The Heat

[MichaelJH]

After a seemingly endless rainy season (never really cold and never really warm) summer seemed to arrive in mid-summer's day. This morning my flat is already 28C with no heating of any kind and no sunny windows.

In hot weather your blood vessels dilate and particularly if you are on beta blockers, ACE inhibitors or any other BP medication. Symptoms of this include light headiness, dizziness, nausea, and even vertigo and vomiting. If affected you should not drive even on short local trips as you can as easily seriously injure and kill someone 100yds away as a 100 miles away.

Also if you are on a fluid restriction contact your heart insufficiency nurse (I do not say heart failure as it is not a failure) or other medical professional as you may be allowed a temporary fluid intake increase for the duration of hot weather. I personally perspire bucket loads during hot weather or physiotherapy.

There is more on the Heart and Hot Weather here:

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

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Good advice, hot weather is bad enough without taking any medication.

I go to gym 4 times a week post HA. Is this classed as extremely physical activities or am I OK?

[Thanksnhs]

Unfortunately as per it's raining in Scotland. Good advice when we get out of this country and head for the sun. Char

[Fanfab1 in reply to Thanksnhs]

I wish I was in Scotland 🫠

[Thanksnhs in reply to Fanfab1]

We always wish we were somewhere else 😅it is totally overcast now but warm, not nice at all. Char

[Lezzers]

NoBrilliant advice as usual Michael.

However whilst the name 'heart failure' isn't nice to hear, the terminology is correct, for some people the heart 'is' failing to supply the body with it's needs. A survey was taken by people who have HF and the outcome of that was most HF patients don't want the name changed as by changing the name you take away the seriousness of the condition, remember some people are very seriously ill with it, my husband being one of them. Last year we were told my husband is approaching 'End of Life' HF, so for him & many other people with 'advanced' HF the terminology is absolutely correct. We don't change the name of cancer because someone has a curable cancer!

What is needed is a medical term for people who have some damage to their heart caused by a heart attack or medical condition, the heart is still meeting the bodies needs but there is some insufficiency there. Also, a lot of GP's still tell their patients they have HF because their heart has some damage!! HF is diagnosed by specific tests!

Sorry about the rant but, although you don't mean to be, it's offensive for people to be so dismissive of what is for some a very very difficult, painful & scary condition which they suffer with daily!

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Lezzers]

Good points well made Lezzers.

Heart failure is a spectrum with people being affected in different ways.

My father died within 6 months of his diagnosis of HF nearly 30 years ago.

Thankfully there are much better treatment options now available.

Wishing you and your husband the very best.

[Lezzers in reply to Milkfairy]

Thank you. Sadly, they've run out of treatment options for my husband there are no more magic tricks left in the box! It's a case of keeping him as well as possible, his cardiologist said the aim is to keep him alive for as long as possible 🤞 but yes the treatment options available now are amazing

[Deejay62 in reply to Lezzers]

I do agree with you Lezzers. My heart and also my kidneys are also failing. That’s the only way of me saying what’s going on with my organs. Eventually at some stage it with all end for me. I’ve got another condition that’s progressed to cause it and it will continue to progress. The name Heart Failure is reality for me. My heart is failing.

[Lezzers in reply to Deejay62]

I really am so sorry to hear this, sadly it is the reality for so many. My husband's kidneys are failing too, there was real concern last year as he was retaining fluid quite badly, it was a real challenge because as you know the diuretics cause even more damage.

One of the other things that makes me cross is when I hear 'its an old person's condition'! Err, it's not! I know of a number of people in their 20's/30's/40's etc who have it or have lost their lives to, my husband was only 57 when he was diagnosed & as you probably already know, the challenges you face daily sometimes seem insurmountable!! I found that for me to cope & care for my husband was to educate myself as much as possible, doing so has enabled me to ' fight his corner' when needed.

I hope you're doing ok at the moment, this weather can make things more challenging then ever!

[Deejay62 in reply to Lezzers]

It definitely isn’t an old persons illness I was 43 around when I was diagnosed. The new tablets has helped but it’s the fluid retention that causes problems and low blood pressure because of the meds. I’m still battling on. So sad to hear curry and chips has died.

The heat isn’t good but neither is the very cold weather

[Lezzers in reply to Deejay62]

Yes, extreme weather of any sort is challenging! Low blood pressure & potassium issues are a nightmare, my husband has been taken off a lot of his heart meds & others are just a low dose as his BP struggles badly. What are your usual bp levels? My husbands is usually around 80's/50's occasionally dipping into the 40's

It is incredibly sad that curry & chips has passed away. I was talking to him recently about dialysis & that he'd been told he couldn't have it, which really surprised me as I've known someone who was at end of life and he was given dialysis. Maybe his medical team felt why put him through that when it's unlikely to prolong his life in anyway 🤷‍♀️ heart breaking for his wife

[Deejay62 in reply to Lezzers]

Mine isn’t has low as his. It’s between 82-90/62-72. Was on 10mg Bisoprolol so my gp halved it and my heart was racing, and I began getting chest pains badly it was awful. They raised it to 7.5 mg and it calmed down. Yesterday I took it and it was 85/69. My heart rate was 75 but my device is set at 70 so I don’t understand that. Probably Afib. I take 4 mg Bumetanide a day I think I will fiddle around with that and take 3 or 2 and see how I get on when the weather gets cooler. I was told they lower blood pressure too. My cardiologist leaves it up to me. I can only take 1 Entresto twice a day because of the low BP.

I know how he felt, I don’t want heart transplant I’m 63 now I’ve lived my life.

[Lezzers in reply to Deejay62]

A brave decision but I totally get it. Take care, hopefully the met office has got the weather wrong again!

[BeKind28-]

Hello

Good advice and thank you for posting this x

[Valentina98]

It's even worse if you are pregnant!!

Okay maybe not worse but it's horrible

[Taviterry]

Very useful information, thanks. Having had a skin-cancer scare ten years ago, I take care in the sun -and have never liked the heat.

Both the post-TAVI medications I'm on can increase vulnerability to the heat and sun - which may explain why my mouth is drier than usual. Thank goodness for lower temperatures forecast for tomorrow!