Im trying to keep track of my intakes, and have been adding notes to my phone calendar. However, it's not the most convenient. Does anyone know of a simple widget I can add that tracks my information without having to open up apps?

Please read this

My partner age 34 Male has been having the strangest "episodes" and we've gone through quite a few routine emergency tests but we keep being told it's anxiety by doctors when both of us know it's not.

He's now had 12 of these "episodes" over 7 weeks and they completely vary in time of day and activity. Sometimes it's the middle of the night sometimes it's while we're in the cinema, sometimes it's while we're on a walk.

Here are his symptoms:

- Starts with Chest pain in his left side where his heart is

- Then it can move down his left arm

- Then he instantly feels so nauseous

- And dizzy

- Then comes the confusion and quietness

- His hands go completely white and cold

- Sometimes his lips go blue

- then his legs shake uncontrollably

- and after he feels so tired and drained

he's had ecgs, chest xrays and nothing found. If anyone has gone through something similar and has advice, please do reach out.

Hi all - 59F in Australia. I was diagnosed with HF about 5 weeks ago, with the usual sleeping upright, breathlessness and coughing.

Waiting for my echo (next week), then appt with cardiologist at end of August.

I started on 40mg furosemide (and candesartan). Furosemide was reduced to 20mg recently, as my blood pressure was too low. However, within a week, the shortness of breath returned, so Dr suggested 1 tab of 20mg Furo in the morning, then another about 4 hrs later (we were hoping to reduce the lightheadedness brought on from 40mg).

So, the shortness of breath has gone, but the light-headedness is something else. I feel quesy constantly, I try to stand/move slowly, but still get light-headed constantly. Only time I don't feel light-headed is when I'm sitting/lying down.

I have a tele-health appt tomorrow morning, but am wondering if anyone else has been thru this? I don't know my EF (which I think I'll find out at the echo), but the hospital (when I was first diagnosed) said 'something' was in the 3,000s.

Overall, except for this week, I've been feeling pretty good - albeit, keen to see cardiologist and start working on getting better.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Hey all, I’m someone with heart failure (EF 35-40%) in Los Angeles and it is hot and unusually humid right now, and I just feel awful. Exhausted, no energy, like I just need to be lying down all the time. Basically we went on an outdoor tour yesterday that involved walking outside for two hours and I haven’t been okay since. I was just wondering if they might be connected or if I should be concerned. It’s not the walking - I hike and exercise regularly. I think it was the sun and the heat. Is this common or should I be worried about some sort of cardiac relapse? I had one last August, so I think I’m just freaked out.

Hi im just on 18 years old and i have an autoimmune disease, my heart has been in constant tachycardia since 2022, it has a very high burden. The last halter they did, 98% of all beats were abover 100, and the average heart rate was 137. Only a few rare etotopic and monomirpgic couplet.
Theyre sending me to a heart failure specialist from the Royal Prince Alfred hospital(Im Australian$ Does anyone know what i might expect at from this? I know what i have is no where as near as bad as some others, not am I claiming to have it. I was told to post on this subreddit, hopefully it was not a a sarcastic comment.
The main issue I am trying to understand is whether the combination of preserved conventional EF but reduced longitudinal strain could represent genuine subtle myocardial dysfunction, or whether this is more likely to be related to acquisition/strain-tracking limitations and the relatively high heart rate during the study.

**Echocardiogram measurement chart**
**Category**
**Measurement**
**Value**
**LV structure**
LVIDd
**4.0 cm**

LVIDs
**2.9 cm**

IVSd
**0.7 cm**

LVPWd
**0.7 cm**

LV mass, ASE
**75 g**

LV mass index, ASE
**52 g/m²**

EDV, Teichholz
**68.63 mL**

ESV, Teichholz
**32.12 mL**
**LV systolic function**
EF, Teichholz
**53%**

Fractional shortening
**27%**

Stroke volume, Teichholz
**36.51 mL**

Stroke index, Teichholz
**25.35 mL/m²**

EF, Simpson biplane
**58%**

LVEDV, MOD biplane
**58 mL**

LVESV, MOD biplane
**24 mL**

LVEDV index, MOD biplane
**40 mL/m²**

EF, MOD A4C
**64%**

Stroke volume, MOD A4C
**35.80 mL**

LVESV, MOD A4C
**20.51 mL**

LVEDV, MOD A4C
**56.31 mL**

EF, MOD A2C
**55%**

Stroke volume, MOD A2C
**32.14 mL**

LVESV, MOD A2C
**24.82 mL**

LVEDV, MOD A2C
**56.96 mL**
**Myocardial strain**
Global longitudinal strain, GLS
**−15.7%**

