort out medication, hospital appts etc. . Also, has a care plan been arranged, under NICE guidelines every HF patient should have a care plan in place. Meanwhile can either you or GP's secretary phone hospital to expedite the appt? Have you considered phoning the BHF nurses for advice? Also, there's a HF foundation charity called Pumping Marvellous, which I highly recommend for advice & support etc. They also have a closed Facebook group for people who have HF, the family & carers, lots of advice & support there. Good luck, hope your partner is sorted out soon.
Hi, my husband has Dilated Cardiomyopathy too. We found a conversation with the nurses at Cardiomyopathy UK extremely useful. Their number is on their website. They explained what drugs they would expect him to be on according to NICE guidelines and once my husband had these prescribed his BP improved. If you haven’t already seen it I’d suggest looking at their website cardiomyopathy.org for further information too. All the best.
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