Advice please

[Cal-1991]

Hi all ... my mum had a heart attack about 5 months ago she was taken to a heart specialist hospital in Basildon all her arteries was clear so no stents needed .... she had a scan about 2 months ago which she is getting results tomorrow she also had a appointment today with a nurse and was told she has heart failure which sounds terrible ... is this a disease that can be treated and have a normal life ??? Also are all the scan results this long I’m guessing must be nothing serious or would had her in by now surely ??

[Lezzers]

Hi Cal-1991. First, if your mum is under basildon hospital she's under one of the best hospitals in the country for cardiac conditions.

Secondly, the term heart failure is absolutely awful! All it really means is your mums heart needs a bit of help pumping.

Yes, absolutely it can be treated, although there is no cure. But with meds, healthy lifestyle, exercise (as advised by cardiac team) there is no reason to suppose your mum won't live a normal life within her limitations & normal life span. My husband was diagnosed with HF in 2012 & had an ICD fitted as his EF was low. There are people here who've lived with HF for over 20 years. Your mum probably isn't in hospital because there's no need for her to be unless she's having problems. The main thing is she's now being looked after, there are probably hundreds if not thousands of people walking around who have HF but are not aware of it.

There is a patient led HF charity called Pumping Marvellous, I would highly recommend looking at their website for information (avoid Google, its usually wrong unless it's the NHS of BHF website). They also have a closed facebook group for people with HF, their families and their carers. It's a really friendly group with lots of advice and support or for just listening to you if you feel the need to sound off.

Sorry long reply, but I hope it helps. If there's any questions myself, or anyone else here can help you with please ask away.

[Cal-1991 in reply to Lezzers]

Thank you for your reply means a lot ... mum is getting her scan results tomorrow so will know more then x

[Lezzers in reply to Cal-1991]

Tell your mum to write down all the questions she would like answers to and if possible someone go with her. It's so easy at this early stage to focus on just one thing at the consultation and then afterwards realise you'd forgotten to ask about something (if that makes sense!)

Will your mum be going to Basildon hospital for the results?

[Cal-1991 in reply to Lezzers]

My sisters going with her she’s good at taking stuff in .... no she will be going to Broomfield hospital in Chelmsford

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

I think heart failure is becoming a rather out of date term as if you use Dr Google it paints a very negative picture. It is best to restrict yourself to the NHS and BHF websites. In reality it means that the heart needs some assistance to pump the blood around. Often there can be a noticeable improvement with the appropriate drugs although it may take some months to achieve the best balance. There are people on hear that have had HF for one or two decades.

It is also worth you looking at the Pumping Marvelous charity's website and Facebook page.

I imagine someone being treated for HF might drop by later or tomorrow.

[SpiritoftheFloyd]

Hi Cal-1991

Heart Failure is where the heart's pumping action is impaired. The amount of blood your heart pumps is called the Ejection Fraction, which is expressed as a fraction. Normally anyone with an EF of 55% is regarded as normal. If you have an EF of 40% or less you are classified as having heart failure - failure is a very emotive word, I prefer to call it Impaired Heart Function. Failure doesn't mean that your mum's heart is failing, it just can't pump blood around as effectively as it should.

While the figure is EF is used to qualify that someone has HF, the medics are really more interested in how the patient manages their day to day life with EF. For this they look at a classification system, see the link below for the 4 classifications.

heart.org/en/health-topics/...

Try to look past the word Heart Failure and instead consider where you mum sits within the 4 categories .There will be a number of medications that your mum can be given which will help manage here condition.

There's a very helpful book produced by the BHF on the subject, link below

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

Hope this helps.

[Cal-1991 in reply to SpiritoftheFloyd]

Thank you

[Qualipop]

Because of severe toxaemia when pregnant with me, my mum developed heart failure. Back then ( I'm 71 now) they gave no treatment at all. She died when I was 59.

[Brokenheart19]

Hi Cal-1991 I too had a HA and have been left with HF in May this year. the above comments are absolutely right.

Your mum will be up and down depending on how she’s feeling and as a mum of daughters 26/29 I don’t tell mine everything or they worry too much!

I’ve completed my cardiac rehab and have just enrolled to take the level 4 course at my local leisure world. Having seen my cardiologist this week who didn’t mention the HF by name just talked about it in terms of impairment.

Once your mum has finished her rehab, seen the cardiologist (possibly after a further echocardiogram) you will have a better picture.

I suspect your mum’s frustrated st not having all the answers.

Pumping marvellous (already mentioned by Michael and Lezzers) are brilliant, as are the local cardiac and HF nurses. You could if your mother would like go with her - I’ve had one companion for almost all of mine as my brains like a sieve- a combination of tablets and age (54) and I get to the appointment and cannot remember what I wanted to ask.

Come back and update us on her progress and don’t hesitate to ask, as Michael has said someone will have been through it. Hugs for you and your mum