r/Heartfailure

Im 36 and getting a defibrillator installed Tuesday. Im a little nervous 😓 as I dont want to get shocked. Can you guys put my anxiety at ease? Im excited to get rid of the dumb life vest but getting something installed where I can't say no thank you dont shock me... im a little scared

UPDATE:(long read but please read) So we finally went to the cardiologist today for his opinion on my father’s echo and the ef being stable (30-35 after 1 year ) and not increasing

So first thing i asked was sir why didn’t the ef go up my father had no symptoms whole year and is working completely fine and even you mention in an appointment that his heart has potential for further ef increase so why did it not increase

For this he just explained the whole apical wall hypokinesia and SCARRED HEART MUSCLE DUE TO THE MI which i knew but even considering that his ef went up from 20-25 to 30-35 just in 2 months and now after a whole year it hasn’t gone a bit up he didn’t answer this very question

Than i asked him is their still potential for further increase he again stayed silent

I also asked him about all the other echo readings and i myself stated that are a little improvements like the mr & tr were mild first but now they are trivial(little to normal) so is that a slight improvement on that he said yes

i even asked sir is there any need of advance heart care facilities or cardiac rehab he said that in our city there is no cardiac rehab centre and when i asked should we consider going to the big cities he said no need

Than i added is my father allowed to perform certain daily activities like driving, attending functions, gardening etc he said yes he is

Basically the whole time he said he is stable no need to worry i also asked about reassuring that is my father’s medicine plan following the 4-Pillars of heart failure medicines like entresto and is this very medicine usable in my father’s case he just said no (didn’t even care to explain)

BUT HE STILL ADDED 2 MEDICINES ONE WAS BEFORE THE ECHO HE MENTIONED THAT IS GENERALLY ADDED AFTER 1 YEAR RECOVERY NAMED CARCA 10 (which when i searched came to be a beta blocker my father was on a beta blocker named CONCOR but it caused dizziness and that’s why it was on hold since august and now it has started again)

AND VERY IMPORTANT AFTER THE SEEING THE ECHO REPORTS AND THE EF HE ADDED A NEW MEDICINE AND WHEN ASKED WHAT IS IT FOR HE SAID IT IS TO INCREASE THE EF IT IS CALLED ARNOZA 50 (BUT I AM SCARED TO DEATH TO START IT BECAUSE IT HAS A BLACK BOX WARNING IT IS EXTREMELY HIGH RISK AND HAVE HISTORY OF SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS BUT IT IS STILL A VERY EFFECTIVE HEART SAVING MEDICINE WHAT SHOULD I DO) I DON’T GET IT WHY DID HE ADDED IT NOW WHY DIDN’T HE ADD IT FIRST I AM VERY CONFUSED AND HAVING SO MUCH TRUST ISSUES IS MY PARENT’S FUTURE IN SAFE HANDS)

than he was like just in so much hurry he didn’t say but expressed that okay now i need to check my next patient but i had to get my mum’s reports checked too but he clearly told me that wait i’ll check them later and they all came very bad (i’ll ask about it in other q’s) and he just didn’t give neither much time nor listened to me

do ya’ll think we should consider an opinion from any higher cardiologist also there were so so so many questions that i couldn’t ask like getting a scan or mri done for a more discrete ef neither what are the lifestyle changes that could support my father’s heart the most and the most critical one is there any need of pacemaker or implant (but again i very much think if my father was in the state of urgent need to get it implanted win’t the cardiologist say himself HE DIDN’T EVEN MENTION THESE) and

like there were just so many questions i wanted to ask but couldn’t .

