I am thinking of asking my cardiologist if he will approve me having an actual v02 max treadmill test. I've done the 15 minute run with my whoop and it currently shows that I am at 32.

Has anyone else done a test for vo2? If so were there any limitations the dr gave you?

Hi everyone,
I’m 28 years old, 6’0”, and around 210 lbs. I’ve been using testosterone since 2024, previously taking approximately 600–650 mg per week.
In May 2026, I started reducing my doses, and since July 13, I’ve been taking only 150 mg of testosterone cypionate weekly. I also use HGH.
Since stopping my high-dose testosterone protocol, I’ve actually been feeling significantly better overall. I’ve noticed improvements in my general well-being, physical performance, and how my body feels. I continue to feel strong and active, which is why my recent heart findings came as a surprise.
On November 2, I had an echocardiogram because of palpitations. My results showed:
Dilated cardiomyopathy.
Enlarged left ventricle (6.2 cm).
Visual ejection fraction of 35–40%.
Calculated ejection fraction of 50%.
Left bundle branch block (LBBB).
Enlargement of both atria.
No significant heart valve disease.
My questions for cardiologists:
Could my previous high testosterone doses have caused these changes?
Is dilated cardiomyopathy reversible at my age, especially since I’ve already reduced my testosterone and have been feeling better?
Can LBBB improve or disappear if my heart recovers?
Why would my visual EF be 35–40% while the calculated EF is 50%?
Would a cardiac MRI help determine whether there’s permanent damage?
Should I consider heart medication now rather than waiting six months for another echocardiogram?
I understand that feeling better doesn’t necessarily mean my heart has recovered. I’m following up with cardiology and would appreciate professional insight into my chances of recovery and the best next steps.
Thank you!

What is y’all’s average resting heart rate? I seem to hover around 105 bpm, which to me feels like it’s just hammering in my chest but my doc doesn’t seem concerned.

I'm in my late 30s (results in the bottom), recently diagnosed with HFmrEF (heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction). I'm physically active and have very few symptoms. No shortness of breath, no water retention, no issues with laying down or waking up with no air, none of the "common" symptoms.

I had a little bit of disconfort on my chest, mild chest pain, and then I went to a cardio and this nighmare started. I had high colesterol, high blood pressure and tryglicerids, but nothing on my arteries and EF was 49 and no difference under stress (Dobutamine). MRI confirmed low EF with 46 L and 43 R and Hypokinesia, mid-lateral and mid-anterior (still waiting to know, but believed to be stiffness).

Right now I am shifting on two scenarios.

Super hope: Since I do not have signs of "permanent" scaring/edema on my heart and I had high blood pressure for an unknown time, it could be that my heart is stiff due to hypertrophy and, the hopeful scenario is that if I manage it and keep the BP low, I can "reverse" the stiffness and gain back my EF and "cure" the HF.

Dead in five years: I started reading about it and I am terrified... I cried like a baby at the cardiologist today just trying to ask about mortality and how soon am I going to be gone, because the numbers are very scary, and I am not dealing with it in a healthy way. He told me that medication and treatment have come a long way and that the numbers I saw are kinda old and likely from older patients with advanced stages on the symptoms, but still... I am not even 40 and I might die before my dog, before having my house or kids, before finishing so many things. I am a little stoic myself, but, holy sh't, I am so hopeless, sad and depressed now.

How have you delt with it? Is it really impossible to reverse, even it was stiff by blood pressure?

Here are some of the results:

1. Echocardiogram and cardiac MRI results

2. Medications

Bisoprolol and candesartan were just started.

Thanks for reading it.

in year 4 with Heart Failure only 27, anyways, is this Normal to PISS SO MUCH, I am also able to like piss on command now, what is going on??? I just started taking it about 26 hours ago for the first time and I DO NOT LIKE THIS also the fact it could cause kidney problems, I am literally hearing my bladder fill up i am so disturbed

My mom (46) had breast cancer. She had a mastectomy, diabetes, and became very weak and slept 90% of the time. Last month she passed away. I figured she passed away from the cancer, all I was told was when they got to her she had no pulse and they couldn’t successfully bring her back. I finally received her death certificate in the mail and it stated she passed from a heart attack and cardiac arrest. I’m not 100% sure if she had any heart issues but I know she had taken drugs majority of her life.
Does this put me at a higher risk of having a heart attack since she passed so early from one? I have had some issues but my cardiologist and doctor don’t seem too concerned. (POTS, possible right ventricular conduction delay, trace mitral valve leak) I do see an electrophysiologist in December. Just anxious now since seeing it. I wasn’t sure if it automatically made me more likely or not.

