r/Heartfailure

About a month ago my grandma (71) was hospitalized for 3 days and we found out she has afib and acute heart failure. She’s on 6 different medications but lately she hasn’t been eating, her appetite is almost at 0, and I’m pretty sure it’s her medication, She’s just been wanting to sleep , but she also struggles with sleeping( which is nothing new). So she’s just out of it, her memory isn’t the best right now either. Which is insane to me because right before her hospitalization she would go to work and do groceries and drive by herself, overall really independent. We’re going to see her primary today but I’m just scared. She’s honestly the only one I have and I’m only 22 and working full time, I feel like I’m not doing enough for her. Any advice would be great whether it be for me or for her.

19F, HFpEF. Now, before anyone says anything, the point of this post is because I know this is bad, and I am going to tell my cardiologist. I just feel very embarrassed. I hate torsemide more than anything. It gives me such a sucky quality of life, and the reason I stopped taking it was because I couldn't go to work while taking it, because I couldn't be near a bathroom for extended periods of time. I haven't taken it in about two weeks, and except for a few days at the beginning, the whole two weeks I have been pretty much edema free in my legs. I haven't really noticed any other symptoms, maybe slight shortness of breath, but nothing bad at all.

It is just so easy when given two choices to choose the one that is better in literally all aspects. I feel genuinely so much better off of torsemide than I do on it. However, I realize that it is kind of important for, you know, living. So I am going to message my cardiologist, but I have no idea what to say. I don't have any excuse, and I feel kind of like a failure. I'm worried she's going to think all of these bad things about me, which sucks cause I really like her. What should I tell her? I know to be honest, but what else? What do I tell her as a why? Cause my why is seeming very stupid to me right now.

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My mom is 40 years old and has diabetes.

Since yesterday she's been having mild pain that comes and goes. Sometimes it's in her left chest, sometimes in her left shoulder/left arm. She also says she feels tired sometimes. The pain isn't severe, and she doesn't have shortness of breath. Her fasting blood sugar this morning was 120 mg/dL.

She thinks it's just stress because she's been under a lot of tension and doesn't want to go to the hospital.

I'm worried because I've heard that chest pain with left arm pain can sometimes be heart-related, especially in people with diabetes.

Would you take her to the emergency department for an ECG and blood tests, or does this sound more like muscle pain or stress? Has anyone experienced something similar?

Hi everyone,
I’m 33 years old with an EF of around 45–50%, and imaging has shown enlargement of all four heart chambers. I’m clinically stable, with no symptoms at all (I found my low ef by accident) but I’ve received completely different advice from different cardiologists about exercise.
Has anyone with a similar condition been evaluated by a sports medicine physician or an exercise cardiologist? What kind of exercise were you told was safe? Were you given any heart rate limits or restrictions?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

I basically religiously cut out all OTC drugs after my diagnosis except for tylenol for pain. My menstrual cramps right now are horrendous and I am miserable this weekend. I kind of want to take ibuprofen for the anti-inflammatory effects, but I am so afraid to do anything at all with this stupid disease. Has anyone safely taken a dose here or there?

Edits:

My only meds are Jardiance, Metoprolol, and Furosemide which the doctor wants to cut in half cause of how good my numbers are.

I am not asking for medical advice, I just want to know if anyone else has taken a single base dose of ibuprofen and been fine or had any drastic side effects.

Hi lots of great messages and replies on here so I'm hoping for some great advice from you guys. I was hospitalized with CHF in march 2026 with an ejection rate of 35%. About a month after I was released from the hospital I received an ECG in the cardiologist office. It was abnormal. What's driving me crazy is should I try to get early disability? A little more background... I have asthma, High blood pressure, T2D, along with the CHF. Most of the time I feel OK but I get these spells where I can feel a problem with breathing. Oh also I'm 63. So should I try to get disability? Should I contact a lawyer and talk with them? I work in automotive parts, I'm pretty much a gopher, sales, answering phones, pulling parts, doing deliveries and bringing back returns.

It took a few years from being hospitalized with heart failure with an ejection fraction of 25 for my heart to return to normal ejection fraction of 55 and normal shape and size of the heart muscle. I'm obviously incredibly grateful for the modern medications, Entresto and Jardiance specifically, that made this possible. The worst part of this was being told by the internet, heart organizations, the intro to all study data and doctors that I would never get better and that average life expectancy was dismal. None of that is true, it's based on old data and on older people who by virtue of age had low life expectancy anyway. Even before the new meds there was actuary data showing a woman with no comorbidities had approximately the same life expectancy as other women her age. The way doctors continue to talk to patients about this is awful, as well as inaccurate. The name itself is awful. It needs to change. Individual people have individual odds of getting better based on their individual case, age, comorbidities, etc. Grateful this sub has been here to provide some hope.

