Discover Myocarditis Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

About Myocarditis

Myocarditis is a illness marked by inflammation and blinking of the heart muscle. Although the exact incidence of myocarditis is not known, it is estimated that several thousand patients per year are diagnosed in the United States. Myocarditis usually attacks otherwise healthy people. It is believed that 5 to 20% of all cases of unexpected death in young adults are due to myocarditis.
There are many causes of myocarditis, including viral infections, autoimmune diseases, environmental toxins, and adverse reactions to medications. The prognosis is changeable but chronic heart failure is the major long term complication. Myocarditis and the related disease of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy are the cause of concerning 45% of heart transplants in the United States.

How To Choose a Cardiac Rehab Program

Cardiac rehab programs vary in the types of services they offer and
     emphasize. Choose one that makes exercise training a priority.
     Studies show that people who participate in an exercise-based
     program are less likely to have a future heart attack or major heart
     surgery, and are less apt to die of any heart-related cause than those
     who don’t join a program that emphasizes exercise. When choosing
     a cardiac rehab program, also look for one that:

       ¦   Offers a wide range of services, including education and
           counseling.
       ¦   Offers services at a time and place that are convenient for you.
       ¦   Offers services that meet your specific needs and preferences.
           For example, if you’re overweight, look for a plan that provides
           help for weight loss.
       ¦   Is supervised by a team of health care professionals.
       ¦   Is affordable. Your insurance may cover the cost of some
           cardiac rehab services, but not others. Find out what will be
           covered and for how long, so you’ll know from the start what
           your out-of-pocket costs will be.

     What You’ll Do in a Cardiac Rehab Program
     Get moving. E x e rcise training will help you learn to safely participate
     in physical activity, strengthen your muscles, and improve your
     stamina. If you’ve recently gotten out of the hospital, you may be
     worried that exercise will bring on another heart attack or other
     heart crisis. In fact, physical activity can help prevent future heart
     problems. Your rehab team will help you develop a program that is
     safe and effective for you.

     Some programs make use of equipment such as a treadmill for
     walking, stationary bikes, and light weights, and you’ll be shown
     how to use this equipment to get the most benefit. Other programs
     offer low-impact aerobics classes and other group exercise activities.
     In most programs, your heart rate and blood pressure will be moni-
     tored while you move. As your heart and body become stronger,
     you will gradually increase your physical activity. Eventually, after
     you become familiar with the program, you can continue it at a
     fitness center or at home.

Learn new heart healthy habits. In your cardiac rehab program,

you’ll also learn about controlling your personal risk factors for heart

attack and other heart complications, and how to create new, healthier

habits. Controlling risk factors is a very important part of your re c o v-

ery process. Depending on your personal needs, you may learn to:

   ¦   Quit smoking if you’re a smoker.

   ¦   Manage related health conditions such as diabetes and high

       blood pressure.

   ¦   Eat a healthy, low-saturated fat, low-cholesterol diet.

   ¦   Control your weight.

   ¦   Manage stress.

For more information on controlling risk factors, see the sections of

this guidebook on “Major Risk Factors” and “What Else Affects

Heart Disease?” on pages 13 and 31 respectively.

Get counseling and sup-

port. A good cardiac

rehab program will help

you learn to cope with

the challenges of adjust-

ing to a new lifestyle,

as well as address any

concerns you may

have about the future.

You’ll also be offered

help in dealing with the

emotional ups and downs

that many people experi-

ence following a heart

attack or heart surgery.

Many programs offer

classes in stress man-

agement, as well

individual counseling,

group support, or

both.

Blood Pressure: How High Is High?

Blood Pressure:
   How High Is High?

Your blood pressure category is determined by the higher number
   of either your systolic or your diastolic measurement. For example,
   if your systolic number is 115 but your diastolic number is 85, your
   category is prehypertension.