I am really clueless now what to do the cardio visit is in one month now and idk what i am supposed do till that or should i just consider a new cardio also my father or mother didn’t come with me because internally they were sacred and the outside they said that these are just reports so you just get the consultation and come

when i came out i wanted to to cheer my father i said that the cardio said that everything is ok and I WAS REALLY SCARED SO I JUST HIGHLIGHTED MORE ABOUT THE BETTER PART LIKE HE SAID THAT THE EF STILL HAS POTENTIAL TO INCREASE EVEN IF BY A LITTLE LITLLE PERCENT AND THINGS LIKE EF TAKES TIME TO IMPROVE IT INCREASES THE MOST ONE TIME LIKE IT DID IN INITIAL MONTHS AND THAN IT SLOWLY INCREASE LIKE 1 or 2 PERCENT INCREASE IN WHOLE YEAR BUT IT WILL INCREASE (I INTREPATED ALL OF THIS JUST BECAUSE THE DOCTOR ADDED A MEDICINE AND VERY CLEARLY SAID IT WOULD INCREASE EF)

I DID THIS BECAUSE I WANTED MY FATHER TO FEEL THE SAFETY NET AGAIN I LITERALLY TOLD HIM LET’S CELEBRATE I AM REALLY HAPPY SO WE DID AND I JUST OVERALL TOLD HIM THAT EVERYTHING’S GOOD AND YOU ARE STABLE NO NEED TO WORRY AT ALL AND NOW JUST LET’S WORK ON OUR HABITS LIKE TOBACCO REDUCTION WHICH MY FATHER HAS PROMISED HE WILL REDUCE IT AND WALKING DAILY (STARTING FROM 15 MINS AND THAN INCREASE 5 MINS EVERY WEEK )

SO NOW I AM CLULESS ABOUT WHAT TO DO ALSO ABOUT THE MRI FOR DISCRETE EF VALUE I TALKED TO MY FATHER ON THIS AND HE SAYS RN IT IS NOT REALLY NECESSARY SO WE WILL DO IT AFTER A FEW MONTHS

IDK WHAT TO DO SHOULD WE TRY A 2ND CARDIOLOGY OPINION OR SHOULD WE GO TO THE HIGHLY FACILATED HOSPITALS FOR CARDIAC CARE THOUGH THIS CARDIO SAYS THERE IS NO SUCH NEED BUT I AM STILL VERY SACRED ALSO THE UPCOMING ONE MONTH TILL THE MONTHLY CHECKUP OF THE SAME CARDIO I MEAN I CANT FULLY TRUST EVEN HIM NOW SO WHAT SHOULD I DO I AM CLUELESS

ALSO ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING I HAVE MY MEDICAL ENETRANCE EXAM IN EXACT ONE MONTH (AND IT MATTERS SO SO SO MUCH TO MY PARENTS BECAUSE THEY REALLY HAVE THEIR TRUST IN ME AND THEY REALLY WANT ME TO BE A DOCTOR AND I WANT IT MORE THAN ANYTHING) AND IT IS REALLY VERY ESSENTIAL FOR ME TO CARCK IT AND GET GOOD GRADES TO GET IN MED SCHOOL SO

IS IT OKAY IF JUST FOR ONE MONTH THINGS CONTINUE THE WAY THEY ARE WITH THE NEW MEDICINES AND THE VERY IMPORTANT THING THAT IS GONNA CHANGE IS MUST DO LIFESTYLE CHANGES TOBACCO REDUCTION AND WALKING DAILY AND REDUCE STRESS SO WHAT SHOULD WE FINALLY DECIDE SHOULD WE JUST FOR A LITTLE TIME CONTINUE WHAT MY FATHER IS UP TO WITH EXTREME LIFESTYLE CHANGES AND THE SAME CARDIO OR SHOULD WE GO IMMEDIATELY AND URGENTLY FOR HIGHER CARDIAC CARE PLEASE HELP I AM SO SCARED

She had chf in 2024 w an EF of 21 or so...she is on three meds .I forget the exact names but her BP is always low. She feels bleh but she says otherwise she feels ok. It just makes her feel a bit tired. She's veen on it for months now. I have hypocondria and worry she'll go into a hypotensive crisis. Is her BP good or too low? Her dr wanted it low but idk if he meant that low