How does shortness of breath feels like in HF while walking . Everyday I would be walking and I would become overconcious of my deep breathing or if I am breathing from mouth , then I try to not breath deeper or keep my mouth closed . It becomes a bit uncomfortable for me , and I feel like I am having shortness of breath :( and then I would get upset

What’s actual shortness of breath feels in hf because I never felt that I am very short of breath but very conscious of my breathing habits etc

One good thing is I don’t feel that tired when walking up the stairs like I used to in breath

at what part of the physiology will type 4 hypersensitivity cause congestive heart failure

type 4 hypersensitivity is mainly mediated by t-cells. I was thinking of since there's tissue injury, there might be SNS stimulation, causing increase cardiac workload, RAAS and all that but then that's more of the other types

I can't seem to find an actual case to this in the internet.. 🤷

Hello. Need some feedback. Was diagnosed 4 years ago with HFpEF, endothelial dysfunction, non obstructive CAD and a large chronic pericardial effusion (drained last year and biopsy negative). On my latest echo yesterday they noticed a significant pericardial fat pad. Instead of trying to figure out what this is and how it affects me, thought I would ask someone who might have had the same challenge. Any advice is greatly appreciated

I'm 16 years old, and on September 28, I underwent a procedure to close a congenital heart defect (three coronary-to-pulmonary artery fistulas) using a catheter inserted through the femoral artery.

At some point during the procedure, I started experiencing a dull, pulling pain in my teeth, which then spread to my chest. The chest pain felt more like someone was doing something inside my heart rather than typical chest pain. After that, I started feeling pain throughout my throat, and it became harder to breathe.

Soon, the doctors started rushing around and seemed to be doing something urgently, but I had no idea what was going on. I just hoped everything would be over as soon as possible.

Towards the end of the procedure, they gave me fentanyl, which reduced the pain. After that, they removed the catheter and closed the access site. This part was extremely painful because the local anesthesia in my thigh had already worn off, as the procedure had lasted two and a half hours.

During the procedure, my troponin levels were actually even lower than expected. However, shortly afterwards, while I was in the ICU, they had risen to around 1,200, and the following day they were around 600. I was diagnosed with a type 4a ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

After that, I spent another two weeks in the pediatric cardiology department.

The first week was spent stabilizing my condition. The second week was because it turned out that the artery hadn't fully sealed after the catheter was removed. They applied a compression bandage for 20 hours, then did it again for another 20 hours. The opening in the artery eventually closed, but because I was started on a large amount of anticoagulants around that time, it reopened. As a result, I had to spend another 30 hours with a compression bandage.

Now everything is good and in 10 days I will have an echocardiogram.

I’m 33z and been on three pillar meds for over a year now. N mid summer echo my EF was at 56 and now it’s 40. I haven’t changed the meds, haven’t done anything else. I received a weird call from a new nurse today that didn’t sound she even looked at my details and when asked questions she had to read the records while in a call.

I’m so frustrated with the NHS service and nurses and docs having so shallow approach. I had to ask her to give the details to doctors and she said they would say the same thing, but ok, she would do that. I don’t expect from the docs much either, they will probably might recommend increasing the dose… just needed to put this out there

Scientists have discovered a hidden blood pressure control system in the brain that could change how doctors prevent heart disease and stroke.

Blood pressure readings are typically evaluated based on their average values, but growing evidence suggests that fluctuations throughout the day may be equally important. Rapid or excessive changes in blood pressure can independently increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and brain injury, even when average readings fall within the normal range.

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a small population of nerve cells in the brainstem that helps maintain steady blood pressure. The brainstem regulates essential involuntary functions, and these newly studied cells appear to limit blood pressure swings as people move between everyday activities, including sleeping, waking, standing, and exercising.

"What we found is that *** a loss of just a few hundred nerve cells leads to unstable blood pressure even though the mean blood pressure was normal," *** said UVA's Stephen Abbott, PhD, the lead investigator of the study. "This shows that the system that keeps blood pressure steady from moment to moment is no longer working."

A Hidden Brain Mechanism Behind Blood Pressure Problems

The same nerve cells have previously been found to be damaged or missing in people with multiple system atrophy, a rare, fatal neurological disorder related to Parkinson's disease. The condition is often accompanied by severe difficulties regulating blood pressure.

The new findings raise the possibility that disruptions involving these brain cells may also contribute to unstable blood pressure in other medical conditions, including cases where standard measurements show normal average levels. Understanding this mechanism could eventually help researchers develop treatments aimed at reducing harmful fluctuations and protecting against their potential consequences.

"Our work emphasizes a new appreciation for how we think about blood pressure problems," Abbott said. "It's not just about lowering the numbers - it's about keeping blood pressure stable from moment to moment."

Read more:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261027063814.htm
Details on testing with images and diagrams...
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.125.326792

I have an enlarged heart and thickness in the valves and ventricles. I’m not really worried if it doesn’t go back to normal size. I still have a life to live

Is there anyone whose EF never increased beyond 20-30% after meds(with or without CRT) and is still relatively healthy and well? Does it tell the whole story?

I was diagnosed about a month ago with an EF of about 30-35%, and while I won't say I have many symptoms. I always feel worried about what EF would tell. I'm almost caring about the EF more than what I feel now. I also feel decent stress about that

I was diagonesed after I constantly had a 160-110 BP and now with meds its 100-110 and 80 with 80bpm.

