Ejection fraction
Hi. I am a newbie for this forum and would appreciate some imput. Until 3/18/2021 I thought I was a healthy individual, having exercised and keeping in generally good physical shape. Then I stepped on a train and had chest pain, sweating and nausea. At the hospital they said my left artery was 100% clogged and I underwent a procedure and insertion of a stent and heart pump. My other arteries were so clogged and I was then sent to another hospital where I got a quadruple bypass. I recently had some new chest pain (about three mos after the heart surgery) and had a nuclear stress test and echo cardiogram which showed some issues with my left ventricle and an ejection fraction of 34%. I was prescribed Eliquis and enalipril in addition to my other blood pressure medicine. Does anyone know if my ejection fraction will increase or what my chances are of getting back to a healthy lifestyle?
Thanks, GMGM. Is there anything I could do as a patient to increase my EF besides diet and exercise? Was there any medication you took to get the EF there?
Thank you so much!l for sharing all this. You have some great tips!!
Amber B(heart-failure.net team moderator)
Thanks for that info, Troyanna. I am on Metoprolol along with Enalapril, and am taking Eliquis 2x daily. My cardiologist has scheduled me for a follow up MRI in August so I guess he is following the protocol. As for exercise I am Cardiac rehab 3x a week and after three months will then go back to the gym (that I was doing before COVID) to try to get in shape enough to do a 5K that I was doing once a year prior to my heart attack and surgery. That you were able to increase your EF was encouraging!
My EF went from 35% to 77% in 5 weeks. I was also 100% blocked in left artery like you when I had my heart attack. I got 2 stents put in. I'm on Xarelto, Brilinta, Atorvastatin, Spironolacton, Metropol and Entresto. The last one is for heart repair. I changed my diet to Mediterranean and gave up red meat/processed foods, etc. I have been walking 1-2 miles per day since the day after I came back from the hospital. Walk as much as you can every day, eat super healthy and ask about Entresto. They have a site where you can get it discounted.
My cardiologist prescribed a non-covered-by-insurance drug called Uperio. I believe it's the same with Entresto. I took this for around a year and that's where I feel improvement. I almost experience no dyspnea in the past year, I feel stronger during exercises, and I can do daily tasks. Another doctor also mentioned that it's a great drug.
I do experienced some symptoms (bloating, palpitation, chest pain, anxiety) but in general I feel better.
As for EF, I don't expect it to go back to normal as I have many dead tissues in the heart.
Thankyou for sharing your experience