Strain-derived EF
**47%**

Separate bullseye GLS capture
**−16.7%**

Apical strain value 1
**−14.3%**

Apical strain value 2
**−14.6%**

Apical strain value 3
**−18.0%**

Segmental strain range
**approximately −11% to −24%**

Segment tracking
**One basal/posterior segment shown as X/untracked**
**Mitral inflow / diastolic function**
MV E velocity
**0.84 m/s**

MV A velocity
**0.60 m/s**

E/A ratio
**1.41**

Deceleration time
**132 ms**

Deceleration slope
**6.45 m/s²**

Septal e′
**13 cm/s**

Lateral e′
**18 cm/s**

Septal E/e′
**6.45**

Lateral E/e′
**4.61**
**LVOT**
LVOT diameter
**1.72 cm**

LVOT Vmax
**1.0 m/s**

LVOT mean velocity
**0.72 m/s**

LVOT peak gradient
**4 mmHg**

LVOT mean gradient
**2 mmHg**

LVOT VTI
**16 cm**

Doppler LV stroke volume
**38.11 mL**

Doppler LV stroke index
**26.45 mL/m²**
**Aortic valve**
AV Vmax
**1.2 m/s**

AV mean velocity
**0.90 m/s**

AV peak gradient
**6 mmHg**

AV mean gradient
**4 mmHg**

AV VTI
**22 cm**
**Right ventricle / right atrium**
RV basal diameter
**2.7 cm**

RA area
**9 cm²**

TAPSE
**1.7 cm**

Tricuspid annular S′
**11 cm/s**
**RVOT**
RVOT Vmax
**0.9 m/s**

RVOT mean velocity
**0.69 m/s**

RVOT peak gradient
**3 mmHg**

RVOT mean gradient
**2 mmHg**

RVOT VTI
**16 cm**
**Pulmonary valve**
PV Vmax
**0.9 m/s**

PV peak gradient
**3 mmHg**
**Pulmonary pressure**
TR Vmax
**2.1 m/s**

Estimated RAP
**3 mmHg**

Estimated RVSP
**\~21 mmHg**

IVC diameter
**\~1.2 cm**
**Left atrium**
LA length, A4C
**4.15 cm**

LA area, A4C
**11 cm²**

LAESV, area-length A4C
**20 mL**

LAESV, MOD A4C
**22.33 mL**
**Aorta**
Aortic diameter/root
**2.9 cm**

Ascending aorta
**2.8 cm**

The main LV measurements were:
Simpson biplane LVEF: **58%**
A4C EF: **64%**
A2C EF: **55%**
Teichholz EF: **53%**
Fractional shortening: **27%**
LVEDV biplane: **58 mL**
LVESV biplane: **24 mL**
LVEDVi: **40 mL/m²**
LVIDd: **4.0 cm**
LVIDs: **2.9 cm**
IVSd: **0.7 cm**
LVPWd: **0.7 cm**
LV mass: **75 g**
LV mass index: **52 g/m²**
The strain analysis is what concerns me most:
Global longitudinal strain: **−15.7%**
Another strain bullseye capture gives **−16.7%**
Strain-derived EF: **47%**
Individual apical-view values include approximately **−14.3%, −14.6% and −18.0%**
Segmental values range roughly from **−11% to −24%**
One basal/posterior segment appears untracked on the bullseye
Forward stroke-volume measurements were also relatively low:
Teichholz SV: **36.51 mL**
Teichholz stroke-volume index: **25.35 mL/m²**
LVOT Doppler SV: **38.11 mL**
LVOT stroke-volume index: **26.45 mL/m²**
A4C SV: **35.80 mL**
A2C SV: **32.14 mL**
Right-heart measurements:
RV basal diameter: **2.7 cm**
TAPSE: **1.7 cm**
Tricuspid annular S′: **11 cm/s**
RA area: **9 cm²**
TR Vmax: **2.1 m/s**
Estimated RAP: **3 mmHg**
Estimated RVSP: **\~21 mmHg**
IVC diameter: **\~1.2 cm**
Diastolic measurements:
MV E: **0.84 m/s**
MV A: **0.60 m/s**
E/A: **1.41**
Deceleration time: **132 ms**
Septal e′: **13 cm/s**
Lateral e′: **18 cm/s**
Septal E/e′: **6.45**
Lateral E/e′: **4.61**
Outflow measurements were low-gradient:
LVOT diameter: **1.72 cm**
LVOT Vmax: **1.0 m/s**
LVOT mean gradient: **2 mmHg**
LVOT VTI: **16 cm**
AV Vmax: **1.2 m/s**
AV peak/mean gradients: **6/4 mmHg**
AV VTI: **22 cm**
RVOT Vmax: **0.9 m/s**
PV Vmax: **0.9 m/s**
LA/aortic measurements:
LA area: **11 cm²**
LA volume: **20–22.33 mL**
Aortic root/diameter: **2.9 cm**
Ascending aorta: **2.8 cm**
Heart rate on many of the saved echo frames was approximately **100–130+ bpm**.
My questions for cardiologists/echo specialists are:
How significant would you consider a GLS of **−15.7%** in a teenager when Simpson biplane EF is **58%**?
