Last week my husband who is 47 was feeling like he had asthma (which he gets once every year or so) he went to the Dr and had a really high erratic heart rate bouncing between 150 and 190. They put him on some meds (Not sure what) and he went into cardiac arrest. They resuscitated him and later told us they though he may have reacted to the meds. Anyway he spent a night in ICU on some medication to try and get his heart in a normal rhythm. It didn't work so on Wednesday he had a procedure to shock his heart back into a normal rhythm. In amongst that he was diagnosed with heart failure. On Sunday they said his output was 10% but Monday it was revised to 35%. He's home now on meds but we are both terrified about what will happen next. It was so out of the blue he doesn't smoke or drink doesn't have high blood pressure or cholesterol and until last weekend had no trouble breathing. He's an avid bike rider and has not had any issues. He is booked to have a CT scan on Tuesday but other than that they've said review in 3 months. Just wondering if anyone has any similar experiences and what are his chances of recovery.
Thanks so much.
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redmont1504
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Hi, my husband had cardiac arrest after a massive heart attack 21 years ago age 42. It is scary but it does get better. He also has heart failure he's had it since at least 2012, heart failure simply means his heart needs a bit of help with pumping. Medication, healthy life style & exercise, when Dr's say he can, will certainly improve his health, absolutely no reason why he shouldn't be able to live a normal life with a normal life span. Please don't Google anything, the information will likely be wrong & will incorrectly put the fear of God into you!! All the info you need can be obtained from this forum or the Pumping Marvellous charity website & their supportive Facebook page. Has he been referred to a HF nurse, if not ask for a referral. They can prescribe medication, arrange for tests, liase with cardiologist/GP's etc. They will also go through diet, lifestyle etc. NICE guidelines say he should be referred if these nurses are in your area, you can check that out on the Pumping Marvellous website. If the cardiologist was concerned he wouldn't be waiting 3 months for an appt, so hope you can take comfort from that. My husbands EF is 30 & has been for some years, don't get hung up on the numbers they're only indicatons of the condition, it's how he feels thats more important. Early days for you both but it does get easier to deal with.
Thank you for your reply. It's such a confronting thing to happen especially with no warning and as we have 3 young kids to think about too. I'm actually in Australia but he's he's been referred to cardiac rehab and we spoke to a HF nurse before he left hospital. Mentally he's not coping very well he's scared to do anything even though he's not feeling too bad. I have been googling and there's some scary stuff out there so I will stop doing that now! Thanks again for your response I really appreciate it.
When my husband had his cardiac arrest he really didn't cope very well at all. He was seriously depressed, wouldn't communicate, thought his life was over & was just waiting the "big one" as he called it. We walked around on egg shells for weeks, not sleeping etc, Cardiac
re-hab really sorted him out. If you're able to I would recommend attending some of the re-hab sessions with your husband, you're both on this journey together & us partners do get forgotten about! The Pumping Marvellous charity & Facebook page are multinational, there's quite a few people from Australia on there, always good to have as much support as you can. Xx
Hello and welcome to the forum! I cannot add to what Lezzers has said already - all very good advice. Particularly, though, do not use Google. The NHS and BHF websites can also provide accurate information. The trouble with Google is that the web is full of out-of-date information and general rubbish, which can be very negative or overly optimistic (someone showed me an article about someone who had OHS [open heart surgery] and claimed they were back at work and driving in a week!). I recently went for a bus with ten minutes to spare and missed it by five - the timetable had been revised and I had picked up a site that used the bus company's information. The timetable was revised two months previously. In future I will make sure I use the company's website only!
My husband was diagnosed with heart failure at 46 with a viral cardiomyopathy so I know how terrifying the out of the blue diagnosis of heart failure can be. It was 22 years ago and I can still relive it like a video.
It's very hard waiting to see how things turn out. Your husband is still at the investigative stage and things may well improve. It's a good sign that his EF went up from 10% to 35% once he was in a normal rhythm. Cardiac rehab will help him gain more confidence.
While my husband's EF never improved, he has proved to be as tough as old boots and we have travelled and enjoyed life despite the challenges.
