Help

Left bundle ventrical efi 20-25%
by rausch, Aug 21, 2009 09:37AM
Tags: dizzy, cardiologist, stress test, chest, pacemaker
Male, 40, califon - NJ, member since Aug 2009
Had a dizzy / faint spell about two months ago.  Was told to go to cardiologist and get some testing done.  Echo, stress test, cath.  End ups I have a left venturacal bundle that is causing a ejection fluid level between 20 to 25%.  Since this started I quite high salt ... [More] diet and saturated fats.  Gave up coffee, sugar, salt.  Lost 28 lbs. and still loosing.  Never smoked but grew up in a family that smoked heavy.  I am currently overwieght about 80 lbs.  No swelling, no tightness of chest,  no shortness of breath.  Cath showed that I have no blockages of any kind.  I am currently on Coreg and Prinivil, tricor, lipitor, baby asprin.  Know I am on a heart monitor for thirty days and on a portable difibulator  for two months until they decide wheather I need a pacemaker/difibulator.

Was wondering what the life expectancy is for this kind of condition?

[Jerry_NJ]

Hard to say on life expectancy, but I'll say be optimistic, look to live to be 80.  

Your treatment is still under diagnosis, so what has to be done is yet to be determined.  But, I think a treatment will be found and if you add to that losing the extra (unhealthy) weight I forecast a long an much happier (physically) life.

Focus on getting well.

[Wisconsin2007]

Are you saying you have something like PVC-induced cardiomyopathy?  

Remember that the heart has the ability to remodel itself.  If you can lose that weight, get on some kind of Rx that can reduce the load on your heart, you may find that your ejection fraction improves to the point of being normal, and you may not have a need for an ICD/pacer.  I'm wrapping up an article today about a woman in her 30's who had an ejection fraction of 16% and was beginning the process of getting on the heart transplant list, when the medications she was on began to work, her congestive heart failure faded, and her ejection fraction improved to 50%.  She never got on the transplant list.  

She had an ICD implanted because she was experiencing NSVT and wanted to err on the side of caution, but after 7 years, the ICD has not fired once, and maybe even more impressive, she gave birth to her first baby just under a year ago.

So you might be better off thinking about how you're going to attack this problem instead of how you're going to spend your final days.  That might be the difference between living another 40 years and living another 5.

[rausch]

I thank you both for your input.  I am going to take this new condition of mine on with everything I can.  Lost another five pounds.  

I am not really sure of all the different terminologies that you all are speaking of but I am getting there.  The previous example by Wisconsin has inspired me.  I am sure there are more examples out there of similar people.  I plan on becoming one of them.

Thanks again