                                             Systolic                             Diastolic
   Normal blood pressure        Less than 120     and    Less than 80

   Prehypertension                  120–139           or         80–89

   High blood pressure          140 or higher     or     90 or higher




Blood Pressure
But you can take action to control high blood pressure, and thereby
avoid many life-threatening disorders.

Your health care provider should check your blood pressure on
several different days before deciding whether it is too high. Blood
pressure is considered high when it stays at or above 140/90 over a
period of time. However, if you have diabetes, it is important to
keep your blood pressure below 130/80.

For those with heart disease, it is especially important to control
blood pressure to reduce the risks of stroke and heart attack. Even
if you don’t have high blood pressure, it is important to avoid
developing prehypertension, a condition that increases your risk
for high blood pressure.

Be aware, too, that a high systolic blood pressure level (first number)
     is dangerous. If your systolic blood pressure is 140 or higher (or
     130 or higher if you have diabetes), you are more likely to develop
     heart disease complications and other problems even if your
     diastolic blood pressure (second number) is in the normal range.
     High systolic blood pressure is high blood pressure. If you have this
     condition, you will need to take steps to control it. High blood
     pressure can be controlled in two ways: by changing your lifestyle
     and by taking medication.

     Changing your lifestyle. If your blood pressure is not too high, you
     may be able to control it entirely by losing weight if you are over-
     weight, getting regular physical activity, limiting the salt in your
     food, cutting down on alcohol, and changing your eating habits.
     A special eating plan called DASH can help to lower blood pressure.
     DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The
     DASH eating plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole-grain foods,
     and low-fat dairy products. It is rich in magnesium, potassium, cal-
     cium, protein, and fiber, but low in saturated fat, trans fat, total fat,
     and cholesterol. (Trans fat is a harmful type of dietary fat that
     forms when vegetable oil is hardened.) The diet also limits red meat,
     sweets, and sugar-containing beverages.

                                           If you follow the DASH eating
                                             plan and also consume less
                                              sodium, you are likely to
                                              reduce your blood pressure
                                              even more . Sodium is a sub-
                                             stance that affects blood pres-
                                            sure. It is the main ingredient
                                                in salt and is found in many
                                                          processed foods,
                                                              such as soups,
                                                             convenience
                                                            meals, some
                                                            breads and cere-
                                                            als, and salted
                                                              snacks. For
                                                               more on the
                                                                DASH eating

Controlling Your Risk Factors

     If you have heart disease, you may wonder why you have it. The
     answer is that many personal characteristics, health conditions, and
     lifestyle habits can contribute to heart disease. These are called
     risk factors.

     But risk factors do more than simply contribute to heart problems.
     They also increase the chances that existing heart disease will
     worsen. Since you already have heart disease, it is very important
     to find out about all of your risk factors and take active steps to
     control them.

     Certain risk factors, such as getting older, can’t be changed. Starting
     at age 45, a man’s risk of heart disease begins to rise, while a woman’s
     risk begins to increase at age 55. Family history of early heart
     disease is another risk factor that can’t be changed. If your father
     or brother had a heart attack before age 55, or if your mother or
     sister had one before age 65, you are more likely to develop heart
     disease yourself.

     While certain risk factors can’t be changed, it’s important to realize
     that you do have control over many others. Regardless of your age
     or family history, or how serious your heart disease is, you can take
     steps to reduce your risk of a first or repeat heart attack. You can
     also manage other problems associated with heart disease, such as
     angina, heart failure, and arrhythmias.

     It may be tempting to believe that doing just one healthy thing will
     be enough to control heart disease. For example, you may hope that
     if you walk or swim regularly, you can still eat a lot of fatty foods
     and stay safe. Not so. To reduce your risk of a heart attack and
     other complications, it is vital to make changes that address each
     risk factor you have. You can make the changes gradually, one at
     a time. But making them is very important.