We have learned to stay positive , follow the specialists' advice and take the meds!
I'm sorry, Qasim. I have no medical training so I'm unable to advise you on what you should do. I believe you have been given sime advice by others on this forum, I can only say that perhaps you should follow the advice you've already been given.
I had a heart attack followed by a cardiac arrest at the end of December. After having an Echo was advised I had heart failure - spent that night lying in hospital bed on phone goggling Heart Failure - BIG mistake. One of the first articles went - 50% of people diagnosed with HF die within 12 months!
Please stop goggling - this site or NHS site or Pumping Marvellous site will give you accurate up to date information on the condition.
If you can get into rehab, they will do a marvellous job of rebuilding confidence.
And don't worry about the numbers - it's all about how you feel that matters. I'm classed as New York Hearth Association classification class 1 heart failure, EF 35% - but I feel good, going to gym twice a week and living a normal life.
It's all very frightening to start with, but it gets better. The meds they give you now means there is no reason why you husband shouldn't enjoy many more years living a full life
I never had heart trouble. Non smoker / drinker. Fit for my age and not overweight. I never got a bad cholesterol reading or a poor blood pressure test in my life. What I found shocking was the simplicity of the symptoms. I always thought that a heart attack was accompanied by a huge pain in the heart and that you fell down on the ground. Well I was in the gym ironically and just felt a flickering at the top of my chest and a little lightness in the head. Something alerted me (guardian angel?) and I went home not really feeling too bad. Got small pains in my arms and did what the medics probably do not like - I googled these symptoms and was warned of a possible heart attack!! Was still dubious and was 50/50 as to whether to pursue it or not. Very luckily I rang the hospital and although they were a little sceptical they said to come in. To cut a long story short after an ecg and angiogram I was informed that I had a heart attack and several blockages. I was kept in, put on blood thinners and had a quadruple bye pass 36 hours later.
The reason for the above long story is that I would advise you and everybody as regards symptoms. They are not necessarily dramatic and if anyone is in any doubt go and get checked immediately. I had some damage to my heart - if I had left it till the morning it would have been far more serious.
Also, the hospital reckoned that my problem was hereditary and I am sure that they are correct. So, lifestyle is not the be all and end all. They said that a good lifestyle would not prevent the heart attack but would be very positive in terms of the recovery.
I hope all goes well for your husband and given what you describe am surprised that medication is the only remedy at this stage. However, I am sure he is in safe hands and all you can do is trust the medical people. Must say that I am very happy with the care that I received. However, it seems to me that with the heart that time is of the essence and that sometimes a problem is not that obvious. What do I know but I would strongly recommend is that if he feels any symptoms (no matter how small) to go and get checked immediately. I was afraid that I was making much ado about nothing and wasting hospital time but I really am glad that I acted at once rather than waiting till the next day.
Hi Qasim. Although some people here have fairly detailed knowledge they are not medical professionals but form a support group for those with or relatives/friends with heart problems. I suggested you contact the BHF nurses for advice - what did they say? Best regards, MichaelJH...
I am new to this forum having been diagnosed with Hf and told my Ef is 40%, I too was really worries and spent a lot of time on Google reading conflicting information.
This forum is really supportive and has definitely made me feel more positive.
Stay strong for your husband and your family, I'm sure the docs will look after him and try to get him to say calm and positive.
Such a shock, I know, but cardiac problems have no respect for age or otherwise good health or fitness. A lot of good advice above. Try not to worry. The name of the condition is enough to terrify anyone but the problem is only that the heart is not pumping as well as it should. There is a very good chance of recovery, but first the hospital will need to go through a series of tests to identify the likely cause. Unfortunately, this can take a while. I was in the position to be able to call on private medical insurance but once I began treatment this was also slow as one has to wait to see the result of any particular treatment.
At 47, he’s still got the best years of his life ahead of him.
16 cigarettes a day is quite a lot. It will take some time before you will feel the benefit of giving them up. Nobody on this forum will be able to tell you what is medically wrong with you. You could try e mailing the BHF nurses again or telephone them, they may know of any charities that may help you with medical costs or you could search on Google but it's very unlikely there will be any.
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