Heart failure

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna]

HELLO EVERYONE,SORRY GOT TO ASK ADVICE AGAIN,AS YOU KNOW I WAS TOLD I HAD HEART FAILURE BY MY CARDIOLOGIST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO,OBVIOUSLY VERY ANXIOUS,BUT HAD GOOD REPLIES AND ADVISE FROM THE PEOPLE ON HERE ,SO RECIEVED LETTER FROM MY APPOINTMENT WITH CARDIOLOGIST AND IT SAYS EF 42, ?? DONT KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, ANY ADVICE WOULD BE SO MUCH APPRECIATED FROM YOU LOVELY PEOPLE, STILL LITTLE ANXIOUS BUT NOT AS MUCH AS I WAS WHEN I GOT MY RESULTS,THANKYOU ALL AGAIN,

[RufusScamp]

EF stands for ejection fraction. It is a measure of how efficient your heart is. I think 50 -60% is the normal range. 42% is low, but not severe. Mine was 20% five years ago, but with medication and a pacemaker it is now in the normal range.

I wish they would stop using the term "heart failure". It is so scary, when it really means "inefficiency".

PS It would make your posts easier to read if you take the CAPS LOCK off! 😊

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to RufusScamp]

Thankyou for replying rufusScamp,hopefully with my new meds mine with improve like yours have, sorry about my caplocks ,best wishes

[RufusScamp in reply to HOLLYANNhopefulanna]

Best of luck with the meds!

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to RufusScamp]

Thankyou

[Bigredhear]

Hi Hollyann,I was diagnosed with HF 5 years ago with an EF of 37, I was shocked and very scared at the time but 5 years later my EF is normal and I feel fine.

As an earlier post said 'heart faliure' Is an incorrect and misleading term, what they should say is your heart is not functioning at full capacity.

I joined a Facebook group called 'pumping marvellous' which i found really helpful and supportive.

Stay positive and good luck

[JAVA12 in reply to Bigredhear]

Hi there, I just wondered how you got your EF back to normal please? My husband had a late presenting STEMI last year and lost 20% of his heart as a result. His EF was/is 47% but he's been jogging virtually every day since he's been able to and eating fewer sweet snacks. I would love to know what you did to improve your EF. Thank you.

[Bigredhear in reply to JAVA12]

Hi,I think it was just a mixture of always taking the meds, some changes in my diet (achohol, less processed food etc) and more excersise.

Good luck

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to Bigredhear]

Thankyou for replying, very kind of you,very helpful and encouraging,best wishes to you,thankyou

[Cocoadonkey]

Hi HollyAnn

That does now sound too bad at all. My husband was also recently advised of Heart Failure (as previously said a scary term which should definitely be re-considered !). He had an EF of 35 but absolutely no other symptoms and is feeling fine.

They have added some new meds and he is doing for cardio exercise to try and build up the strength, but it was caused by his cardiac arrest 2 years ago and only picked up as we went privately to get a cardio check up as he was not in the NHS system for regular check ups.

We are currently waiting for the results of another echo from last week which he has now got on the NHS as back in the system, so hopefully may have picked up a bit.

Keep positive, and manage your symptoms.

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to Cocoadonkey]

Cocoadonkey thanks for taking time to reply,just need to find out now what are best things to eat 😋 my best wishes to you and your husband

[GGiraffe]

hi there

3 years ago I had been feeling out of breathe walking up stairs, went to gp had all the tests came back I had severe HF my EF 24 , i wasn’t sure what was going on scared me thought that was it, after being on meds & having mri after 8 months my EF back up to 49 Im still here feel good was told it was probably a virus !! Defiantly need to change the heart failure wording , you will get support from this group there are a great comfort 😃

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to GGiraffe]

Thankyou GIRAFFE, best wishes to you

[Sharpglo]

wow very interesting reading the different stories. Last Nov I came to a crunch and my EF was 10, I have yet to see anyone with this, after drugs went to 16% and now last month 25%. I am awaiting a biventricular pacemaker. I can’t wait as spend most of day in bed, pain beneath rh rib cage, kidney aches. In evening ache around and up neck. So we become grateful for anything which is brighter than others. All the best.

[A246 in reply to Sharpglo]

Hi Sharpglo, I am sorry hear that you are poorly ATM. I hope that getting your new device improves your heart function and that you feel better. That you have a better quality of life. Best wishes

[Deejay62 in reply to Sharpglo]

My EF went to 10% 5 yrs ago then I went on entresto. Last year it climbed to 23%. My kidney function is 38. I feel breathless all the time when walking and for a time when I rest. I’m very grateful to still be alive.

[ChristianeL in reply to Sharpglo]

I was at 10% too when I was first diagnosed. After a nice stay in ICU and some weeks in hospital I take a ton of medication and have now achieved 37% EF.

