Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi all i was diagnosed last year with dilated left ventricular.i am on medication for high blood pressure.i have been to ER so many times with my heart beating irregular and they just keep on putting it down to anxiety.lately i have been getting it more often and it scares me.i am also using a betablocker.can you strenghen your heart muscle again
1 like, 6 replies
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lyn1951 francois45867
Posted
Yes, - husband has dialated left ventricle, seriously so, he has improved over the last 6 years.
Do you have a blood pressure monitor that also takes your heartbeat, if not I would get one, we were told by our specialist to get one so we could watch husbands vital reading and keep them in a diary.
For a start how is your weight, are you over what would be your normal weight?, or close to normal for your height.
I will give you my husbands 's story, sent home form hospital with comment we can do no more for him. EF 23%, he could not walk across room without help, needed help showering, dressing everything.
Dr said to me, keep him moving, day one, bed to couch, then I set up kitchen chair at front door about 15 steps from couch, made him walk to chair, stop take a rest and back to couch, say 3 times a day, 18 months later that walking had become 3 - 4 klms in the morning, one letter box at a time, extending the walk every week or ten days one more letter box, 6 years later still doing that walk, but for times when he has been sick, and had to start again from scratch, his EF is now 45%, taken with echo last week, so I know that is correct.
We watch his fluid 1 & half litres a day, have to allow for more if he is sweating.
Come back, I hope can help you, have lots of experience of managed a heart failure husband.
francois45867 lyn1951
Posted
lyn1951 francois45867
Posted
Francois - first you need to get that extra weight off.
We tracked down a really good dietian, gave us charts of what to eat and when, like little postage stamp pictures, 2 of anything on the list for breakfast, and free vegetables. and same for lunch, one chart for each main meal of the day.
Once we got used to it, we started losing weight like you wouldn't believe, we both list about 10 kilos in a matter of weeks, took a break, but we need to go back on the diet again, husband has had a virus, and part of the advice for a few weeks has been a high protien diet, not do good for the diet, and so easy to follow, check with the fridge door before anything went into mouth.
Even gave us a list of bad items, very limited, ie chocolate biscuit, ONE ONCE a week.
Walking, start with walking to the corner of your street, and return, how far is that? a 100 yards, say for example, do that twice a day if you can. Let me know, then we will work out a routine for you.
francois45867 lyn1951
Posted
lyn1951 francois45867
Posted
Can you afford a fitbit, one that records your heartbeat, then you can download to laptop.
There are some stories out there of where people have not been believed about irregular hearbeat, recorded on fitbit and been able to prove what they are claiming.
In one case here in australia, pacemaker fitted after months of multiple visits to ER, fitbit proved his claim of irregular heatbeat.
Husband had a issue with electircal activity in his heart, pain in left bicep and weakness of left arm, not believed for 15 months, even reported to cardio dr's during his regular checkups for his dialated cardiomyopathy, dismissed as not his heart, rotator cuff injury, arthritis in shoulder, and torn muscle in bicep, nothing showed up in x-rays, ct scans, and ultrasounds, even when his heartbeat dropped to 30BPM, at that point I was told it was a pinched nerve in his neck, I lost it and told him what I thought of his medical degree, and told him he had better go back to medical school and get a real education.
When heatbeat then dropped to 23 BPM, they got worried and called in the consultant, I was ready for him, and told him in no uncertain terms what I thought about his junr staff, reassuring to be told I was right, pacemaker installed that afternoon.
All very scary at the time, and very stressful, so can understand where you are coming from.
helen50835 francois45867
Posted