heart failure

I don't think I could drink 8 litres of anything of an evening, let alone cheap cider. You must have been peeing like a horse and your bowels must have had something to say about it too! :eek:

Time for some life changes, you've had the wake-up call, I hope you can move forward from this in a positive direction and I hope your health improves!

Best of luck!
 
Yrkoon said:
cheers guys, yeh i was drinking silly amounts, every second night or so around 3 or 4, 2 litre bottles of cider and some times binges that went on through out the next day.
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6-8 litres of cider every other day!?

Blimey! As this experience has shown you, you need to stop doing that!
 
Heart failure is a very scary sounding term when in reality means, the heart isn't pumping as well as the body needs. It isn't like a hard disk failure which is imminent, sudden and terminal. The heart is weak and stiff. You were dependent on alcohol - and alcohol is very much toxic to heart tissue. Modern medications work by reducing the strain on the heart, the amount it needs to work and reducing your blood pressure to make everything a bit better.I'm sure this was all explained to you in the hospital but sometimes big news means you forget most of it straight away.

Was this diagnosed with a blood test or echocardiogram?

At 37 you have a) completely trashed your body but b) have a chance to make radical changes so you have many years left in you. If you've had a clinical diagnosis of heart failure, then it will never usually be cured, but good management and you won't even know about it. I have diagnosed patients with heart failure, I manage many with heart failure, and I have looked after the palliative patients dying of heart failure.
Think of this as a massive, massive wake up call. If you continue drinking, I'd say you have much less than 10 years left in you. On the flipside, reduce your alcohol intake slowly rather than cold turkey.

ps. also really keen to hear about your liver function blood tests
 
Glad to hear you've made some positive changes. Keep going!

As Tres said, it's not the end of the world if managed well. My wife's grandad was diagnosed with heart failure after a heart attack in his early fifties. 40% pumping capacity. He's now 85 and still going.
 
I hope you feel better soon dude! My mums had it twice and the problem with heart failure compared to an attack and other heart illnesses is that they aren't able to 100% definitely say what causes it normally. They will just give you the normal healthy lifestyle advice. Very scary!
 
yeh i have stopped the drinking and vaping the liver is a bit fatty but other than that nothing major with it.

definatly made massive life style changes especially with diet etc.

got diagnosed after a echo cardiogram.

thanks for the well wishes guys :)
 
Yrkoon said:
yeh i have stopped the drinking and vaping the liver is a bit fatty but other than that nothing major with it.

definatly made massive life style changes especially with diet etc.

got diagnosed after a echo cardiogram.

thanks for the well wishes guys :)
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i had a non alcoholic fatty liver in my mid 20s from a bad diet and having a bmi of about 29 - overweight. I cut the crap like fizzy drinks chocolate biscuits ect and started doing excercise and my last 2 blood tests have been in the normal range whatever that is.

good luck to you
 
Yrkoon said:
yeh i have stopped the drinking and vaping the liver is a bit fatty but other than that nothing major with it.

definatly made massive life style changes especially with diet etc.

got diagnosed after a echo cardiogram.

thanks for the well wishes guys :)
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You've gone from drinking at least 6 - 8L of cider a day to nothing? That's pretty incredible, I know many alcoholics and heavy drinkers and I don't know a single person that could and would that about face without help. Their inability to change their lifestyle has even cost some people I knew their lives.

I hope you are being honest and genuinely have managed to managed to make the change. Remember in this case, it's not important that you're honest with us, or even honest with the Dr's (though they will be able to help you better if you are) but at the very least you need to honest with yourself. You can't trick or lie your way into sobriety. Drinking will have the same effect on your health regardless of how often you say you are sober.

Good luck with both the staying sober and your health problems. As Tres says you have a valuable opportunity to make significant improvements to your health. It is perhaps one of the last you'll have unless you take it.
 
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Good luck OP

bimbleuk said:
Many examples I'm sure but my colleague left the RAF and basically let himself go a bit. No smoking but not enough exercise, diet and drinking. One day I left early leaving some kit to be moved. Next day found out he had moved the kit but on the way back home had to divert to the hospital with chest pains. Very lucky to only suffer a mild heart attack. Spent a week or so in hospital and had a stent fitted. Has to take drugs to regulate blood.

