Dad has been diagnosed with heart failure.

[BountyIsUnderrated]

Hi.

My dad is in his mid 50s and my mum has said after a scan in hospital he has a severely enlarged heart, leaky aortic valve and mild heart failure.

He was in hospital for a suspected infection (they scanned everything) and this has come completely out of nowhere.
He is very overweight and always has been, is on steroids as he also has an autoimmune disease so isn't in the best health.

I know no one on here are experts and that some people maybe outlive the life expectancy (of which I have no clue what the life expectancy is for heart failure) but I guess I just need a handhold.
I don't really know what else to say, just sad and afraid I will lose my dad.

I'm so sorry.

My lovely DH was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart) and heart failure last year - although his heart failure was very severe. I found the Cardiomyopathy UK Facebook group very helpful and welcoming, and there are lots of people there who live full and normal length lives. There really is no way to generalise life expectancy for heart failure patients - ignore the statistics you read as they are heavily skewed by much older patients and those with other underlying conditions. Every case is so individual and what matters is not the stats but what your DF's doctors say. When caught early enough it can be very treatable and there are new medications and advances every day. Sending love to you and your DF and wishing you all the best.

My husband was in heart failure and on the Coronary Care Unit for weeks last year. They operated and resolved the problem and he is now, mostly, ok. Heart failure may not mean the heart will fail. It can be that treatment is needed that can resolve the issue. I hope all goes for you and your Dad xx

My Dad had heart failure from early 40s, now 60. It is a living with condition for him. Not a dying from.
His life did change, work, abilities but he adopted to it all. Sending best wishes for your dad and thinking of you all at this scary time.

Thank you all for your comments they have really uplifted my spirits a bit.
I will take a look at that Facebook group as well.
He has been trying to lead a healthier lifestyle but unfortunately his mobility (he can walk but has arthritis so exercise is difficult) and also the medication he is on makes it hard to lose weight. He doesn't even drink or smoke either.
Hopefully the consultant will let us know soon what the plans are and if he needs surgery.

Is he diabetic? HF is an often overlooked complication, and up to four times more common than in non diabetics.
Ask about contact with a HF specialist nurse.

@cptartapp

I don't think so but he has been referred to specialists as they are looking into what type of treatment he will need.
I think they would've noticed if he had diabetes in the hospital as he had basically everything done, blood tests, urine etc.

He spoke to me saying he is feeling more optimistic today and going to work on being healthier, exercising, reducing stress etc. He has already quit one responsibility that he said caused him a lot of stress.

I'm wondering if long term use of the steroids to control his immune disorder could have contributed to it actually as it seems a lot of studies have been done on this, combined with stress and being overweight.

Hi @bountyIsUnderrated, sorry to hear this but it’s not always as bad as it first seems.
My dad got diagnosed with mild heart failure over 10 years ago when he was mid 50s after a heart attack.
He is on plenty of daily medication but apart from that it’s not really stopped him from living normally and it hasn’t seemed to have got much worse. He is living with it not dying from it (as a previous poster said)
Sending lots of well wishes and I hope these positive stories will help you feel bit better.

My mum was diagnosed with heart failure, the doctor immediately followed this up with ‘that means it isn’t working completely effectively, not that it is failing right now’. Like others have said, the statistics are skewed by older patients, my mum was in her 50s when diagnosed.

Thank you both, seems like a lot get diagnosed in their 50s but it's not necessarily doom and gloom.

Hoping he has a good few more years left in him and feeling more positive now, think this has also been a wake up call as well for him to be healthier.

As PP say, a lot depends on the type of heart muscle stiffness (better description than HF) your father has and any implications for how effective the pumping action is.

There are excellent groups and they have relevant information and even helplines. Pumping Marvellous, Cardiomyopathy UK, BHF, lots of useful experience from people with multimorbidities at Diabetes UK.

pumpingmarvellous.org/heart-failure-guide/ - giving the URL for this as it tends to be less well known.

I hope that you and your family locate some appropriate information and support for any changes you want to make.

My husband (40) had an leaking aortic valve that he had been born with. It's was found during a work medical and fortunately it had been picked up as as he was severe. We found out in October and by April he had his open heart surgery. He is totally fine now. We know he'll need further surgery a valve lasts approx 15-20 years max but he takes no medication and back at the gym etc.
ICU is scary but it's only a few days and recovery happens fast after that.
The UK aortic valve replacement group is on FB which is good for getting real life scenarios for all ages. Good luck to your dad. We're 2 years out now and it was a very frightening time so I understand your concerns 💐.

I haven’t read the replies fully. As others have said Heart failure maybe as bad as google may make out. I’m now 40 but I was diagnosed with enlarged Aorta, leaky valves and was in heart failure. I have had surgery to repair and replace part of my Aorta. My valves ‘snapped back’ when they did this, I was meant to have them replaced as well. When they opened me up, my aorta had also ruptured with a life threatening dissection. This was two years ago and I lead a very full and active life, I have no restrictions work full time and look after my 3 young kids. Hopefully this story is a positive light for your family. I see a specialist team at 3 hospitals and have annual check ups (roughly every 4/5 months because the teams are looking after various different things)