Hi, my father had a heart attack due to a blocked artery it was stented but due to the attack my fathers ejection fraction dropped to 20-25 percent he was than put on multiple cardiac medicines and just within 2 months his ef went up to 30-35 that was in july 2025 just recently my father completed one year after the attack and we had the echo again and we were expecting it to be around at-least 40-45 because even the cardiologist said that it will sure go up to 5 percent more which puts you in a better condition. But on seeing today’s reports we were all shocked it came 30-35 again it didn’t increase a bit my father rn is on dapavel 10, aldactone-25 and atorlip 20 and jupiros gold 10 now we have our consultation with the cardio tomorrow and i am really scared also my father has no major other issues just the low ef and trivial mr,tr but the main thing he has severly hypokinetic lad territory (apical wall hypokinesia), Grade 1 LV DIASTOLIC DYSFUNCTION and RWMA and my father is just 46 he doesn’t have any other major symptoms my mother also has a serious heart condition and overall we are so stressed that this is the final reading of my fathers ef and it will not go up from it please tell me can it go up from here or will it stay the same forever and do ya’ll think we should change the cardiologist and go to another better (please suggest) cardio, because even the cardio said that it would increase but it did not also my father takes his medicines regularly has a low salt diet but the main thing is he doesn’t work out doesn’t even walk because he is busy in work he drives his car 80 km alsmost everyday (the doctor allowed it) and he also has addiction of tobacco chewing since last 20 years so please help i am really scared

I am a 30F

My dad (67M, 6’3, 290 lbs) was recently hospitalized after new onset AFib with RVR was found at a primary care appointment. He was admitted for several days and initially there was concern for CHF because an earlier transthoracic echo estimated EF around 40-45% and he had some shortness of breath.

He underwent a TEE + attempted cardioversion. Cardioversion failed after 3 shocks, but the TEE findings were much more reassuring:

EF 60-64%
Normal systolic function
Normal wall motion
No thrombus/clot
Mild mitral regurgitation only
No major valve disease
No major structural abnormalities

He was discharged home today on:
Metoprolol
Eliquis
(and some med adjustments due to kidney levels rising )

He is still in AFib but rate controlled (~100 bpm).

Main concern now:
He gets short of breath walking up stairs or when standing too quickly. He says it feels like “heartburn” or chest burning more than crushing chest pain. He otherwise is okay sitting/resting and is not gasping at rest.

Questions:

1. Is exertional shortness of breath like this common after hospitalization + persistent AFib even with a normal EF on TEE?
2. Could AFib alone still cause reduced exercise tolerance even if the heart pumping function looks normal?
3. Has anyone had a similar experience where symptoms improved over days/weeks after discharge?

Does this sound more consistent with AFib/deconditioning/recovery?

Just trying to understand what’s normal vs concerning after discharge.

I’m also worried as his bedroom is upstairs

Thanks.

Context: 59M, regular hiker and jogger until 5 months ago when an erratic heartbeat led to ECG and subsequent 2D Echo found 25% EF. Arteries found clear, hence I have non-ischemic DCMP. No other symptoms.
Started the usual HF medication at low doses coz to avoid excessive drop in BP.
Arrhythmia disappeared in 3 weeks.
5 months later, my EF hasn’t improved, but I walk 3-5km and swim 200m daily without exceeding 120HR.
The meds obviously keep me relatively lethargic throughout the day.
Question: can I resume moderate hiking, taking care to control HR below 125?

I've never used reddit before so im sorry in advance. I guess I'm maybe looking for some advice or reassurance, or maybe similar stories from people.

My best friend (he's only 19, and ate really healthy and exercised well too) found out about 2 and a half months ago that he has high blood pressure, and about 2 months ago it turned out to be heart faliure. He has been on medication but it feels like it just keeps getting worse and worse.

2 months ago it was just a slight cough and chest pain, shortness of breath and occasional nose bleeds. But now despite taking meds, hes in pain 24/7, needing to go to the hospital atleast twice a week because the pain gets so bad he's worried it a heart attack (which he has already had one 2 weeks ago). He has really bad shortness of breath and is dizzy all the time and light headed, daily nose bleeds too.

The doctors just say he needs to stay away from stress, eat well and sleep well and take medication. But his parents are getting divorced and he's stressed all the time, he can't sleep because he's in pain/stressed and he can't eat because he's in pain/no appetite, and aparently he's in pain because he's not eating or sleeping or staying away from stress well, so its just a loop of him not being able to do anything about it. He's lost so much weight and he's so incredibly depressed because of all this. He has absolutely no appetite and he throws up half of anything I manage to convince him to eat, which is barely anything. I'm so worried he will die soon and i don't know what to do about it. He lives across the world and there's only so much I can do from where I am.