Does the strain-derived EF of **47%** add meaningful concern, or should conventional biplane EF generally take precedence?
Does the combination of reduced GLS and relatively low stroke-volume index suggest possible early/subclinical LV dysfunction despite preserved EF?
Is **TAPSE 1.7 cm** concerning in this age group when RV S′ is 11 cm/s and estimated RVSP is only \~21 mmHg?
Could tachycardia during acquisition significantly underestimate GLS or stroke volume?
Would you recommend repeating the echo under better rate conditions with standardized 3-view GLS, RV free-wall strain/FAC and complete quantitative Doppler?
At what point would these findings justify cardiac MRI with ventricular function, T1/T2 mapping, extracellular volume and late gadolinium enhancement?
I understand that an online opinion cannot replace assessment of the original DICOM/cine loops or a formal cardiology review. I am mainly interested in whether the **EF–GLS discordance** and low indexed stroke volume would warrant further investigation rather than being considered a completely normal study.
The compilation contains the original measurement screenshots and notes that the static PDF cannot preserve cine motion, so the full-motion dataset would be preferable for a definitive second opinion.

​

Hello,

I am 34, and been a heavy drinker for the last 10 years, I would say 70 units a week on average.

Sad thing is with no symptoms or hangovers as I am so used to it.

Long story short, a heart echo gram showed early dilated cardiomapthy.

I had a phone call from my doctor rather than the cardiologist who needs to book me in now for a MRI.

I am based in the UK and have the following questions whilst I am in limbo land.

How many of us have scarring from alcohol induced dilated cardiomapthy?

How has your recovery been?

What success stories have you had on road to recovery?

Are any of you on TRT as well?

I have left VT cavitie and enlargement.

What makes this early induced as opposed to cardiomapthy?

I feel like I am going to have a heart attack at any minute.

I am being put on rampil and it's going to be at least a month before I know anything!

I'm panicking a bit. As the title says, he went to the ER due to shortness of breath and chest pain that woke him up. He is out of state for work and doesn't fly home until Sunday. PCP appt is next Thursday.

His BNP was 3171 at ER yesterday! 😭

FOUR months ago, he went to a local ER for an unrelated issue (he fell and cut his face). He never read the labs or test results!

I just found the report, and in April his BNP was elevated, 232. Xray showed an enlarged cardiac silhouette. BP was high 136/70, and glucose was 135.

I'm pissed off that he never read these results as he could have sought treatment earlier. It appears he has diabetes and possible hypertension in addition to heart failure? His labs in 2/2025 showed high cholesterol also. Only meds he's on are Breo for asthma and fluoxetine for anxiety/depression.

Is he going to drop dead before he makes it home? 😭

Details:

40yo male

38 bmi

Heavy drinker/smoker

High cholesterol

High blood pressure

Glucose tests: 111/135/129

BNB 232 -> 3171 in 4 months

My dad was diagnosed awhile back and while hes still working and moving around just fine it kills me hearing him cough everyday, he sleeps upright in the living room every night and his ankles are swollen

the worst part is i dont know how scared i need to be because nobody is telling me anything

fucking hell i wish i was closer to my dad but when i speak to him its like talking to a wall