Since the indecent he started exercising with me and eventually he began to run more than me as I prefer long walks plus cycling. Eventually got to doing a marathon and I don't mean plodding around for 4 hours!

Anyway he has turned that corner but has reduced exercise to a more moderate level and cut down on drinking mostly. I know he still loves a good pizza and bought one of those small outside ovens that have become popular and regularly puts that to good use.

Walking is great for your mind not just your fitness by the way so if anything try to do more of that.
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I think you're confusing heart attack and heart failure, if your friend had a heart attack that's the result of restriction in the supply of blood to the heart itself, that isn't what the OP is talking about - he's got heart failure which relates to the ability of the heart to pump blood around the body. OP needs to go with his consultant's suggestions re: exercise tbh... as it's going to be a bit different for people with heart failure... in some cases some types of exercise might cause further damage rather than help.
 
So I used to work for a company the does/did the finance for OCUK and I suffered so much stress, I ended up in hospital. After scans it turns out I only have an ejection fraction of 16, which is severely life limiting. I was told to rest for at least a month, but was pressured into going back after two weeks of being in hospital and a day at home. When I got back to work, I was barely able to walk from the car park to the building but it didn't stop my boss from giving me a verbal warning about taking over two weeks off on the sick. Apparently I should plan these things better.

Needless to say I am out of there now and doing a lot better. I still get tired at the end of the day, but I don't feel like I am going to die walking 100m and I don't feel like hanging myself every day.

I am 42 now and on warfarin and a whole host of medication. Having diabetes doesn't help, but if you can make some life changes now, it will help in the long run.
 
mejinks said:
So I used to work for a company the does/did the finance for OCUK and I suffered so much stress, I ended up in hospital. After scans it turns out I only have an ejection fraction of 16, which is severely life limiting. I was told to rest for at least a month, but was pressured into going back after two weeks of being in hospital and a day at home. When I got back to work, I was barely able to walk from the car park to the building but it didn't stop my boss from giving me a verbal warning about taking over two weeks off on the sick. Apparently I should plan these things better.

Needless to say I am out of there now and doing a lot better. I still get tired at the end of the day, but I don't feel like I am going to die walking 100m and I don't feel like hanging myself every day.

I am 42 now and on warfarin and a whole host of medication. Having diabetes doesn't help, but if you can make some life changes now, it will help in the long run.
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wow that is rough, the boss sounds like a right ****, glad you got out of that and are doing better.
 
8 litres of cider a day.

What do you do for a living?

As anyone I've ever met in Scotland who drinks that is usually a jakey.

Drinking causes more harm than any other drug iirc. I would have thought minimum pricing would put a stop to people buying torpedoes (frosty jack).

Hopefully you can get on the right path and stay on it.
 
dowie said:
Good luck OP



I think you're confusing heart attack and heart failure, if your friend had a heart attack that's the result of restriction in the supply of blood to the heart itself, that isn't what the OP is talking about - he's got heart failure which relates to the ability of the heart to pump blood around the body. OP needs to go with his consultant's suggestions re: exercise tbh... as it's going to be a bit different for people with heart failure... in some cases some types of exercise might cause further damage rather than help.
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Thanks for pointing that out and yes always follow medical advice.

Walking/cycling plus listening to audiobooks is my way to reduce stress and counter depression which I'm sure the OP is currently suffering. Especially helps in these times of separationa and self isolating.
 
Get well soon. I always find it sad when people can't enjoy a drink without going daft (friends and family in the past). On a Friday I have two decent ales, plus a shot of wild turkey, and the same on Saturday. Then nothing for the rest of the week.
 
I wish you well OP.
But more generally if your not someone that didnt hit mid 20s and realised that your health is support important and start cutting back on some of the vices in this world and replaced it with exercise, then well your screwed.

It catches up with you quick and everyone needs to give their body the best chance of actually running properly. Modern medicine can do a lot to prevent it getting super bad, but even that has its limits.
 
iamtheoneneo said:
But more generally if your not someone that didnt hit mid 20s and realised that your health is support important and start cutting back on some of the vices in this world and replaced it with exercise, then well your screwed.
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Not true at all and an awful attempt to knock someone whilst they are already down.
 
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