Q: What is Heart Failure, does it mean the heart is not working anymore?
A: Heart failure is a scary term. It does not mean the heart is about to stop working in the next minute. It does mean the heart is not working normally and without treatment will, eventually stop working. There are numerous treatments for heart failure including medications, lifestyle changes and surgery. Some symptoms of heart failure include swelling in the feet, knees, pelvis, abdomen or face; feeling tired and/or irritable; shortness of breath due to fluid in the lungs; coughing; wheezing; and chest pain.
UPDATE: On 1/28/16 Cardiologist, D. Yu of Honor Health, said I do not have to go into the hospital today, or this week even. We are starting on lasix and potassium to alleviate the leg swelling and keep electrolytes balanced. The heart is not enlarged due to heart failure, I have a larger than normal heart. There doesn't seem to be much change from my last echocardiogram, October 2015. The heart and kidney's are functioning well and should handle the new medications well. Liver is a little swollen. We will see this week, how the body takes to the new medications. They should make the swelling go down, making it easier to breathe.
Emily and I will take daily weight, heart rate, blood pressure, O2 saturation. This data will indicate how the meds are working. We will bring them in to Yu's office Monday. He's on 3rd Street and Dunlap. I have a full follow up scheduled for Friday with him and my new General Doctor, Heather O'Toole. She is on Missouri and 7th Street. Convenient, eh?
Overall when it's time for surgery, I should be strong enough to win that side of the battle. The question remains,what does everything look inside? How much scar tissue is present around the aorta? The answer is based on how many times it has already been operated on. No one knows until they open me up.
The focus my whole life has been on the aorta and aortic valve, seen here in the pretty golden color.
My left side of the heart, where the aorta is, looks like it is doing well, but the right side is showing some issues they will monitor. Heart failure can happen in two ways, systolic (sis TAL ik) and diastolic (die a STAL ik) . Systolic heart failure simply means that your heart muscle is weaker than normal. The heart muscle cannot contract or pump blood as well. The amount of blood that pumps out of the heart with each beat is called the ejection fraction or (EF) and normal is 50 to 55%. With systolic heart failure the ejection fraction is below 50%. Diastolic dysfunction is present when the lower chambers of your heart or ventricles become stiff. The stiff muscle cannot relax between contractions, which keeps the bottom chambers of the heart from filling with enough blood.
Here are some animations. They are awesome, smart and can say a thousands words to help you understand what's going on:
http://www.neheart.com/connect-learn-interact/question-for-your-md/
Heart Valve Animation
https://youtu.be/2jPTt23lRB8?list=UUU8WxNDk0aAmg7726cl3iNg
Aortic Valve Surgery Animation:
https://youtu.be/Nae1hWRGpPQ