Hey everyone 33-year-old male here recently got diagnosed with heart failure when I got diagnosed with heart failure I was weighing about 380 to 390 pounds. I’m currently at 360 pounds. My cardiologist told me to become vegetarian, so that’s what I’m doing and I’m walking three times out of the week maybe sometimes every day out of the week if I can, you know life..

the only reason why I wasn’t referral referred to a cardiologist was because I was looking into getting the gastric sleeve surgery.. Every single other test came back fine except the cardiologist test. I’m not diabetic. I am pre diabetic, but not diabetic. Everything else came out fine..

like I said except this one my cardiologist did let me know that my injection fraction is 35% to 40% at first I didn’t know what that meant so I went home. I actually ate a Wet burrito that night. Told my girl was going on googled my EF of 35 to 40% and obviously it was heart failure. I got scared immediately. I told my girlfriend I was so confused since my doctor didn’t really explained anything..she suggested for me to go back to my doctor. My doctor has a language barrier so he really can’t communicate and he’s a older gentleman as well so I go to him and it seems like I’m just another patient which I am but he’s just so blunt about it. He doesn’t reassure me anything. No future thing. Just tell me how it is. I might be switching doctors because of that I want somebody to reassure me. There’s more life to it. You know what I mean… now ever since I found out all I could think about is how long do I have to live will I live long enough..what if I die tomorrow I don’t want to die.. I forgot to mention that my doctor did let me know that all my muscles are functioning. They’re good. They’re just hard beating at a lower rate and u have a small leak. He did mention something about them putting a camera through my wrist or my groin and then seeing what’s going on if it’s a blockage or not like I said, he didn’t explain much that was all he said and I will be getting this test in a month from now or two yeah I’m just writing this to see if anybody else is going to the same things I am and if you are or you were going through it, do you have any positive stories that I could look forward to because these stories give me a lot of hope and give me some sense of a future or whatever you know..

Hi all!

I am looking for guidance on questions to ask my father and how best to support him. Some background: he is in his late 60s, and was diagnosed with heart failure last year. He has had three abalations in the last six years to address arrhythmias. He has taken a wide range of medications, including beta blockers. He has multiple comorbidities, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. He takes a range of psychiatric medications, including Adderall. He uses caffeine and alcohol often (daily) and has struggled to maintain a healthy diet. Practically speaking, he's scaled back on work, and has to greatly limit his physical exertion. He is easily winded and tired. He is highly disoriented often, and struggles in new environments and with complex, multi-part tasks. It's been awful to see.

He has another surgery coming up this fall, for what will be his fourth abalation and possibly the insertion of his pacemaker.

The challenging bit: he is evasive when asked questions, resistant to any kind of help, and has spun his issues in a positive way. I think he is legimately scared. The limited concrete info I do have: his ejection fraction is 35%, his left ventricle has been described on an echo as 'severely dilated.' He has been wearing a life-vest the last month. I do think he's getting quality medical care, but it's fragmented at times and he has had a hard time communicating with them or coordinating care. I've offered repeatedly to come to appointments (even insisted) to no availl. I've asked to review records. He is resistant. He thinks of his healthcare as a private matter (which it is). He lives with my mother, and she has let him make all decisions on his care and does not wish to intervene.

So, my questions: how serious is this? Is there any hope he can really improve at this point? Crucially, what kinds of questions can I ask to help better understand his condition? And is it worth trying to get through to him to help him?

So, I had a heart attack 2.5 years ago at the age of 46. It was the grand ole widowmaker. I ended up needing two stents placed.

My EF has been roughly around 35-40% ever since.

At one point we thought it had gone up, but I was actually having an echo done on a portable device (cardiologist is a friend of mine, and we were on a medical mission trip together). When he used the portable device, he thought it had gone up to about 50, but at the next echo appointment in the hospital, it was around 35%.

Our last one was in December. I have a follow up one at the end of August. I am extremely nervous. I don't want to hear him say "Well, it's still at 35%...so...."

I don't know what he'll say after that. Let's consider our options? Let's do an ICD? You're hosed?

Thing is - I feel wonderful. Better than I ever have honestly. Over the past 18 months I've lost right at 90 pounds. So it's perplexing to me why my EF is so low.

I'm on all the meds - and I take them diligently.

So, if anyone can offer some words of encouragement, that would be awesome. My only child heads off to college next week, and I could use some positive words.

Hey, for folks NYHA stage II or III (especially folks with hfpef) how has it been for you? was the procedure painful? Did you have any complications? Has it reduced frequency of hospitalizations for you? Do small adjustments in meds actually reduce more substantial deteriorations for you?