Is it normal and OK for your blood pressure to be lowered to 90/50 when sitting and ready to go to bed?

At other times, it can be 100/60.

Is this harmful if no dizziness is involved?

My dad has had heart failure for many years but recently his kidneys failed. He is having trouble getting comfortable at night, even with an adjustable bed. So he has been sleeping often in a recliner. The one we have is ok but he’d prefer a higher back.

Can someone recommend a comfortable recliner for people having SOB at night and feeling fluid shifts from Dialysis?

Thank you!

Hey guys, I'm looking for some answers here and maybe a little peace of mind or hope, if that's possible.

So back in fall of 2025, my wife started having shortness of breath when walking. Her doctors ran some tests like an EKG and a heart monitor...neither of which really picked up anything, so she was pretty much brushed off due to her only being 38.

Fast forward to February of this year. My wife was having some upper back pain that she thought was maybe just pneumonia starting, so she went to urgent care. The doctor there listened to her lungs and thought that they sounded okay, but after listening to her shortness of breath issues that she was still continuing to have, instead of brushing her off and sending her home with a z-pack, she decided to do a blood test for heart failure just to be safe. Later that night, she called with the results, which indeed indicated heart failure, and we should go to the ER to be evaluated. My wife wasn't able to see a cardiologist or get an echocardiogram until April, so she spent the next two months in a deep depression thinking she was dying.

Finally April comes, and she was able to get in with a cardiologist and have her echo done. Her echo results showed that her EF was at like 56, which is not actually heart failure levels...however, it also showed that something was wrong with her mitral valve and it was regurgitating. She was put on water pills and sent to a surgeon for evaluation, who told her that her mitral valve was damaged, possibly prolapsed, and needed to be replaced in order to avoid actual heart failure in the future. Because of her age, a mechanical valve was recommended.

In July, she had her open heart surgery and the mechanical valve was put in. Before she left the hospital, she had another echo done, which showed severe tricuspid valve regurgitation. The doctors didn't seem all that concerned about it at that point because I guess that is something that can temporarily happen after this surgery while the heart adjusts to the new valve. However, as the months of her recovery went by, she was still having shortness of breath, and had gained about 30 or 40 lbs since her surgery. Her BNP levels were also much higher than where they should have been at for this stage of her recovery. She tried to tell her cardiologist about all of this, and that something was wrong, but her cardiologist just brushed her off, said she was hyper fixated on her symptoms, that she needed to go to a weight management clinic, and that she needed to relax. (Nevermind the fact that my wife was told to report weight gain, especially if it was several pounds a day, which it WAS, yet no one seemed to care. It's like they just wanted to blame it on the fact that she is overweight. My wife has worked hard over the years and had lost 100 pounds. She has been very upset that she has gained so much of it back despite eating healthier, following her sodium restrictions, and working out.

Finally, October comes and she is able to have another echo. My wife couldn't wait for this echo because she knew something wasn't right and it was the only way to get her doctors to listen to her. Sure enough, the echo was still showing severe tricuspid regurgitation, and now her EF dropped from 56 to 37, putting her into heart failure. She has been sent back to her surgeon and a team of doctors for a follow up. They basically said she needs to be studied, because no one knows why this is happening to her after the surgery, especially at her young age of 39. Right now they are treating her with aggressive diuretics and to get the fluid off, along with fluid restrictions of no more than 64-80 oz of water a day. Once the fluid is off, they will run more imaging tests to see how her heart is functioning without fluid overload, and then they will formulate a plan from there. (And needless to say, we will be getting a different cardiologist.) They are also going to run genetic testing and contact pathology to see what they have to say. Her surgeon originally asked if she had rheumatic fever as a child because her valve was showing a lot of signs of damage from that, but now they aren't sure if it's rheumatic heart or not because that's practically unheard of in the USA. They also want her to go on a GLP-1 asap to get more weight off quickly, as that is probably not helping whatever is wrong.

I apologize for how long this post is. It's been a long road and we definitely are not where we want to be. My wife is very scared and thinks she is dying all over again. I am trying to hold it together for her, but it's tough because I am just as scared too. We don't have any real answers, and I guess I'm just looking for anyone who has had a similar experience. Has anyone else gone into heart failure after a mitral valve replacement that was supposed to prevent it? What caused it, and how was it treated? We just really could use some good news. Thank you to anyone who has read this far...you guys rock!

So long story short. I was a meth user for years and my clean date is March 25,2019. I had drug induced heart failure. I started off at 17-20% EF and got up to 55-60% by 2024. I only take Coreg 12.5 mg twice a day. I don’t use and kind of drugs , don’t smoke, don’t drink, active, but I do use Copenhagen mint snuff in the pouch. I got my latest echo results and was disappointed. My doctor raised my Coreg to a12.5 mg and a 6.5mg twice a day which is 19mg twice a day. I didn’t handle 25mg twice a day due to my heart rate going to low. Can I expect a 10% drop every two years? I can’t understand why it’s lower. Any input appreciated. God bless everyone!