[Deejay62 in reply to ChristianeL]

That’s good, I don’t think mine will go up anymore because of an underlying condition which is getting worse.

[Kaz8865]

it’s your ejection fraction, healthy person is 55% to 65%

it's the rate of how much your heart pumps blood out

Mine is 44% and I’ve been told it won’t improve beyond that now I’m fully titrated on the recommended drugs

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to Kaz8865]

Thankyou kaz8865 so kind of you to reply,I wish you best wishes,thankyou

[Lanzarote23]

Hi I was diagnosed with HF in January with EF of 40%. It was a shock as I had no symptoms only found by a chest xray. I’m on the meds and got an MRI on Monday. I can understand as I felt very upset but have tried to carry on as normal. Good luck

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to Lanzarote23]

Thanks lanzarote23 so kind of you to reply,best wishes to you,

[fishonabike]

something you might find reasuring to know is that it is not possible to have an EF of 100% - the "normal" range is 50-70% and it is not necessarily better to have an EF higher than 70%

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to fishonabike]

Thanks for that information ,grateful for any info to help with this condition,best wishes to you

[CrofterG]

My EF dropped to 38%, but I was told couple of weeks ago my EF was up to 57% as I had no scarring and that's after 7 months

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to CrofterG]

That is so encouraging,thanks so much crofters

[SailorGirlBlues in reply to CrofterG]

Congrats to you! That's great news. What did you do to improve your EF? Lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise? Pharma drugs? Procedures? Something else?

Thank you for any information you are able to provide.

[PinkKizzie]

Hi HOLLYANNhopefulanna, I'm in the severe category with an EF of 25%. After an unsuccessful pacemaker implant I now take lots of great medication and I feel really well. I'm sometimes breathless and tired but I keep active as best I can. Keep well, take care.

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to PinkKizzie]

Pink kizzie,thanks for reply,sorry to hear re your pacemaker,I had mine fitted 2 years ago,before the diagnosis of hf, my best wishes to you,

[Shabana1974]

Hi Holly Ann even though it doesn't feel like it it an EF42 is actually not to bad but the title Heart Failure makes it sound worst than it is. I am 49 was diagnosed with EF20% Heart Failure in September 2023. And yes it was really scary at first. But the positive on being on Medication at my last Echocadiogram in January my Heart Function has improved to 32% and obviously the longer we are Medication the more it will improve. They are aiming for EF50%.I know the terms are very scary. But once it sinks in an some lifestyle changes its actually a positive prognosis.

Best regards

Shabana

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to Shabana1974]

Thankyou shabana for your encouraging reply,I hope I improve as well as you have,best wishes to you,

[Shabana1974 in reply to HOLLYANNhopefulanna]

I believe you will, in the beginning I was in tears, I found in difficult. But thankfully the support this sit offers from people with similar experiences really helps

[Sharpglo]

Do you mind telling me what medications you went on after having the pacemaker? Thanks.

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to Sharpglo]

I was already on apixaban(blood thinner)and still on that,lisinopril(bp med),still on those,I was taken off verapamil after I had my pacemaker,I also take atorvastatin ferrous fumerate,and now because of hf diagnosis my cardiologist has put me on dapagliflozin and carvedilol,hope that helps,best wishes to you,please let us know how you get on,and try not to worry,talk to your doctor if you are concerned about anything,

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna]

CAN I JUST THANK EVERYONE WHO REPLIED TO MY POST,I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL YOUR REPLIES AND ENCOURAGING MESSAGES,I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT,I WILL KEEP YOU ALL UPDATED ON MY CONDITION, I SEND YOU ALL BEST WISHES, THANKYOU AGAIN,X

[wardywill]

I had a quadruple heart bypass and to be then told I had heart failure I was devastated!!! Still am .Before bypass 46% after bypass 40% I’m hoping with medication I can improve

[HOLLYANNhopefulanna in reply to wardywill]

Hello wardywill,firstly you are in the right place to get help ,advice and encouragement,I was told I had h/f on my appointment with cardiologist a few weeks ago I too was devastated and anxious but after getting advice and encouragement from the lovely people on here ,I felt better,you will get supported and information from your aftercare team so be guided by them,depending where you live you should be given appointment with the h/f clinic who will guide you and explain things to you ,there are people on here who have lived years with h/f,please don't sit worrying about it,as I was told on here it can be managed with medication and life style changes,you have been through alot with your triple heart bypass so take your time to get over that and when your feeling stronger you can deal with the h/f, you can ask any questions on here ,I am sure the healthunlocked people will guide you with good advice ,but for now take each day as it comes and do not worry to much,best wishes to you,