I feel like the doctors aren't doing enough or they're not taking his case seriously. He is only 19, he worked out well, he ate well, he wanted to study be a doctor and he is such a good person. It's so hard seeing him at such such such a low point.

I'm sure there's probably things I'm forgetting to say but i would really appreciate any advice or maybe similar stories anyone has to give :(

If anyone knows anything that could help with being short of breath that would be great too. Especially if it's things that we might not have tried already. Tips on helping him eat would be great too or maybe any specific foods that are easy to eat. I'd love to hear from people in similar positions too

I think my heart problems started after I got covid, 73f. Anyone else?

Hey I am 19 and had some kind of heart attack on 27th december 2025, since then i got diagnosed with tachycardic AF and Heart Failure 43% (german: Herzinsuffizienz). I am an hybrid athlete and lost alot of muscles since then because I could not really train, I had an Pulmonary vein isolation PFA 2 weeks ago and start to feel better. My heart still peaks to 120 (before it peaked to 205, so thats a win ig)...

But I still dont perform at all, breathing still is a bit hard often and moving gets me exhausted fast, do you have any tips to get back into my normal state? I read that there are excercises to do to regain normal heart function and get back to my before state but I dont know what to do.

Thank you for every help

As in the title im just wondering why there is no proper alternative already.
I will need a transplant in the future.

Why not inserting a full bodycomposable pump with an battery which i dont know lasting 3 days.
The battery is implanted under the skin like a pacemaker or defibrillator and can be charged wirelessly:

1. in bed like a charging station with a magnet like an apple watch
2. or during the day with a cable when doing the household or chilling on the couch

In my brain it would make so mich sense as the heart is only an organ pumping a fluid through the body

As the title states, I’m easing back into strength training. Nothing crazy- just at home Pilates and light weights sort of stuff.
I’m 29 and 7 months postpartum, diagnosed in Dec with 10-15% EF. I feel a whole world better, due for a repeat echo in a few weeks, and I’ve always been an incredibly fit person, so it feels great to be doing this again.
I lost a lot of muscle in the pregnancy, so I’m somewhat starting from scratch. And the phrase ‘bigger before you get smaller’ is starting to apply, as I bloat somewhat as the muscle is recovering, adding some fluid weight. I’ve been approved to take creatine again, but I think I’ve put on a bit of fluid from that.
I’m also trying to manage my PMS fluid retention. Which I’ll end up probably needing a furosomide in a few days, as I have every month on the last few days of my cycle. Thanks hormones.

My question is, will the extra fluid from muscles be bad for my heart? And if I end up taking a fluid tablet (even if just for PMS), will that be bad for my muscle recovery?

When I was diagnosed I was very very worried I would have to completely change my active lifestyle but they assured me to listen to my body and that hopefully I’ll be able to get back to it.
But aside from that, they gave me a pamphlet about exercise that had only pictures of elderly people and encouraging at least half an hour of activity, and beyond that, I haven’t had much more advise. The advice has felt far more tailored to encourage activity over inactivity, whereas I had to completely stop everything I was doing, and build up slowly.

Does anyone else manage a fit lifestyle and have any advice?

Hi, Im 29 and was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy in Dec last year. EF 10-15%.
It’s been a pretty crazy time, as i also have 5 kids, one being a baby.
Anyway, I’ve recently reduced my beta blocker Bisoprolol from 2.5, (medically advised) due to feeling… well… not a lot.
I have a bit more zest for life again and I’m not as tired.

However, it has increased my anxiety and despite no change in resting heart rate for a whole week, today I’ve had some definite spikes. I clean in the evenings, and I’ve hit 140 at times.
My resting heart rate is still 60. So that’s fine. But maybe now I’m anxious about it, it’s higher. I’m also PMSing

I guess my main question is, how high do you let your heart get in day to day activity, exercise ect? Do you feel paranoid about the heart rate?

My cardio did tell me it’s okay to make medication adjustments for quality of life, but in the back of my mind I’m just scared.