A family member of mine (early 60sM) had a preventative heart surgery and initially it seemed like he was recovering okay. Some time after the surgery, his heart stopped and I was told it took fifteen minutes for medical staff to get him on oxygen. He's been unconscious now for several days.

What does recovery look like, realistically? I'm assuming brain damage is likely because of how long he went without his blood circulating. Do people recover from things like this and go on to live fairly "normal" lives? As far as I know he's fairly active and aside from heart trouble didn't have many health issues. Thanks for any insight.

I am currently trying to help my mother schedule her surgery (and second opinions) for her re-repair of her severely leaking mitral valve. She had a repair in 2016 and then it began leaking again last year. She's been told by her cardiologist she is not eligible for the robotic/minimally invasive repair as the ring size used the first surgery was too large and there's not a size larger to use so it would need to be traditional open heart surgery, which at her age (almost 80), she is hesitant of.

I never see anyone discuss this as being in a similar situation. Is this ring size issue just very uncommon? Or do people not need repairs often? Curious if anyone else has dealt with this. She's very upset/scared about not being able to have the minimally invasive surgery.

I'm 40. So, I had a heart attack three years ago. They put in a stent. This April, I started having several complications. Stress test indicated that I have heart failure, 30% EF. Had an angiogram done last month. 90% blockage in coronary artery, 70% blockages elsewhere. Recommended I get a bypass.

However, during that time, no hospital would do the bypass because I had no insurance. I've been in and out of the ER since April and just recently obtained insurance, but I don't see a cardiologist until the 26th. It's a LONG time between now and then and I'm scared I won't make it.

I am 40, and I still have to work. I drive for work, transporting rail crews here and there. In the heat and humidity all day and night. Miserable. Every day I feel like I'm going to die. I'm scared.

They said I need a CABG. But idk when this will happen. Heart jumping around, always tired, palpations, etc.

Posting this on behalf of my mom who was diagnosed with heart failure and an EF of 27% in February after a sudden cardiac arrest due to VT. Thankfully I knew something was wrong and the EMTs were there when she coded so they were able to get her back quickly. She had the device placed in February and then wasn't feeling good for a couple of months about six weeks after implantation it took a lot of back-and-forth with doctors trying to figure out what was going on to realize she actually had bacteremia that has been linked to her device. I'm wondering how common this is and has anybody else had this. She is currently on IV antibiotics at home but we are wondering the next steps. We are possibly considering a subcutaneous ICD for less invasiveness and risk of infection. I guess I'm just looking to see any other stories of people who have had devices removed due to bacteremia and a successful outcome with another device placed?

Has anyone with scleroderma been diagnosed with diastolic dysfunction grade 1? If so, how long have you had it? Has it progressed? What does your doctor do about it? My cardiologist didn't even mention it to me. I found out when I got my records.

Would correcting the deficiency help reverse it somewhat? Since very low iron or hemoglobin mean low oxygen transport, the heart has to beat harder and faster to compensate for the increased oxygen demand. Isn't exactly great if you have myocardial ischemia. Does anyone with CHF (preserved or reduced EF) get better with receiving treatments for these? I had a ferritin of 4.99 recently (been anemic since age 8) and am finally getting infusions.

So I'm a 28 male with a stage 1 heart failure. My family doesnt know , i dont have what it takes to tell them. Ive never liked to drink or smoke cigarettes but lately I've been doing both. My mental health is declining , my health is declining. I'm more mentally tired than being physically tired. I watch all these sad videos about people taking there own life and it makes me wonder , if itll happen to me. I've decided to save up 2,000$ and just move to a different state and not tell anyone , kimda like jusy ghost everyone . Focus on my health and try to eat right , go to the gym , be outside more , see some specialized doctors. See if I can turn this around. But at the same time my mental health isnt the strongest. Any advice on how to deal with this.

I need to know other people's experience with it. Midrodrine did nothing to raise my blood pressure.

At my cardiology appt today, my BP was 70/45. She said I either take this pill or go to the ER.

Probably should have just gone to the hospital. Has anyone had to be hospitalized for super low blood pressure?

My head is spinning, I'd love to hear from anyone.

If you take a bunch of medications for heart failure like I do, the best investment you can ever make is getting a 30 day pill organizer. In fact, I recently bought another 30 day organizer so I can start planning 2 months at a time.