  While each risk factor may contribute to worsened heart disease,
     the more risk factors you have, the higher your risk. That’s because
     risk factors tend to “gang up” and worsen each other’s effects. For
     example, if you have high blood cholesterol and diabetes, your heart
     attack risk increases enormously. The message is clear: If you have
     heart disease, you must take immediate steps to reduce your risk of
     life-threatening medical problems. It’s your heart and you have
     everything to gain from taking good care of it.

     You and Your Doctor: A Healthy Partnership
     Your doctor can be an important partner in helping you manage
     h e a rt disease. He or she may already have spoken with you about
     your heart disease risk factors, but if not, be sure to ask about how to
     control all of them to help prevent future pro b l e m s . H e re are some
     tips for establishing good, clear communication with your doctor.

     Speak up. Tell your doctor that you want to keep your heart disease
     from getting worse and would like help in achieving that goal. Ask
     questions about your chances of having a first heart attack or a
     repeat heart attack, your risk of other heart complications, and ways
     to lower those risks. If you haven’t done so already, ask for tests
     that will determine your personal risk factors.

     Be open. When your doctor asks you questions, answer them as
     honestly and fully as you can. While certain
     topics may seem quite personal, discussing
     them openly can help your doctor work
     with you more effectively to
     manage your heart condition.

     Keep it simple. If you don’t
     understand something your
     doctor says, ask for an explanation in
     plain language. Be especially sure you
     understand how to make the
     lifestyle changes your doctor
     recommends, as well as
     why and how to take
     each medication you’re
     given. If you’re wor-
     ried about under-
     standing what the

doctor says, or if you have trouble hearing, bring a friend or relative

with you to your appointment. You may want to ask that person to

write down the doctor’s instructions for you.

Getting Tested for Heart Disease

You may be reading this book because you think you might have heart disease but aren’t yet sure. Keep in mind that heart disease doesn’t always announce itself with symptoms. That means you could have heart disease and still feel perfectly fine. The best course is to talk with your doctor about your personal degree of heart disease risk and about whether getting tested is a good idea.

Most screening tests for heart disease are done outside of the body and are painless. After taking a careful medical history and doing a physical examination, your doctor may give you one or more of the following tests:

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) makes a graph of the heart’s electrical activity as it beats. This test can show abnormal heartbeats, heart muscle damage, blood flow problems in the coronary arteries, and heart enlargement.

Stress test (or treadmill test or exercise ECG) re c o rds the heart ’s electrical activity during exercise, usually on a treadmill or exercise bike. If you are unable to exercise due to arthritis or another health condition, a stress test can be done without exercise . Instead, you can take a medicine that increases blood flow to the h e a rt muscle and shows whether there are any problems in that flow.

Nuclear scan (or thallium stress test) shows the working of the heart muscle as blood flows through the heart . A small amount of radioactive material is injected into a vein, usually in the arm, and a camera records how much is taken up by the heart muscle.

Echocardiographic changes sound waves into pictures that show the heart’s size, shape, and movement. The sound waves also can be u s e d to see how much blood is pumped out by the heart when it contracts.

Coronary angiography (or angiogram or arteriography) shows an x ray of blood flow problems and blockages in the coronary arteries. A thin, flexible tube called a catheter is threaded through an artery of an arm or leg up into the heart. A dye is then injected into the tube, allowing the heart and blood vessels to be filmed as the heart pumps. The picture is called an angiogram or arteriogram.

Ventriculogram is frequently a part of the x-ray dye test described before. It is used to get a picture of the heart’s main pumping chamber, typically the left ventricle.

Intracoronary ultrasound uses a catheter that measures blood flow. It creates a picture of the coronary arteries that shows the thickness and other features of the artery wall. This lets the doctor see blood flow and any blockages.

In addition, several new, highly sensitive screening tests have been developed. Ask your doctor about these tests:

Carotid doppler ultrasound uses sound waves to detect blockages and narrowing of the carotid artery in the neck, both of which can signal an increased risk for heart attack or stroke.

Electron-beam computed tomography is a superfast scan that provides a snapshot of the calcium buildup in your coronary arteries.