This ended up being a ramble but… it’s really been so lonely having this. Especially at my age.

Had my 6-monthly checked with my cardiologist today, starting with an echo. About a year ago he prescribed me the lowest dosage on Entresto, and back in April of last year added Foxiga to the mix.

A year later and my EF went up! From 44% to 47%. Woot! This is great because when he started me on Entresto, my EF was at 48% but went DOWN to 44%. So he changed one of my meds to Entresto. Seems that it paid off after all.

I know for some the journey is short or whatever, but it's been pretty long for me. I was diagnosed in 2019 at an EF of 17%. Got it up to 34% within a month and then it went slowly from there, getting up to 47% maybe three years ago. Made it to the aforementioned 48% the year before last and then it slid to 44% last year for some reason (doctor has no idea why). And now back to 47%.

P.S. - forgot to say, this last two years was under the backdrop of me finding out last year February that I have type 2 diabetes. So I suspect I went untreated for a whole and that lowered my EF. I started managing my diaetes and I think that made a real difference, because the two conditions are linked.

Have read multiple threads about importance of diet in treating CHF and still unclear about the importance of reducing sugar in the diet. Can someone explain the importance of reducing sugar in the diet aside from weight considerations. TIA

Hi everyone, my mom was recently diagnosed with CHF (61y/o). She originally went to the ER and was diagnosed with pneumonia and sent home. The next day she felt way worse and went back to the ER. They ran some tests and said it was CHF. They pulled off about 1200 mL of fluid and have began a regimen of new meds for her. They say her fraction is at 25%. She has 4 meds including lasix. She saw her cardiologist Wednesday and they said she sounded good and do continue with the new meds. She has an appointment scheduled with a CHF clinic in a few weeks and I’ve talked with them about starting cardiac rehab as well. She has been having a tough time emotionally getting used to all of this and adjusting to our new normal. I’ve been trying to find recipes for low sodium and making sure she gets some rest right now, but what else can I do to help her? I want to be there and do everything I can. I’ve ordered a pulse ox and we have a scale to make sure there’s no significant weight gain. She has generalized anxiety so this has just been a lot and she’s been terrified of sleeping but I’m doing what I can to keep her calm and stress free. What else can I do right now? What was helpful from others when you were diagnosed?

I’m an occupational therapist so without overstepping I try to do what I can with modifying/adjusting activities. It’s just so much harder when it’s your own 😞

Good morning everyone. I’m a 34F, was 33 when everything happened. So for starters 3 months ago I went to the emergency room for SOB, swelling and pitting, and being unable to breathe while lying flat and just extreme fatigue. I was pregnant so I thought I was just having serous pregnancy symptoms and ignored it for about a month. I finally went to ER and they found an enlarged heart, an ascending aortic aneurysm of 8.1 cm, and heart failure with an EF of 25%. After two days of getting my blood under control after miscarriage and DIC and a few other things, I went in to emergency surgery 2/16/26 for an aortic valve replacement. Now 3 months later at my appointment yesterday, my cardiologist is worried that my heart failure hasn’t improved at all my EF is still 25% and he seemed really concerned. He changed some medication added a new one (jardiance) my insurance has yet to approve and is wanting me to see a specialist in Los Angeles. I went to the ER by ambulance the day before my appointment with him due to chest tightness and being dizzy. My resting bpm was 130 and when ems got there my blood pressure was 160/110. But they just said it was an anxiety attack after running blood test and X-ray. Most days I feel okay. I’ve been exercising daily and trying to eat healthy but sometimes I slip up. Has anyone on here seen improvement in just 3 months?
Edit: after reading through a few posts I have seen people have seen improvement with upping entresto, have been on 24/26 once a day the entire time. He keeps upping my carvedilol from 3.125 to 6.25 and now 12.5

My husband is newly diagnosed with A-AFib and Heart Failure with 38% EF, he has high blood pressure and was on medication for it. He started retaining fluid and doctor trip discovered A-Fib and night at hospital discovered heart failure. They did a TEE and discovered a suspected blood clot and wasn’t able to do a cardio version and has a follow up with cardiologist and on a waiting list to see EP. They took him off his blood pressure medication and is now on a blood thinner, 3 heart medications and a diuretic. He didn’t have an Apple Watch before diagnosis but got one at the suggestion of the cardiologist and has been in A-Fib 100% since diagnosis. He is taking meds, watching his diet but has not stopped smoking cigarettes or even attempted it. I am worried sick and don’t know how to convince him to quit. If a heart disease didn’t convince him, I don’t think I can either.

