heart failure

[thepuppetman]

i had a heart attack 8 weeks ago and was told it could be treated by medication and was release from hospital with a bag of medicine ,i am 55 and live alone so have no support and the pandemic has made things worse , i have been told today that the heart attack has given me heart failure i still get breathless after walking every day for a short time and have to use my spray -how often do others use theirs ? how long does it take to get back to not having to take it ? i have changed my diet and lost a stone and a half already i would like to exercise more but dont want to overdo it

[SpiritoftheFloyd]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear your diagnosis. First of all try not to think of it as Heart Failure - it's a horrible phrase, you heart isn't failing, it just needs a bit of help pumping blood around your body. I prefer the term Impaired Heart Function.I assume that you're been given an echocardiogram and been told what they have determined your EF (ejection fraction) is. The EF is just a number they use to determine whether you have Heart Failure, although most of the medics are more interested in how you are functioning with HF. For this they use the New York Heart Association of classification, link below:-

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

Normally you would have access to cardio rehab, but in these times that is almost impossible, You should hopefully be contacted by the rehab people who will be able to access you and suggest a programme of exercise. If you haven't heard from them I'd suggest asking your GP to see if you have been referred.

The timescale for getting back to something like normal is hard to give a figure on, as each of us seem to progress at different rates as no two people are the same even if the medical diagnosis is the same, certainly if you have already lost 1.5 stones you have made a good start.

I know what you mean about leaving hospital with a bag of medicines, I had a heart attack/cardiac arrest nearly 2 years ago, and after 6 days in hospital was discharged with a carrier bag full of medicines - that in itself is a huge shock. You're still in the early stages so you'll be a while before you get used to it all - it's a slow steady process, but we all get there.

I'm sorry but I can't answer you question about the spray, I was supplied with it, and on discharge from hospital my EF was 30% - but I've never had to use it !

The BHF produce a very helpful booklet on the subject of Heart Failure, which answers most of the questions on the subject, link below:-

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[thepuppetman in reply to SpiritoftheFloyd]

thankyou for your reply i am due to meet the cardiac nurse for the first time in early january its all just a bit scary-have a safe and merry christmas👨‍🦲

[pjw17 in reply to thepuppetman]

Hello the puppet man,Spiritofthefloyd gives an excellent reply, (as usual!)..

I had HA in May and did cardio rehab over phone, now been discharged but the CR team are always there for you. Don't get to concerned about exercise at moment, the CR team will advise. Everybody is different so there is no template for recovery, try and relax over holiday and have loads of questions for the cardio nurse in Jan.!

Good luck.

[thepuppetman in reply to pjw17]

thankyou for your reply i appreciate it and have a safe christmas😀u

[RufusScamp]

I was diagnosed with severe heart failure just over a year ago, and am currently managing. Although my rehab classes have been stopped, they provided me with a list of exercises which I try to keep up with. Losing that weight is good news - keep it up! My consultant recommended walking as briskly as you can while still able to carry out a conversation.

My heart nurse and team are very helpful, I hope you find the same. Things usually improve as the medication takes effect. Best wishes to you anyway.