Living with Clinical Heart Failure.

[macabethiel]

I was eventually diagnosed with the above condition some 2 months ago and just wanted to update how things are going for me at the moment.

I have been wheezing in my sleep since around December last year but it was only in March this year that I started to get some other symptoms. I was getting breathless about halfway up our stairs and had a night time slight cough that was stopping me from sleeping unless I was sat upright in bed - not very comfy.

It took 8 visits to my GP between March and August before I really started to feel normal again. I had a heart attack 7 years ago in the grounds of Derby Royal Hospital immediately after a treadmill test. I already had three stents in my heart when I went for the test and they basically let me carry on the test until my heart rate reached 178 b.p.m. instead of stopping the test at 130 b.p.m.

After my heart attack and another stent I was put on a drug called Ramipril it's an ACE inhibitor - no idea how it works but was put on a daily dose of 2.5 mg. The two drugs that have sorted me out are Furosimide - water tablets 40 mg each morning and doubling my Ramipril tp 5 mg daily. That was about 75-80 % improvement all round. The final tweak was upping the Ramipril to 7.5 mg daily. I rate my current status as 95 % better back to how I felt 12 months ago. My heart failure is due to calcification of a heart valve in the lower left chamber of my heart causing it to leak - not bad enough yet to be considered for a valve replacement.

The term Clinical Heart Failure sounds much worse than the condition is for many people they can live a long time with the condition (My Mum had it and lived until she was 86). My prognosis is 5 years at worst - 10 years is quite possible.

It has taken time to sink in and I know there are many people much worse off than me. If you see your GP with Angina or breathlessness make sure they do a BNP test as the earlier they detect the condition the longer you will live. I am 69 my BNP marker should have been below 180 it was in fact almost 1700 !!

I have never smoked, am only marginally overweight at 15 st - 6ft 1in.

[solarman216]

Oh for ffs that is bad news, I really do not know what to say other than what I have said to Rustic and that is keep strong and fight it, Rick

[terranosaurusdoug]

Yes that's not good news, is it hereditary then?, you said your mother had the same. Also what do ACE and BNP stand for.

[panelbeater]

i feel for you as i have heart failure too,not nice as i have been getting worse and the main reason for selling my 2 wvo burner t2 as its got to hard to fetch and carry wvo etc.
stairs are a on all four limbs nigiling,pink flem up cough,this linked to other ailments make life hard.
i do get away in the caravan though not as much now,as once there and set up its easier as on one level but getting in and out hard now.
i too have never smoked but poor lungs due to a lifetime of brakes,clutches and filler and spraying as in the early days not many precautions were in place.
not hered of bnp marker,i will ask.
i am luky not to have stents at all but a bouble pacemaker and on betablocker to try to bring heart beat down,pacemaker to keep it from going slow as i kept collapsing,on my second one now constaint af so not pumping properly,bad artherites in knees ankolising spondulites in spine kneck and hips stop me doing much.
but hey still living the best i can.
keep your pecker up m.

[macabethiel]

Originally Posted by terranosaurusdoug

Yes that's not good news, is it hereditary then?, you said your mother had the same. Also what do ACE and BNP stand for.

Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP)

ACE inhibitors block your body from producing a chemical called angiotensin II. When angiotensin II enters your blood stream your blood vessels *become narrower. This gives your blood less space to move in, which raises your blood pressure.

Angiotensin II also triggers a hormone that makes your body retain water. Having more fluid in your body, in a restricted space, will cause your blood pressure to rise. ACE inhibitors lower your blood pressure by reducing angiotensin II in your body. This allows your blood vessels to relax and widen, making it easier for blood to flow through. It also lowers the amount of water your body retains, which lowers your blood pressure.

It is not considered as hereditary - my Mum was a heavy smoker (20-30 a day) until she was 67 that was the cause for her.

[terranosaurusdoug]

Originally Posted by macabethiel

Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP)

ACE inhibitors block your body from producing a chemical called angiotensin II. When angiotensin II enters your blood stream your blood vessels *become narrower. This gives your blood less space to move in, which raises your blood pressure.

Angiotensin II also triggers a hormone that makes your body retain water. Having more fluid in your body, in a restricted space, will cause your blood pressure to rise. ACE inhibitors lower your blood pressure by reducing angiotensin II in your body. This allows your blood vessels to relax and widen, making it easier for blood to flow through. It also lowers the amount of water your body retains, which lowers your blood pressure.

It is not considered as hereditary - my Mum was a heavy smoker (20-30 a day) until she was 67 that was the cause for her.

