Heart failure

[Vincent1955]

I had a heart attack three weeks ago and had a stent fitted. I have been referred to the heart failure team which I find terrifying terrifying. Does this mean what it says that my heart is failing?

[Highnoon]

Hi just on here highnoon don't think the worst just stay positive I had a heart attack yr ago 3 stents in was rough for a while stopped smoking started walking stay positive

[Highnoon]

U get my message

[Gcart]

It seems to be the name of the clinic you may attend in follow up care . Mine was so named but certainly doesn’t mean how it sounds in my case .

My husband also , now 10 years on with no further issues.

Rest up now snd stay safe

[Mentdent]

As someone else has said. It’s just the name of the clinic that deals with rehab for anyone who’s had a heart attack or developed heart failure. Some of us need lots of help with our rehab and some of us don’t.

[Hidden]

Dear stay strong! No need to be terrified it will only add to anxiety and troubles. If you are fit enough to post and as I can see in pic your heart ❤️ is doing it job perfectly. Relax and enjoy hopefully all will be well.

[francesw47]

Hello Vincent. Glad you're home and recovering. HF certainly doesn't mean that your heart is failing - as others have said, does mean its not pumping as efficiently as before. When I was referred to HF team I saw consultant first - then HF nurses to follow up on treatment initiated by consultant. All very reassuring. Ask why you have been referred to them and keep asking questions. In my experience they were pretty good at answering questions - particularly the nurses. The HF team may prescribe meds to assist the pumping function - I started on Candesartan/bisoprolol/dieutretic and after things became worse last summer (what a time to get worse eh, in lockdown) I did get to see cardiologist who started me on Entresto and I really am feeling better. We are all different and every one of us has a story to tell....and how we recover will also be different. Its really important to talk to the doctor/nurses and regard care as a partnership - with you one of the partners! They will talk about lifestyle management, cardiac rehab (if its open at all), and are there to help improve things for you. You are in the very early stages of recovery and your heart has had a shock and will take time to heal itself. Pauline will tell you you are now part of a club you never wanted to join - but we're here to support you if you want it.

Good luck and let us know how you are getting on.

Frances

[-007-]

Yes, just the name of the clinic and team. Mine was called “cardiology &The Cardiology Team”. And I had a heart attack and five stents. Saying that, it is something that is serious but now it’s caught and treated you should be fine. With medication, lifestyle and exercise you should be fine.

=================

My name is Bond, James Bond and I take my Asprin shaken not stirred. 🍸

[Hidden]

My post HA follow up was called the "cardiac rehab team" which sounds much more positive and inspirational.

Rather like some NHS trusts have renamed their ICUs to ITUs because "intensive treatment" sounds much better than "intensive care". One suggests a greater chance of going home than the other.

I would ask your GP to read your hospital discharge letter and explain it to you.

[Misstibbs]

I think that’s good in that the team will give good advice and answer all your questions I was a bit lost after my HA as COVID kicked in and all rehab stopped Good luck

[080311]

Morning Vincent1955

Welcome to the forum, when we hear the term heart failure our first reaction is well this is the end! But all it really means is our pump needs a bit of help at the moment.

Medication and a change of life style can certainly help, and your medical team will be working out how they can get you back to a better working heart.

If you have any questions just post and someone will be along to help, you are now a member of the Hearties family and as we can testify there is a good life after our heart event.

Best wishes Pauline

[Page12]

Hi Vincent, no love it doesn't mean your heart is getting worse please don't stress as that will make your heart worse stress. Good diet and regular walk or some sort of excersice will help your heart muscle get stronger as heart is muscle and with excersice it builds up like any other part of the body. So chin up and relax and don't stress over something that might never happen.

[Fynndog in reply to Page12]

That’s a lovely reply page 12. Just what a person needs to hear. I’m copying it to look at when my positivity runs low cxx

[Vincent1955]

I can’t thank everyone enough for all your help and support. I feel so reassured and held by my wonderful heart club friends! It means such a lot.

[Highnoon in reply to Vincent1955]

Hi Vincent stay strong am a very positive person but we are panic a bit I did after my heart attack but doing fine my next door neighbor has hf but doing fine now out walking changed his diet doing great we chat a lot u will b ok

[SpiritoftheFloyd]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Sorry to hear you have been diagnosed with heart failure, it does come as a terrifying shock when they blurt out the words "I don't want you to worry, but you 've got heart failure"

I think the term heart failure is a terrible negative term. It doesn't mean your heart is failing it just needs a bit of help pumping blood around your body, I prefer the term impaired heart function - it better describes what is going on.

The initial diagnosis is normally via an echocardiogram which gives a estimate of the amount of blood your heart is ejecting with each beat - the ejection fraction. A normal EF is between 55 and 70% is normal, between 40-55% is a low function and below 40% is classed as heart failure.

That said, most doctors are more interested in how a patient functions in day to day life, for this they use the New York Heart Association classification system - see link below

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

There are a lot of things us patients can do to help our condition, if you smoke -stop, limit the amount of alcohol, eat a good diet, most of us here try to adhere to a Mediterranean diet, keep your weight to within the recommended BMI limits, exercise (yes I know exercise doesn't sound like the brightest idea if you've been told you've got heart failure, and indeed 60 years ago you would have been told to sit down and rest as much as possible, but these days exercise is always very beneficial) , ensure you get good quality sleep, don't get stressed and take you medicines. This may sound like a lot of things to take on board, and it is, but it soon becomes part of your new regime.

As regards the medicines it may take a while to get used to them, and it may also be a while before the doctor can optimise them, but once they have they really do make an amazing difference. If you look around this forum you will find there are a large number of people who are enjoying a good quality of life

Cardio rehab is also marvellous in helping you get up and going although sadly with covid-19 actually attending a cardio rehab clinic is on hold.

The BHF have published a very through booklet on the subject which answers most question that people have. link below:-

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

Hope this helps.

[LHDLondon]

Dear Vincent 1955 - Heart Failure is such a cover all term and frightening when you first hear it. I had a heart attack and stenting 7 years ago, and some open heart surgeries since. The most recent being 3 years ago when I had a pacemaker fitted for atrial fibrillation. All the time I had heart failure - but the key is I have coped. You will manage to too, the nurses in the heart failure teams really know their stuff. Any mention of heart problems and one can think the worst.

Think of this as a controllable symptom.

Small coping steps help you rebuild confidence. Don't push hard but gradually.

It's a process of learning to live with it.

7 years on, 4 new grandchildren and I am looking forward to many more years.

You should be able to do the same.

Remain positive and don't be shy asking for support and reassurance.

It's daunting but more than possible to cope with.

[Vincent1955 in reply to LHDLondon]

Thank you so much for your comforting words and reassurance. It means such a lot. Stay safe and enjoy your grandchildren!

[Heartinthehills]

Hi Vincent. Plenty of good advice already above and adding my experiences after a similar diagnosis. The 'Heart Failure' specialist nurse I was referred to was the most knowledgeable, reassuring and helpful person I have spoken to about my condition. Changes to my medication were sorted out within a few months and remained the same since. As previously mentioned we are all a bit different after a heart incident and no one solution fits all. The specialist team have the experience to help you find yours. I found that keeping to the medication, regular exercise and a good diet helped me get back to a new normal fairly quickly. I would also recommend joining a cardiac rehab group as soon as you can to help your recovery. I still attend one (when it restarts) after 7 years. The specialist team should be able to put you in touch with a local group.

[Vincent1955]

Thank you so much for taking the trouble to reply to me. It is such a comfort to talk to people who have traveled the road ahead of me-Stay safe and healthy-Clare