A question for the Chronic Heart Disease Community

If your or your loved one’s experience living with this condition were a book, what would its title be and why? And what would you name the chapter you are currently in?

Answers from the Community

I think the title of the book would be, “Early Self Care of Diabetes to Avoid Complications and to Make Your Life Easier.” The chapter that I am in now is, “The Result of Not Taking Care of Yourself Early.”

I guess the book would be, the title would be “My Life with Heart Disease” because everything basically I do is affected by that. I mean, if I exercise or whatever I decide to eat, it’s all related to my condition. You know, making sure that I don’t make it worse. And then what would the chapter that I’m currently in? Would probably be, I don’t know, “Quarantine” since we’re living in this world right now with coronavirus and COVID. But basically it’d probably be “Living in Quarantine” trying to exercise, using the park and stuff since I really don’t want to go any place because with the heart disease, I am compromised. So that’s where I am right now. Thank you.

I think the title of the book would be “A Heartfelt Change.” Why? Because I never expected to be in the position that I’m in, and the change that I have seen in my health over a year ago when being diagnosed has actually increased and gotten better. My ejection fracture rate is better. The chapter that I’m currently in, I would still call it the “Still Learning Chapter” because even though it’s been over a year, there’s still things that I don’t know. There’s still things that I’m trying to figure out for myself to help me and to make me better and more understanding of the situation that I’m in. So, not only can I educate myself and my family and friends, but I can also educate others that are in the same situation with my age range.

I would call the book, “The Never-Ending Roller Coaster.” And right now, the chapter I’m in is, “The Highs in Life on the Never-Ending Roller Coaster.”

I believe if I had to write a book, the title would be, “Beat the Beat,” because I’m not letting this beat me. I’m not letting it hold me down. I may not be able to do what I once did, but I will fight and I will beat the beat as long as I can. So that would be the title. The chapter would be, “Fight the Fight,” because I’m fighting to get past this and to maintain and do more. And so the chapter would definitely be, “Fight the Fight.”

My book title would be “Hold On and Keep Going.” “Hold On and Keep Going.” And the chapter that I’m in right now would be called “Pause.”

That’s a very hard question. The book would be called “She’s a Fighter” or “She’s a Warrior,” something along the lines of fighting, because doctors said she wouldn’t live if born premature, and she’s lived and she’s nine years old. So something about fighting and overcoming the odds or something like that. And then the chapter of the book would be called “The Pandemic,” because right now quarantine, virtual school, and all that kind of falls into the pandemic. She’s had pneumonia three times just in the last three months and we’ve gotten nowhere. We have quarantined completely. So yeah, “The Pandemic” would be our chapter of this one. It’s definitely crazy times.

I think I would call it “Fixing the Broken Heart,” because I feel like at one point my heart was broken of sorts in that it wasn’t working and it kind of broke me emotionally too at that time. And then the chapter I’m currently in is I would call it “The Rising Phoenix” because I’ve come a long way in a few years and, and manage things much better and have the insight and the experience to be able to deal with things much better than I was able to. I’ve past some milestones as far as my health. And so to me, that’s like coming out of the ashes like a Phoenix and rising again.

I would say the title of my book would probably be, “One Day at a Time.” As far as the chapter that I’m in now, it would probably be called “Fatigue.” That’s what I’m suffering with most right now. But yeah, I think “Fatigue” would be the chapter that I’m on now.

I think the name of my book would be “Trying Not to Follow in My Mother’s Footsteps,” and the reason would be, my mom had a heart attack at 40 that almost killed her and I had that hanging over my head most of my life. Granted, I did make it longer than she did thanks to changing some of my healthy habits before I had the heart attack. I’d really made a big effort to try not to have a heart attack. And I did enough of that, that I put it off a lot longer, but it’s unfortunately due to stress I didn’t make it any longer. So thanks to family history and stress, I still ended up having a heart attack at 46, but like I said, I did make it longer than she did. And my current chapter is, “Don’t Let the Stress of COVID-19 Cause Another One” because that’s where I’m at right now is I’m really fighting the stress of COVID-19 and trying really hard not to let all of the added stress that COVID-19, the anxiety of COVID-19, is putting on my life cause another one because it’s really been hard and has really put a lot of added extra stress that I just don’t even have a frame of reference for on my life that I’m trying really hard not to let that push me over the edge and cause another one. So, along with the therapy and stuff that I’m doing right now is way more than I normally do just to make sure I don’t have another heart attack. So, thanks COVID. And that’s it.

I mean, honestly, I don’t really know how you would write a book about this. Each story is just so different. Every patient’s journey is so different. I believe I would name mine “Undying,” since it was breast cancer and heart-related issues simultaneously. Because I literally came back from the dead, through healthy choices and healthy lifestyle. And my chapter that I’m in now would just be… Let’s see, I would have to call it “Forever Recovery,” because you’re constantly recovering for the rest of your life. You’re never fully healed. So, that seems like it would be appropriate.

I’m not sure if it’s affected me that much that I would need to have written a book, but “Just to Be a Little Bit More Active and to Try to Be as Healthy as Possible” would probably be the chapter I’m in right now.

The name of the book would probably be “If You Always Do What You Always Did, You Always Get What You Always Got.” I didn’t make the adjustments I needed to after my major MI in 1998. Let me rephrase that. I didn’t continue those adjustments when I should have. The chapter that I’m in right now would probably be “The Resurgence,” so a change of diet and exercise, as I mentioned previously, I’m feeling better than I have in years. I’m actually able to enjoy some of my old hobbies and activities again.

If I was experiencing living with this condition and it was a book, its title would be, “Who Would Have Thought at Such a Young Age?” And the chapter I would be in right now is “Currently Living My Best Life.” I’m taking care of my granddaughter and trying to do the best that I can.

“One Day at a Time” would be the title. And “Moving” would be the chapter that I’m on.