Congestive Heart Failure

By terrihut

1 min read

A week before Christmas 2022, I was in the hospital with congestive heart failure. The doctor basically gave me a death sentence. He had horrible bedside manners. I know I will live with this for the rest of my life, but it's not going to kill me right away. I have a life to live!

I started watching what I eat and worked with a trainer for two months or so to strengthen my heart. I had an echocardiogram yesterday (04/18/2023), and with all my hard work, my heart is pumping so much better now.

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Leslie Castro Moderator & Contributor
Glad to hear that you had good results from your echocardiogram. Sorry to hear that you had a poor experience with a cardiologist with horrible bedside manners. As far as congestive heart failure, I’ve been in and out of heart failure a handful of times throughout my life. Continue to remain positive and thank you for sharing your thoughts. Welcome to the heart failure community. Leslie (Community Moderator)
terrihut Member
Thank you Leslie for the kind words, now I am hassling with the insurance company because they are denying my heart medication. 
1. Leslie Castro Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="terrihut" user-id="6982749"/> I definitely understand about battling with insurance companies with being to receive pertinent medication and or having medical procedures that help improve one’s medical health. Hope you are able to receive the medications you need without much hassle from the insurance company. Leslie (Community Moderator)
Catherine simpson Member
Heart faliure myself 2020.finding it difficult to get information .Hope you are doing okay.
Catherine simpson Member
Hi Leslie,What do you mean in and out of heart faliure.I dont understand that part of heart faliure .
1. Leslie Castro Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Catherine simpson" user-id="8656820"/> I was born with congenital heart disease. I was in immediate heart failure at that time. After my first surgery at 4 months old, I was no longer considered to be in heart failure until my health began to decline at the age of 11. I was then considered to be in heart failure again until I had experimental open heart surgery at 12 years old. I remained heart healthy and out of heart failure until I was 30 and my health began declining again. In 2005, I underwent another experimental open heart surgery and I was heart healthy until 2017, when my health took a turn for the worse and needed to be evaluated for a heart and liver transplant. In 2019, I received a heart transplant at the age of 46. Granted most people don’t multiply times throughout their lives, but my case was a bit different because I had a preexisting condition since birth, which led to my many bouts of heart failure and surgeries to main a healthy life. Currently, I’m heart healthy, but at any time I could be considered to be in heart failure again for a number of reasons such as major arrhythmias, strokes, leaky valves or even hardening of my new heart. Hope this explains my reasoning of being in out of heart failure. Hope you are doing well and feel free to ask me any more questions about my journey through heart failure. Leslie (Community Moderator)
2. Kimberly Connell Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Leslie Castro" user-id="4183146"/> So Powerful! Kimberly (Heart-failure.net Team)
Catherine simpson Member
<inline-mention username="Leslie Castro" user-id="4183146"/> @
Catherine simpson Member
Hi Leslie ,Thanks for telling me your story .it explains a lot .
1. Leslie Castro Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Catherine simpson" user-id="8656820"/> Your welcome. Feel free to ask any questions about heart failure. I’m more than willing to answer any questions to the best of my knowledge or link you to articles on the subject area you are asking about. Leslie (Community Moderator)