Heart Failure – What to Expect

2 Years Earlier

During the COVID pandemic of 1920-22 I became ill several times even though I used a mask and cleaned my hands etc as directed by to adverts and signs. I left 2022 with a persistent cough that stayed with me every day.

I eventually visited a doctor from my local practice with a timeline of my cough and other contextual notes and the doctor said I was fine.

October 2024 Booster Jabs

At the end of October 2024 I had a booster jab for Flu and COVID, after which I became ill and it didn’t get better as it normally would. Instead, week by week things got worse and worse.

2 Viruses

I found out that at the time I had the booster jabs there were 4 viruses circulating in my local community. One was the Nora Virus (stomach bug) and three were respiratory illnesses.

During the next two months I had a mixture of symptoms that changed every 4 to 5 days some represented the Nora Virus with thick dark green mucus, later one of the other viruses with thick yellow mucus.

Water Retention & Blood Clots

Around Christmas time, I began to have water retention. It was gradual, but over time, everything below my waist blew up with water like I was wearing thick neoprene leggings. I assume this affected my gut inside and out. My legs were tight in my trousers and it was fairly gross.

It was also harder to breathe and I took to sitting upright all night so I could get more air. I didn’t have a good setup for that so it became a little uncomfortable in itself. And when you have no energy, you tend to leave things as they are.

Not Looking Good

At this time I was struggling to find things to eat due to a significant loss of appetite. I resorted to eating sugary things as a way of getting calories. I also started coughing up mucus with blood. It started as spotted, but became thick red over time. That was quite alarming.

However, when my son visited one day, he was fairly alarmed at how ill I seemed, and the lack of a plan by my doctor for dealing with it. He later dialled 111, and that resulted in two teams of 4 arriving at my house. One group was like a first response team and the other group was an ambulance crew. They recommended I go to hospital for a quick look. I took what I was wearing and my phone.

Winchester Hospital

I went to Winchester hospital where I became a priority patent for the next few hours, and was then taken to a ward. I don’t remember too much about this stage except that the person opposite me was told off several times for laying around in the nude. I can say that when you feel bad, that’s not something you care about. I did try to stay decent for the sake of the nurses and patients. On the other hand, I was taking diuretics to remove the water from my legs so I had to use the urine bottles frequently and often without the cover of a curtain. I became deft at hiding the bottle under my hospital gown and side table.

Basingstoke Hospital

After several days I was transferred to Basingstoke Hospital where there were heart specialists and equipment.

One ward neighbour had dementia and came over a few times at night to ask who I was. At different times he was convinced the ward was either in his home or sharing his bedroom at home.

Another neighbour was convinced that the staff were trying to kill him. He spent the afternoon and all night threatening to report the staff to the government, police and news outlets for attempting to kill him. He refused to wear an oxygen mask as requested, which in turn contributed to making him more delirious. The next day he was taken away to a different ward so the rest of us could sleep.

Daily Regime

The day began at 6am when I was weighed using a modified chair. Blood pressure was taken several times a day and a selection of pills were brought throughout the day. I was declared diabetic, although I wasn’t to my knowledge before I arrived, so I had some sugar stabilising meds injected. Once a day I had blood extracted, not always successfully – the most uncomfortable procedure. To make up for my lack of appetite I was given Fortisips. These are thick protein drinks that are best ingested like an oyster, that is to say, by opening your throat and letting them drop in as fast as possible. There were so many pills I couldn’t track what they were about, but the nurses gave them to me in the order that they thought would be easiest for me to deal with the after effects.

Summary of the Illnesses

I clearly had multiple things going on, something that everyone who dealt with me commented about. They appeared in order:

• Two viruses
• Water retention
• Blood clots in heart and lungs
• Breathlessness (and panic attacks)
• Double pneumonia
• Diabetic symptoms

For which I was given a mixture of 9 pills per day. I learned from one doctor that everyone gets blood clots but are generally unaware of them.

Able to Leave Hospital?

The deciding factor for being in hospital or going home was based on water retention. I could not go home if I still had water retention, as it meant that I would relapse at some point. In fact I lost about 10kg in water out of my legs and gut by the time I left.

Back Home

By now I could lay down flat on my own bed for the first time in 5 months. That meant I started to have several consecutive hours sleep, and that has to be a good thing.

Finally

This is not the end of it, although I want it to be over as soon as possible. These pills must be maintained as a continuous stream for several months while the heart recuperates.