Skip to main content

Heart Failure Awareness Week- Joy's story

Joy, 74 from Caerphilly was diagnosed with Heart Failure and thought her life was over. After attending our Cardiac Rehab services, she wanted to find more people with similar experiences to feel less lonely and keep her recovery journey going: 

 

“I am a 74-year-old woman, with a large family, but I live alone. 2 years ago, I was diagnosed with Heart Failure and my immediate thought was - oh God, I'm dying. I have a lovely family and we're all very close, but I couldn't burden them with all my worries and fears, so I became a bit isolated.  

 

I was eventually sent to Cardiac Rehab and found that I could live with these heart problems, but after the course I felt lonely and wanted to know others who knew how I was feeling. 

 

A few months later I was contacted about setting up a self-support group and I jumped at it. 

 

In December 2023 we had an open meeting to see if enough people would be interested and in January 2024, we had our first drop-in meeting- tea, biscuits and a chat every Wednesday morning. We talked and talked and talked about our experiences and feelings, our worries and fears. I wasn't the only one to buy remembrance gifts for my children, I wasn't the only one to sort out my will, I wasn't the only one to be so scared. I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE. That made such a difference. 

 

Then we invited a few speakers, a pharmacist, a cardiac doctor, a cardiac nurse, and then a few fun ones too. David and Huw from the NHS Nature Wellbeing Programme  were one of our first speakers and walking was suggested. We arranged 1 walk with the possibility of making it monthly, but it was such a success it became fortnightly. 

 

I have gone from sitting alone and worrying about dying, to helping organise a group, getting out every Wednesday, walking often in places I'd never even heard of. At 74, I'm running the Facebook page and helping with the WhatsApp group, but mostly I have a group of friends, who know exactly what I'm going through as they are going through the same things. Friends, I can laugh and cry with, friends who are always there. This group has given me a new lease of life!” 

 

What is Heart Failure? 

Heart failure does not mean your heart has stopped working, it means that the heart is unable to pump blood and oxygen around the body properly. It usually happens because the heart has become too weak or stiff. It means it needs some support to help it work better. Heart failure is a long-term condition that tends to get gradually worse over time. It cannot usually be cured, but the symptoms can often be controlled for many years. 

  

Knowing the symptoms of heart failure is important because this will help people get the care and support that they need to manage these symptoms. 

The main symptoms of heart failure are: 

  • breathlessness after activity or at rest 

  • feeling tired most of the time and finding exercise exhausting 

  • feeling lightheaded or fainting 

  • swollen ankles and legs 

If you or someone you know has any of these symptoms, please contact your GP.