Living

Disparities in health care access have prevailed in the health system for centuries. While these disparities are recognized today, many reports continue to highlight the inequality that people who identify...

November 2007 was the second turn of my life. I had been having some chest pain that was becoming unbearable so the Texas Children's Hospital was the next place for...

I had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implanted almost six years ago to prevent fatal arrhythmias from turning into cardiac arrest. It wasn't an easy decision at first, but I am happy...

I was diagnosed with CHF at 35, never married, and with no children. While I always wanted to find a partner, the diagnosis made it even more important as I...

“You have reached the Melville Nauheim Shelter. This shelter was built in 1977 and sleeps 8. There is water just north of the shelter side trail on the AT.” As...

Nearly everyone remembers the first thought that popped into their head when their doctor first told them about their heart failure diagnosis. The types of thoughts – from fear to...

Editor's note: This is part 2 in a 3-part series. Check out part 1, PPCM Changed My Life: I Don’t Have Heart Disease – or Do I? and part 3...

This hasn't been Invisible Disability Chronicle #1,000,000; however, the weight, trauma, and anxiety of these types of chronicles sure feel like it at times. One of the hardest parts of...

I want to write about my heart transplant journey because I’ve noticed that transplants are a popular thing. Maybe they always have been but I just wasn’t in that light...

I found out I had heart disease at the age of 12 years old. It changed everything for me quickly. The greatest battle for me was being 1 of 7...

One of the most common symptoms of heart failure is fatigue. Let me know if the tips I share here help you! If there are tricks or tips I have...

As a patient advocate, I meet a lot of newly diagnosed patients. Their experience, the fear, and the terror always bring me back to the day I received my heart failure...

Editor's note: This is part 1 of a two-part series. Be sure to check out part 2! Issues surrounding the disparities faced by communities of color are at the forefront...

I was prescribed a stress test a few months back by my cardiologist. At my last appointment, I complained about some chest pain similar to what I experienced the day before...

Breathing exercises can have an impact on your overall stress level because they can help you relax. When you breathe deeply, a message is sent to your brain to calm...

Drug errors can happen in pharmacies and hospitals. People with heart failure are at a particularly high risk of drug errors because of the number of medications they are prescribed...

Many of us live with the knowledge that when you have one medical condition, it usually isn’t the only one you have. The more conditions you have, the better chance...

Living with a chronic illness like heart failure can mean lots of doctor's appointments, both before and after diagnosis. Sometimes, it feels that the more doctors you see, the more...

Most of us know that our cardiologist is the one that helps us with our heart issues. But what you may not know is there are a lot of different...

Managing your energy level is tough. I have found that I no longer have reserves and my energy level can be unpredictable. While I used to be able to operate...