The Pains of Sleep

Ere on my bed my limbs I lay,

It hath not been my use to pray

With moving lips or bended knees;

But silently, by slow degrees,

My spirit I to Love compose,

In humble trust mine eye-lids close,

With reverential resignation

No wish conceived, no thought exprest,

Only a sense of supplication;

A sense o'er all my soul imprest

That I am weak, yet not unblest,

Since in me, round me, every where

Eternal strength and Wisdom are.

But yester-night I prayed aloud

In anguish and in agony,

Up-starting from the fiendish crowd

Of shapes and thoughts that tortured me:

A lurid light, a trampling throng,

Sense of intolerable wrong,

And whom I scorned, those only strong!

Thirst of revenge, the powerless will

Still baffled, and yet burning still!

Desire with loathing strangely mixed

On wild or hateful objects fixed.

Fantastic passions! maddening brawl!

And shame and terror over all!

Deeds to be hid which were not hid,

Which all confused I could not know

Whether I suffered, or I did:

For all seemed guilt, remorse or woe,

My own or others still the same

Life-stifling fear, soul-stifling shame.

So two nights passed: the night's dismay

Saddened and stunned the coming day.

Sleep, the wide blessing, seemed to me

Distemper's worst calamity.

The third night, when my own loud scream

Had waked me from the fiendish dream,

O'ercome with sufferings strange and wild,

I wept as I had been a child;

And having thus by tears subdued

My anguish to a milder mood,

Such punishments, I said, were due

To natures deepliest stained with sin,—

For aye entempesting anew

The unfathomable hell within,

The horror of their deeds to view,

To know and loathe, yet wish and do!

Such griefs with such men well agree,

But wherefore, wherefore fall on me?

To be loved is all I need,

And whom I love, I love indeed.

By Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The reason why we fail.

You people fail to understand the basic rules to life, if your too lazy or too greedy to just share a link on facebook or any of the other social media sites then, you're the type of person who fails in most if not all of your endeavors, If you're not sure if you fall in this category let me explain first off you can't receive without giving something and no this does not mean money just a few clicks of a mouse will do, second if you use the excuse I don't have the time that's funny because most of you have the time to post those manipulative facebook game post , so Here is a test that will tell you can manage doing something without greed, if you can do this then you will develop and grow not only financially but as a person.
first click this link

then that's it but I'm betting your ether too greedy or too lazy to this in which case this would be your all the failure in your endeavors. like I first said a waste of time. no one will do this because you people are programmed to fail and this is sad.and please watch my youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt52_4GP4CY 

The reason why I failed and why

Recently I was told that I have two forms of heart disease one is cardiomyopathy that already has caused heart failure for me and the second is 3v cad disease that is causing the vessels in my heart to harden up and not function right plus this is just my heart problems I was given 2 years at max to live when I heard this it devastated me for the first time in my life I was scared mainly because I would not be able to see any of my dreams come true and second I am no longer able to work, if you haven't guessed by now by how I write that im not educated very well I barely have a 9th grade education and it is the most embarrassing thing about my life, thinking back on it I wished I had lived my life in a better way obtaining a better education would have been one of them, now the only thing I can do is pray and ask for all the prayer I can get in life . But because I have a lack of education I have only a few options for careers which sucks for me im no longer able to do them and being as South Carolina blocked Obamacare I have no insurance to speak of and this is why I am asking for donations to help buy my medicine . I really hate asking but could you please just click this google plus button

this is all that I ask.
btw you do not even need to share it on your google plus just click it and go back to what you was doing

Cardiomyopathy: Defined

Cardiomyopathy:

An acquired or hereditary disease of heart muscle, this condition makes it hard for the heart to deliver blood to the body, and can lead to heart failure.

Symptoms include breathlessness, swollen legs and feet, and a bloated belly.

Drugs, implanted devices, surgery, and in severe cases, transplant, are treatments.