Nobody Tells You What Happens Next | Heart Failure Unfiltered

Donna was told she had heart failure on a Thursday. On the Friday she was back running her shop. So what happens once everybody decides the emergency is over?

In this second episode of a four-part series, Nick Hartshorne-Evans - founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation - sits down with Corinne, Donna and Danny to talk about the part nobody plans for, the weeks and months after the diagnosis. Danny came home with a bag of tablets and no idea what any of them did, and his wife Jane spent four nights awake watching him sleep. Corinne worked out how serious it was from a copy of a letter sent to her GP. Donna did not leave the house for a year.

They talk about the visitors who stop coming after a week, side effects that get brushed off as "you're on a lot of medication now", and why nobody thinks to hand you a peer support group along with the prescription. Danny decided in his hospital bed that he would climb Ben Nevis within twelve months. He did it.

No white coats. No jargon. Just people who've lived it.

In this episode:

00:00: Welcome and what this episode covers

01:27: Meet Corinne, Donna and Danny

02:05: What happens when everyone thinks the emergency is over

05:16: A diagnosis drip-fed over months, and the "magic box" ICD

07:17: The visitors stop coming after about a week

09:28: The first night at home

18:03: A bag of tablets and nobody explaining them

22:36: The emotional side nobody checks on

25:18: Why peer support should be prescribed

26:05: Losing the social life you used to have

28:20: When the fear finally became manageable

30:44: Finding the humour, and the Robbie Williams tickets

34:07: What helped you believe tomorrow might come

39:40: Helping somebody win at something

🫀 If heart failure is part of your life, you don't have to face it alone.

The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's leading heart failure charity, patient-led, trusted, and here for you.

⚡ B.E.A.T. Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, Time to tell your GP or nurse. If you have a combination of these, speak to your GP surgery. Heart failure is diagnosed with a simple blood test.

🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org

💬 Peer support, search "Help for Hearts" on Facebook and apply to join

💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone

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