Which is gentler on the kidneys, and more beneficial for elderly heart failure patients?

Does anyone have any information about this?

Hi! 23 year old male with dcm, ef around 30%. How to stop worrying about this ef? I have no icd so thats a plus worry.

I had mri in 2024 ef at that time was 45% now i only had ultrasound and doc said around 30%

I (31M) was diagnosed with nonischemic cardiomyopathy does anyone on this thread have tips and success stories and opinions on how serious this is. My EF was 39 and went up to 42 and I’m on 3 of the 4 pillars

Which is better getting fluid off your abdomen.
I have been taking 89 mg lasix but I still feel like I am holding fluid in my abdomen area. My diet is low carb and very low salt. But weight is not going down. Legs still swelling some.
I have a script for torsemide as well as lasix. The lasix seems like it doesn’t work as well.
I have 20 mg torsemide. Can you switch. Since my dr said to take either one.

Background:

25M competitive endurance runner, averaging 60+ miles/week. Ended up in the ER following a race after HR stayed abnormally high post-finish and I developed chest pain.

Initial hospital workup:

Coronary CT Angiography: Clear. Calcium score of 0. No plaque or stenosis in any major artery. CAD-RADS 0.

Echocardiogram: Normal. LVEF 55-60%. No fluid around the heart.

EKGs: Non-specific T-wave abnormalities during the stay, no acute blocks.

High-sensitivity troponin: Trended upward from 35 ng/L to 49 ng/L, peaking at 59 ng/L during the admission.

Discharge: June 22nd, no medication, told to return to normal activities, follow up with cardiology.

Cardiac MRI results (now available):

**1.**	Normal biventricular cavity size. Biventricular systolic function at the lower end of normal, calculated LVEF 53%, RVEF 45%

.2. No regional wall motion abnormality or left ventricular hypertrophy.

**3.**	Nonspecific focal late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) at the inferoseptal RV insertion point.

**4.**	Decreased T1 and ECV values of the LV myocardium, calculated T1 values in the 800 range, lower than typical normal reference range.

Latest update:

My longtime cardiologist (treating me for 2 years) reviewed everything and cleared me for full return to normal training, including sub 5 minute mile pace, no further workup needed. A second opinion cardiologist reviewed the same results and recommended I continue staying low intensity and get evaluated by a heart failure specialist.

Trying to understand how two cardiologists can land so far apart on the same MRI data, and what would help reconcile the two views.

I appriciate any kind of input.

I have a similar journey to many of us in here. I was diagnosed at 38 when I had a heart attack and my EF was down to 10-15%. Got a life vest and went to cardiac rehab. Got all the common medications (I take 10 a day currently) Was doing okay had no real symptoms. Stuck to a low salt diet and had limited my drinking. Got out of it and started loosing up again. Got a stent put in and saw more improvement up to 30-35%. Then loosen up too much probably. Started eating poorly and drinking alcohol more. EF was 27% in November. Started having SOB and chest pains had times, although they said it was GERD. Realized I needed to get back at. Started the year and working out 4-5 times a week. Strict diet in sodium and fats. Cut off almost all alcohol. Losing weight. Down 60+ pounds as of start of year Had an EF measurement of 45% in April. GERD starting to go away, almost gone now. Just had a stress test and was estimated at 32%. There's scarring which I was aware was there before. But that is a big decrease. And I am now worried that I can't improve any more, and I have strugged mentally being too anxious these last 6 months about every little thing. I miss being able to be carefree and have drinks with friends. To enjoy some fast food or comfort food when it's a tough day. The grind is real and it's tough to go through it with few who know what it is like. It feels like even though I have done the right things the last 6 months, my heart may not be able to be improved that much more. Or that I waited too late.

It’s been a year since my diagnosis, and my Ef hasn’t gotten any better. I have been keeping up with my diet and such but got a little lazy. However the weight gain doesn’t make any sense so I called my cardio and he basically brushed me off. He upped my water pills but I have barely any urine output and the fluid in my abdomen is getting worse and now is showing in my sides and my lower back I’m extremely frustrated as I make sure I’m not going over any restrictions. I complained to my cardio and he brushed me off so if I don’t see any relief I’m going to the ER. I’m just so frustrated , I barely eat, I work out it’s like why aren’t they listening to me

I am sharing this objective data for anyone currently operating at a severely depressed HFrEF baseline. Do not assume a sub-20% Ejection Fraction is a permanent structural reality. The myocardium possesses immense physical plasticity if you can systematically eliminate the mechanical and electrical resistance working against it.