Thats interesting stuff, especially now, I have literally just come home from the docs, she has given me some Ramapril

[macabethiel]

Originally Posted by panelbeater

i feel for you as i have heart failure too,not nice as i have been getting worse and the main reason for selling my 2 wvo burner t2 as its got to hard to fetch and carry wvo etc.
stairs are a on all four limbs nigiling,pink flem up cough,this linked to other ailments make life hard.
i do get away in the caravan though not as much now,as once there and set up its easier as on one level but getting in and out hard now.
i too have never smoked but poor lungs due to a lifetime of brakes,clutches and filler and spraying as in the early days not many precautions were in place.
not hered of bnp marker,i will ask.
i am luky not to have stents at all but a bouble pacemaker and on betablocker to try to bring heart beat down,pacemaker to keep it from going slow as i kept collapsing,on my second one now constaint af so not pumping properly,bad artherites in knees ankolising spondulites in spine kneck and hips stop me doing much.
but hey still living the best i can.
keep your pecker up m.

You certainly seem to have a lot of health issues going on I know when I was attending Cardio Rehab Course there was a girl in her early 30's who had a Pacemaker with built in Defib. I am 69 so find it easier to accept my declining fitness. As I say to my friends when they ask how I am - Well I woke up with a Pulse everything else is a bonus.

[panelbeater]

ha ha,i just turned 65

[macabethiel]

Originally Posted by solarman216

Oh for ffs that is bad news, I really do not know what to say other than what I have said to Rustic and that is keep strong and fight it, Rick

Well it's not too bad from my perspective on life. I am 69 I never expected to reach 50 when I was fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma, if I make somewhere between 75 and 79 with a good quality of life that will do me just fine. I want quality not quantity but no doubt my view will change as I get older and nearer the end game.

My biological father died when I was a few months old from Tuberculosis back in 1948 he was 21 years of age serving in the British Army on the Rhine they sent him home to die in a Sanatorium - it was a big killer back in the day.

My step-father who recovered from Tuberculosis made 69 with heart disease from smoking-when he died stenting did not exist in mainstream heart treatment.

Anyway today I have started to fix the other side of my Garage Door floor where it lets in water - best to do it while I have some Roundtuits. lol

[Blocky10]

Another sad story but sounds like you're keeping your chin up too
Hope I would be like that

[macabethiel]

Originally Posted by Blocky10

Another sad story but sounds like you're keeping your chin up too
Hope I would be like that

I was raised in my formative years by my Mum who today would be called a single parent. We came to the UK from Austria when I was 5 years of age. My Mum soon got work as a Residential Cook at a Council Run Children's Home in West Hallam (now an old folks home) I lived in the dormitory with the residents who were mostly genuine Orphans as opposed to kids put in care by Social Services as they are today. I felt at the time it was like one big adventure playground. I always felt I was a very lucky and happy child.
My Mum then worked "In Service" for a wealthy Businessman as a live in housekeeper with me in-tow until I was about 9 years old. She re-married and the rest of my Childhood was pretty normal.

I have turned out to be quite pragmatic about life. I'm not really a "the glass is half full" as opposed to "the glass is half empty" person. More of an engineer in that the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

I believe misery as opposed to happiness is mostly a mental decision you make. Living here in the UK we are so lucky compared with a lot of other countries I count my blessings in so many ways.

[johnb5177]

Like your life philosophy Mac, but as always your 'other family' on here will support you....stay strong mate.....

[macabethiel]

Originally Posted by johnb5177

Like your life philosophy Mac, but as always your 'other family' on here will support you....stay strong mate.....

Absolutely

[rustic]

Hi Ted, many of us are living with very difficult health isses, and our hearts go out to both you and Wendy.

If I can give you any advice, or if Roz can to Wendy, feel free to ask.

Talking openly on the forum was the best thing I did for my therapy, the forum and it's members rallied around to support me and Roz.
In some parts, I felt it was an imposition to air our lives on the forum, but the members rallied around.
The main event that Roz and I will never forget, was the Rustic Roadshow meet. nearly 2 weeks ago, I thank all those that attended, those that wanted to, but due to family issues were unable to, because family and friends are still the important factors here.
I would like to attend another member's road trip. That would be cool.
Take care Ted, we are here for you.f

Uncle Rustic

[macabethiel]

Originally Posted by rustic

Hi Ted, many of us are living with very difficult health isses, and our hearts go out to both you and Wendy.

If I can give you any advice, or if Roz can to Wendy, feel free to ask.

Talking openly on the forum was the best thing I did for my therapy, the forum and it's members rallied around to support me and Roz.
In some parts, I felt it was an imposition to air our lives on the forum, but the members rallied around.
The main event that Roz and I will never forget, was the Rustic Roadshow meet. nearly 2 weeks ago, I thank all those that attended, those that wanted to, but due to family issues were unable to, because family and friends are still the important factors here.
I would like to attend another member's road trip. That would be cool.
Take care Ted, we are here for you.f

Uncle Rustic

Thanks Uncle Rustic I can identify with your comments in this post health is something us blokes don't generally talk about - but it definitely hepls.