Heart Failure diagnosis and pacemaker/ICD

[Worried-dughter]

My dad has been diagnosed with heart failure and 8 months had an ejection fraction of 40. As of 3 days ago, it was 20 and was therefore yesterday given a pacemaker and ICD. Does anyone have any experience of this. Ideally with heart failure and a similar EF since I understand that heart failure will only get worst. Thank you

[DaveTR]

Hi Worried-dughter,Do you know what has caused your dad’s Heart Failure?

I was diagnosed with heart failure 18 years ago at the age of 33 due to Dilated Cardiomyopathy which I inherited from my dad.

I had an EF of 40% and lifestyle changes and medication saw this improve.

4 years ago (14 years on) my EF had dropped to 28% and I received an ICD. I did have a very stressful job and this is thought to be a huge factor in my case. (Long days, small team and too much work).

With further changes to meds (New ones keep on appearing all the time), continued healthy lifestyle and stopping work there has been some recovery.

It is very scary for the individual and all those around them when Heart Failure is diagnosed.

If you ask Google, a lot of us on this Forum shouldn’t be here!

There is definitely hope and your dad needs to do whatever he can to help his heart like work with the medical people, take the pills, maintain a healthy lifestyle, etc.

Hopefully some other ‘Hearties’ will post their experiences on here too.

It's doesn't mean it's the end it's just a game changer

[Wodney1966 in reply to DaveTR]

I've got hf through dilated cardionyopathy given to me by my dad bless him lol😂😂😂

[DaveTR in reply to Wodney1966]

What generous dad's we had 😂

[Worried-dughter in reply to DaveTR]

Thank you Dave. So sorry to hear that you were diagnosed so young but glad that you have adjusted your lifestyle.

Dad has been told that he has a left branch block and Atrial Fibrillation in the top chamber of his heart.

Thank you for the advice. I am naturally a worrier (especially with my parents) and would like to understand his condition as much as possible so that I can support him in the best way.

[DaveTR in reply to Worried-dughter]

I hope my daughter grows up to be like you 🙂

[Worried-dughter in reply to DaveTR]

I am sure she will. As my dad says to me, the worrying never ends. ❤️

[FeetheBookworm]

I have HF as well and was first diagnosed in 2016 with an EF of 17.

3 years later it was 43 and has remained at that.

Can I suggest you download the BHF booklet living with heart failure. I found it very useful as a bible in the early months of my diagnosis. I have an actual book and I frequently refer to it.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

Hope this helps your father, it is a lot to absorb when you are first diagnosed.

Fiona

[Worried-dughter in reply to FeetheBookworm]

Thank you. I will have a look at this. Thank you for your guidance.

[Prothy]

Hi, I was diagnosed with AF (on 14 February) almost two and half years ago. My EF was 15, very very long story short. When I was signed off with cardiac nurses etc it had gone up to 55. So there is hope.

It is scary I know, take each day as it comes and I hope your dad feels better very soon x

[Worried-dughter in reply to Prothy]

Thank you. So nice to hear that the pacemaker has worked so well for you. Such a scary time, hoping that dad will feel better very soon. Thank you

[Prothy in reply to Worried-dughter]

Hi,Sorry, misunderstanding, I didn’t have a pacemaker fitted. Just wanted to reassure you EF % can improve as well as reduce. Take care .

[Qualipop]

Firstly PLEASE don't Google. There is so much false information out there, it's enough to give you a heart attack. An ejection fraction of 40 is not dreadful and CAN be improved. I suggest you ave a good long talk to his GP and ask him to explain it to you. The mere term Heart Failure is very scary and sounds as if you heart is going to pack up right away. Not so. My mum had full blown eclampsia 70+ years ago when she was pregnant with me aged 23. She started to go into organ failure and it damaged her heart. In those days she was simply told she had heart failure and should never have an anaesthetic. (She actually had a hip replacement by epidural)Apart from BP tablets back then, there was no treatment. She lived to be 69

[FeetheBookworm in reply to Qualipop]

That’s really interesting to hear Qualipop. I had a difficult pregnancy with my first daughter. A myomectomy to remove a growth on a stalk attached to the womb which turned out to be a fibroid.

My BP went rocketing at about 34 weeks and at 36 I was admitted for rest. I had terrible headaches and my BP did not come down. They eventually decided to put me into labour. After 14 hrs of labour with the epidural having run out I was on gas and air. They decided to do an emergency caesarean under the gas and air. Yes I could feel it all. However they got our daughter out PDQ and all was well with her. They whizzed her away and I was watched over all night by a team of midwives and the registrar. (I found that out the next day).

Second daughter they didn’t mess around - it was a planned caesarean from the get go! No issues except being hospitalised for excess mornjng sickness for a week in the early stages.

So it’s interesting that I too then got HF just before my 61st birthday.

Fiona

[Qualipop in reply to FeetheBookworm]

OMG that must have been terrible. A section with just gas and air! Ooooooooooooh. It sounds as if you were starting with toxaemia which is the early stage of eclampsia. NO one gets full blown eclampsia now. I had toxaemia . My BP rocketed and had protein in urine. I was on 2 months bed rest and elective section at 31 weeks. I blew up like a balloon with fluid; so bad the midwife didn't recognise me afterwards when it had gone. They kept me in a coma for a week to get my BP back down. I wouldn't risk it again. I don't think it did permanent damage to me but it did to mum . Her sister also had it and she died. The baby survived.

[FeetheBookworm]

That was 36 years ago - and it’s on my notes at the hospital that I had eclamptic fits.

When I was first diagnosed with HF they went through my notes with a fine tooth comb to see if there was a reason for the HF.

[RufusScamp]

I was diagnosed with HF and an EF of 20% nearly two years ago. I had a pacemaker fitted last October which didn't seem to make much difference. I have just had a pleasant afternoon picking fruit and cooking. Encourage your dad to follow instructions, especially on diet, medication and exercise, and don't refer to Dr Google. remember,treatments are improving with time. I too can recommend the relevant BHF leaflets.

[Worried-dughter in reply to RufusScamp]

Thank you. I will have a look at the leaflets and will support him to make sure that he sticks to a healthy diet and takes his medication.

Sorry to hear that the pacemaker hasn't done very much for you. I have heard that you need to get the balance right with the medication. Could that help you?

[84green in reply to Worried-dughter]

You might find this site helpful in addition to the BHF material.Avoid google!

Best wishes to you and your dad.

pumpingmarvellous.org/

[Bluemoon47]

I am sorry you are feeling so worried about your Dad, my husband is feeling the same about my condition. I had a heart attack just over a year ago and had an EF of 20% with no change since. 7 weeks ago I had an ICD fitted and although I tire easily I am slowly getting back to doing normal everyday things. My Consultant who fitted the ICD said it had doubled my life expectancy, so good news. Good wishes to you and your Dad I hope all goes well for you both.

[Worried-dughter in reply to Bluemoon47]

Doubled, that's amazing. And I hope you continue to feel much better. It's such a worrying time for everyone.

[Wire57]

HiHope your Dad is ok, I had an out of hospital cardiac arrest and had an EF of 10%. I had a CRT-D fitted and now have an EF of 33%, walk 10 miles a day run around and play with my granddaughter and actually feel better than ever. He just needs to listen to the experts and ignore Google and stay positive. There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel.

Take care