​Here is the clinical breakdown of my timeline and reverse remodeling.

​The Pathophysiology (The Collapse)

My left ventricular failure was driven by severe mechanical dyssynchrony. Following a previous mechanical heart valve surgery, I sustained conduction system damage resulting in a Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB).

​By last year, my QRS complex had widened to a critical 174 ms. Because the electrical signals were delayed, my left and right ventricles were contracting at different times. The heart was essentially wobbling rather than squeezing, wasting its kinetic energy. Consequentially, my Ejection Fraction steadily collapsed throughout the year, bottoming out at 11%.

​Phase 1: Chemical Offloading (GDMT)

I was deployed on an aggressive Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT) matrix to achieve maximum neurohormonal blockade. By artificially forcing systemic vasodilation and reducing the hydrostatic pressure (afterload) against the mechanical valve, my EF stabilized and nudged up to 20% by November. However, chemical offloading cannot fix a severed electrical pathway. The 174 ms delay remained.

​Phase 2: Electrical Resynchronization (LOT-CRT-P)

To correct the structural timing, I underwent a LOT-CRT-P (Left Bundle Branch Area Optimized Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Pacemaker) procedure this year.

​This specific electrophysiological hardware bypassed the damaged conduction tissue from my valve surgery. By pacing the septal area directly, it artificially forced my ventricles back into perfect mechanical synchrony, instantly eliminating the LBBB wobble.

​The Result: Complete Reverse Remodeling

When you take a failing, dilated left ventricle and completely strip away the electrical inefficiency (via CRT) and the systemic resistance (via GDMT), the muscle tissue physically shrinks and heals.

​I had my follow-up echocardiogram today. My EF has normalized to 57%. My left ventricular size has returned to standard clinical parameters. I am officially in the HFimpEF (Improved EF) "super-responder" cohort.

​The Takeaway

If you are navigating the early stages of severe HFrEF:

​Strict Pharmacological Adherence: Let the GDMT matrix do its job. It takes months of continuous neurohormonal blockade for the tissue to remodel.

​Investigate Your Electrophysiology: If you have an LBBB or a wide QRS complex, advocate for CRT evaluation. Meds alone cannot fix mechanical dyssynchrony.

​The biological architecture can recover if you provide it with the correct mechanical environment. Stay compliant, trust the clinical data, and keep pushing forward.

Amazing news!
Does this now mean I can be less vigilant about retaining fluid? Do I technically retain less now?
I know I’m technically classified as heart failure forever, even if I improve and will always stay on meds.
But for anyone else who’s improved, do you live a normal (ish) life with few symptoms?
I feel like I just wrapped my head around having HF at 29, and now it’s so much better. And now I’m confused about what it means, if anything.

Female (31). I've had a strange cough on and off for over a month. My question is: to those of you who have heart issues and had/have coughing, how does it feel?

Mine starts with a feeling at the center of the chest. When I breathe out it feels kinda tingly just like your throat would feel when you have a cough. And then I cough. I've also had episodes where I felt breathless in bed doing nothing.

Could it be the Heart??

I have a bit of a congested nose (one nostril is blocked and it may be related to a medication I'm on - Vyepti) but no other flu symptoms.

I have chronic migraines, occipital nevralgia, and recently what feels like a bit of gastroparesis.

Hey all! I’ve been having more symptoms and that thinking are from my ef. I recently moved and I’m still in the process of finding new doctors. However my old cardiologist made me feel unseen and ignored. At my last visit before I moved he said we needed to be more aggressive with my treatment but didn’t say as to what. Once I said I’d be moving he said ‘Oh. I’ll leave it to the next doctor.” And walked out. I didn’t get a chance to get any more information. I’ve now moved and need to get scheduled with someone. I feel like I need to stop taking my metoprolol 100mg (my only heart med!) in order to get help. I wish I could get a pacemaker or something to just end this now. I’ve had a cardiac mri, many EKG’s, and a few echos. No other heart related tests. I’m constantly exhausted, sort of breath with minimal exercise, and have chest pains on and off as well as daily palpitations. Am I just being impatient? I can’t be the only one who feels like this.

Edit: I’m not going to stop taking my metoprolol! My cardiologist told me in 10ish years I’ll need a pacemaker. I remember asking questions about that but can’t remember why I’ll need one. I also went to a electro cardiologist at my cardiologist request. They did no testing but put me on diltizam (sorry definitely not spelling that right) unfortunately it did not do anything even after being put on a much higher dose then at the start. My cardiologist took me off of it after explaining that I next opening they had was October.