Living with Congestive Heart Failure

Several years ago I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. My first reaction was that this was a death notice. As I aged, I often told myself that I was not afraid of dying, but facing the reality of mortality is rather sobering.

My GP, Dr. Mark Sherman, assured me that this was not a death sentence, that my general health was good. On the other hand, I was increasingly concerned that I could not walk more than a block or so before having to stop, gasping for breath. A walk which normally would take less than five minutes turned into twelve and fifteen minutes. My pacemaker, inserted in 2007, was working well. So what was happening?

I was getting regular checkups by my cardiologist. An echocardiogram revealed that my heart muscle had thickened, and therefore had lost elasticity. He found several partially blocked blood vessels, and inserted three stents. It did not help. My heart was just not up to the job of delivering enough blood to all parts of my body.

I returned to MedEx, and discussed my situation with Richard Gafter, a personal trainer with extensive experience and knowledge. Could he help? Yes. He contacted my GP and my cardiologist to learn everything he could about my health. With great patience and observation he developed a program which has saved my life. Underpinning the program was to teach me to pay very close attention to what level of exertion my heart could tolerate and never to exceed it. I was, by pushing myself to greater tolerance, damaging my heart in the process.

Within a few months I began to experience a change. I am still unable to walk any farther without needing to stop, but now I knew better to stop earlier. This is a process of lowering my expectations of what I can do. My cardiologist noted the change, and informed me that 15% of cardiology patients do not respond well to their treatments, primarily because they are zeroing in on a limited dimension of health. It takes a team working together to ensure the best results.

In mid summer of 2014 I suffered a bout of pneumonia. I know I survived because of the program at MedEx. The recovery period was long. Richard modified my program to take into account the new reality.

However, having the right combination of health professionals working for me is only one facet of living with CHF.

Diet is extremely important. I am not a fanatic about what foods are healthy and what are not. But weight management is absolutely essential. I cut down on treats, gave up second helpings, am eating less red meats and more vegetables (ugh). Part of weight management is to watch the build-up of body fluids and adjusting my diuretics to deal with sudden gains.

I am pretty scrupulous about taking all the vitamins and food supplements that appear to be necessary. I rely on regular checkups at the pacemaker clinic, my doctor, and my cardiologist. I use a handicap sticker to park the car so that I do not need to walk so far. I informed Air Canada that I needed assistance at the airport when I traveled recently, and thus avoided long lines and long walks in airports. Admitting I needed help was difficult at first, but I have learned to pay attention to what my poor old body is telling me and understand how critical it all is if I want to live.

Most of all, I have a supportive spouse. Sharon has had to take over household tasks which I had been taking care of. She does the heavy lifting. She watches even more than I do that I take care of myself. She likes to walk fast, and has slowed down to my pace when we walk anywhere. Without her constant presence and patience, I would not be here anymore.

When it is all said and done, a person can live a long life with CHF. On the other hand, the writing is on the wall. Slowly but surely, the path is downhill. I seem to be walking slower and slower. I wake up at night struggling to breathe. What I have learned is that I can slow the pace. With that knowledge, I am content.