I was told i had HF in November last yr I have never had a stay in hospital in my life before (except giving birth) and the shock was immense. I had a ejection fraction of 32% which my consultant told me was serious. However after being on my meds for 4 months it has now gone to 51% which im told is brilliant. My consultant took me off the spironolactone but since then i have started to get a lot of pressure in my neck, head and fingers its a strange feeling but its only happened since coming off the spiro or it could be a coincidence im not sure, my sleep is non existent as the pressure is really bad when i lie down and sometimes even when i sit bolt up right, it has got to the point where i sleep down stairs now as i have a more comfy position on the settee, I have no other symptoms which amazed the hf clinic and now all this,i wanted to know is it normal ?
My consutant has booked a angiogram so waiting to see if i need bypass or stents.
Your HF (Heart Failure) symptoms may have been originated from your Right Ventricle if your Ejection Fraction was pretty low during the systole. My HF is due to stiff heart with EF >65% because during the diastole my Left Ventricle does not get completely filled with blood. The angiogram is the best way to see the conditions in the heart as well as the condition of your coronary arteries. Now you are probably on some blood thinners like Aspirin but on a daily basis.
My right ventricle is severly blocked and i have a leak on the left hand side. This pain now feels like my blood is struggling to get through (hence my blood pressure being no higher than 94) but it has got worse since i have been taken off the spiro
Hi an angiogram will let the consultant know within 20/25 minutes what is happening. It is pain free, you may/may not have bruising in your groin area.
The consultants are ( point blank ), mine told me YOU are having a 4 way by pass within a month. Had a 3 way by pass within 3 weeks.
All the best
I guess your "leak on the left hand side" sounds that the valve between the left aorta and the left ventricle is not closed completely during the systole which would result in a low systolic pressure (95 for a systolic pressure is pretty low).
When you said you might need either a "bypass or stents", that did not make any sense to me in view of the low E(jection) F(raction) percentage. The need for bypass or stents imply problems in your (coronary) arteries which refer to problems in your vascular system (blood vessels). The "leak" "on the left hand side" would point to a problem inside your heart's valve between the left aorta and the left ventricle.
Are you sure you were seeing a cardiologist?
Yes, angiogram will provide the info you need.
Yes I saw a cardiologist. He reckons I have a blockage and that is why he needs to see if I have to have a bypass or stents hence the angiogram.
The leakage has not been mentioned since I was first diagnosed so not sure what is happening there.
Well I have had a letter back from the hospital and it says I haven't had a good result from my scan so they are sending me for another also a
angiogram with a respiratory opinion as they have found a "nodule" on my lung. Now more stuff to worry over
I went the Doctors Thursday with a query about some very sharp pains I get in the tip of my fingers and in my neck. The Doc told me to turn my head left and right and tapped my wrist then informed me I had repetitive strain !!!!!!! I don't have rss as I don't do too much at the moment, so I am still in the dark as to why my fingers and neck hurts.
Hi Jacqui
Coming of your Spiro can cause increased breathlessness. The breathlessness is due to a build-up of fluid. Spiro is a diuretic which helps prevent this, unfortunately it interacts with other medication you may be on for your heart. If you control you fluid intake you won’t be so breathless. I am not an expert on all of this but was advised of this by the heart failure clinic. I am in HF for the past 18mths with an ejection fraction of 25% which has not improved with medication.
I hope this information helps, I know how much worse I am if I sneak in an extra cup of coffee. The clinic has advised that I drink less than 2 litres per day. You may need less than this as I live in a hot climate and I think they take this into account.
Kind regards,
Gloria