low ejection fraction at 27

[Jayduk]

hi all a few years ago dr’s noticed ectopic beats at a routing check up and this has always been fine and nothing to worry about, around 10 months ago after a 24 hour monitor I was told I was getting around 30,000 per day which concerned my cardiologist but my echocardiogram showed my heart was functioning normally and he just wanted to do an MRI to double check, 5 months later the MRI showed a ejection fraction of 37% which he said was due to these ectopic beats making my heart weaker so he listed me for urgent ablation which he said he expects the heart to go back to normal which I had on the 1st of July, which I won’t know the results for 3 months. After the ablation he referred me to Bart’s for cardiomyopathy which I didn’t know I had if he has said it was due to these ectopic beats and that’s the only thing he could see on the MRI no scarring or anything. My life has completely changed and for 27 years I thought I was normal and healthy and now I have been crying for the last 4 months and I’ve never cried before all of this I just don’t know what to do or what’s wrong

[Anon2023]

Hi. I’m so sorry that you are going through this but hopefully you will find lots of support and advice on this forum. Having heath problems at any age is hard but I imagine at 27 you are feeling a bit cheated. In terms of your ef I wish the doctors would explain this to people more clearly. Ef is just one measurement and in most cases can improve with medication and healthy lifestyle. The other thing they never tell people is that normal ef is somewhere between 55 & 75%. Nobody ever has 100%. While yours is low there are people on this forum who have had ef much lower but, over time, it has improved. Try not too get too anxious about the numbers, how you are feeling is the most important factor. A forum member, Thatwasunexpected, recently gave an excellent explanation of ef and I’m hoping they’ll be along soon to do that again

With regards to mental health, it really is not uncommon for those with heart problems to have anxiety and depression. I’ve been referred to counselling via the nhs to help with the health anxiety that I suffer with. Perhaps ask for a referral, it may help. you can always post on here too, there are some incredibly kind people on this forum who hopefully can reassure you

Im sure other forum members will be along soon to share their experiences and offer support. Please do not Google your health conditions, most of the information on there is outdated and not relevant. Try the British heart foundation website and pumping marvellous. Try not to worry. X

[Jayduk in reply to Anon2023]

Thanks

[Hidden]

Hi, I'm so sorry to read about your problems. The reply from Anon2023 has some very good advice. I'll be honest from a medical standpoint I can't really add much, and I'm more on a personal front, although I'm never to sure how to address someone of your age, without sounding condescending.

The great thing is that you're in the system and you've had the Ablation in the first instance, and hopefully any ongoing tests re- Cardiomyopathy will be positive.

Take it from me, knowing you have a problem is massive, one of my best mates was 25years old when he dropped down dead from a malfunctioning heart valve in the mid-1980s, he didn't have the luxury of knowing he had a problem.

Not long after I was made aware that I had the same issue, let's say it was a well kept family secret, anyway that's history now. I was 26years old when I was told I would need surgery at some point. It comes as a shock to us all, but, I was the lucky one as I found out in time, and had time to prepare mentally.

Along with my future wife, we made the decision to get on with life come what may, we married and by the time l had my 1st AVR, we had a very young son, who'll be 30 this year. That surgery was a life changer for me.

It might feel difficult to accept it now, but, you learn to live with health problems as they come along. Being young also helps massively in my opinion.

I'm 61 now, don't get me wrong it's been very hard at times, but, I do what I always do, I fight and I win. I wish my mate had the same chance.

I suppose what I'm saying is it's not the end of the world, be strong and enjoy life.

Sorry for going on.

Best wishes and stay strong.

Heed

[Jayduk in reply to Hidden]

Thank you

[Classicfan49 in reply to Hidden]

Absolutely spot on! There are thousands of sudden deaths from heart disease every year and in every case there was something wrong in an organ which seems to like to keep its own counsel. The symptoms of so many heart conditions show up elsewhere in the body first and go unnoticed. In many cases, no symptoms at all. Those of us who know we have these things are, in many ways, fortunate.

Stay off the internet - except for this forum - and listen to your cardiologist.

[GracieOS]

Hi. I’m so sorry for you at just 27. You already have some sound advice above.

I have exactly the same issues as you. My ectopic beats were found as a result of a routine check up, I wasn’t unwell. After an echocardiogram I was told my Ef was low to mid 30s. I was 55 at the time. Like you I was told later I had cardiomyopathy. My heart had been weakened by the heavy load of ectopic beats that had been getting more extreme over many years. I was devastated. I had a son at university and my daughter, who is autistic, living at home at the time. I thought I wouldn’t see my son graduate and worried about my daughter coping without me. I cried alone in my bedroom a lot.

I’m now 4 years on. I wasn’t offered an ablation, instead I was put on a cocktail of drugs. It took a while to get that cocktail right for me. Two years on from my original diagnosis my Ef was 56, last year it was 54 and I’m currently awaiting an echocardiogram for my 4th year. So my Ef is now hovering at the bottom of the normal range. Hopefully this next echocardiogram will show the same thing. My ectopics are vastly reduced, although still there. My situation is well managed and I’ve learnt to live well with it.

I went to my sons graduation this year and seen him settled in a job in London. My daughter is getting much more independent. I’m well, I live a pretty normal life. I still do all the things I love. Which includes hiking up mountains, yoga and travelling around Europe in a camper van. You are so young, hopefully that youth will help your recovery. You have every possibility of living a pretty normal life with medical care and appropriate lifestyle choices. I wish you the very best x.

[Jayduk in reply to GracieOS]

Thank you

[Bigbrian]

HiBelieve me when I tell you it’s better to know than not know, your life is now in 2parts, before your heart issue and after your heart issue.

Now you know you will get the required medication you need, and make sure you take it as prescribed. And take the advice your cardiologist gives you.

Over the coming years you will adapt. Your EF will get better with diet and exercise and medication.

I asked my cardiologist when I had my heart issue “why me”

And he replied “why not you”

Keep going , keep taking the tablets and this will pass.

[Jayduk in reply to Bigbrian]

Thanks a lot

[LilyMistri2]

As well as speaking to your doctors, speak to your pharmacist and cardiology nurse. They know how to space the drugs out so they don’t react together.

[Jayduk in reply to LilyMistri2]

Thank you