My husband was diagnosed 4 years ago when his lungs filled out with fluid. After the hospital, everything was fine up until two months ago. He now has pitting edema in his legs and fluid buildup in his stomach.

He's been on beta blockers and torasemide 10mg once a day and the next day two pills in the morning and afternoon, and then the next day one pill and so on. These are his only symptoms. Blood work shows that everything is fine, including the liver and kidneys.

Why is this happening now? Isn't this a very low dose of the water pills? Can it resolve or this means things are getting bad? Did someone find a way to live with this? I'm incredibly worried and frankly panicking. I just want him around for a long long time.

EDIT: He was with his cardiologist one month ago. She said that his heart is the same as before, no change. I'm starting to doubt her.

EDIT2: During these 4 years after the hospital stay, he's never been on a low sodium diet, eating all kinds of crap. He was relying on the water pills, which at the beginning was 10mg a day. Now with this episode, he is on this new regimen where one day he is on 10, the next day 10x2. He doesn't listen to me. I don't know where we are at and if that could be the culprit, or if he is getting worse.

My people, I was diagnosed with hcm at 25, 33mm normal gradient and EF but significant fibrosis. I was asymptomatic until 39, I’m 41 now. Actually that’s not true, I got dizzy upon standing and felt my heart pounding almost all the time but I thought everyone did.
Around 39 I started having mild swelling in my lower legs from time to time- usually when I didn’t get enough sleep and had to be standing all day. It’s gotten worse over the last year. My dr put me on 20mg lasix which helped for a bit. Then suddenly my gradient went from 24 to 59. For some reason I wasn’t started on mavacamten right away but my dr (who is the head of a center of excellence hcm program) added metoprolol and jardiance and upped the lasix to 40mg.
After this, I was randomly hospitalized because I got a piece of food stuck in my throat, could not swallow it. Embarrassing but labs showed my potassium was very low. I mentioned it to my dr, and asked if we should be monitoring my electrolytes. I was brushed aside.
About a month later while standing in my mothers kitchen I passed out and had an episode of convulsive syncope- where you pass out and look like you’re having a seizure. I was terrified, thought I had just lucked out ( I had a defibrillator but the explant warning went off a week before my 75yo mother had a liver transplant, I couldn’t leave her side for literally almost a year because there was no one else to care for her. my drs warned me my defib likely wouldn’t be avle to provide ample therapy if I had an event so I was basically without backup ay this time)
I went to a different hospital than the one my usual drs were at and learned ny gradient had jumped to almost 150. I also learned that my potassium was once again extremely low and that it was due to the lasix. Apparently in hcm, you have to be really careful with diuretics because they reduce blood volume which affects how hard the heart has to work to get blood where it needs to go and this worsens obstruction.
My dr insisted I be seen by a neurologist because I must have a seizure condition. This was ruled out. I was put on mavacamten, gradient came down to 20, ef 60.

I’m only on 20mg of lasix now and I end up with swelling every day. Despite the mavacamten eliminating shortness of breath, chest pain and palpitations, the swelling and fluid are preventing me from living my life. I can’t not wear compression socks, it’s about to be 90-100 degrees daily. I can’t wear shoes comfortably, i can’t button pants or tops anymore due to fluid in my abdomen so I’m just no longer wearing any thing but sweatpants and never leaving the house. My feet and ankles and shins and knees are in pain if I have to stand for more than a couple hours. I walk in my house and up and down the stairs (I make myself do 50-100 flights of stairs a day) I’m 5’3” about 155lbs.

Why isn’t my dr taking this seriously? What can I do? If this is the best it’s going to get.. I’ll be looking into death with dignity.

Oh eta: I’ve tried spiro, worst 3 months of my life. And I just had my transvenous icd removed and got an s-icd implanted at the beginning of April.