Live chat on our Mending Broken Hearts Appeal

Join our live chat online with the BHF Medical Director Professor Peter Weissberg on Thursday 24th of February between 4pm and 6pm.

Peter will be answering your questions “live” on our BHF blog with questions coming from the our Facebook page, Twitter and email.

This is your chance to ask us about our new appeal, you could ask us about the Zebrafish and what we can learn from them.

Or perhaps you want to know more about regenerative medicine, whatever your question we look forward to hearing them.

How do I ask a question?

The "live chat" will take place on Thursday 24th February 2011 between 4pm and 6pm.

If you can’t make that time but would still like to ask a question you can send us your question now and check the blog after 6pm on Thursday to find out your answer.

You can send us your question by:

• Emailing us your question to internet@bhf.org.uk

• Posting it on the BHF Facebook page

• Tweeting your question with the hashtag #HOPEisComing

We look forward to hearing from you!

You can be reminded of the "live" chat by accepting our event on Facebook.

Live chat with nurse Judy

Frances asks: “My 16 year old son had open heart surgery last month to replace aortic valve. As a result of heart block, he has now had a pacemaker fitted. Once everything is healed, and he is fully recovered, what is the maximum weight he can safely lift? The reason for asking is that he is looking at career choices and wouldn’t want to choose something physical if it could affect his health.”

Judy says:

I hope your son is making a good recovery from his open heart surgery and his pacemaker insertion. It’s hard to give you a definitive answer to your question as I don’t know his full medical background and the type of heart condition he has. If he has congenital heart disease, he should have a chat with his cardiologist about career choices. Some young people with complex congenital heart disease are encouraged not to do weight lifting but others with more simple congenital heart disease do not need to be so careful. I hope that your son’s cardiologist will be supportive and give you him the advice that he needs. I wish him luck with his health and his career choice.

Live chat with nurse Judy

Sarah asks: My son was born with Tetralogy of Fallots and dissconnected pulmonary artery. He had a Fallots Repair two years ago, having the pulmonary artery repaired and a shunt fitted after birth. We have been told he will need further surgery as he grows to replace tubes with bigger ones. Around what age is this normally done? Also he has a very loud heart beat, is this normal?

Judy asks:

The age at which a child with a ‘repaired’ Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) needs further surgery will vary from one child to another depending on the child’s symptoms as he or she grows. If you notice that he is playing less or complaining of being short of breath let your GP or paediatrician know. As a general rule, children with TOF will be seen regularly in clinic by their paediatrician so that their condition and symptoms can be monitored. We recently published a new booklet for parents of children with TOF. I’m not sure why his heart beat is loud – ask his GP for advice about this.

I hope your little boy is enjoying the summer with his friends and I wish him good look with any further surgery.

Live chat with nurse Judy

Barry asks: "How concerned should I be that my father's around 4 stone overweight - is this putting him at higher risk of heart trouble? Thanks"

Judy says:

You are right to be concerned about your dad’s weight – being overweight increases the risk of developing heart disease. If his weight is predominantly around his middle it will increase his risk of developing diabetes which in turns increases the risk of heart disease.

We may be able to help to motivate him to lose weight with our free Heart Matters service. On joining your dad would receive a free membership pack which includes a handy tape measure with instructions on how to measure his waist. The tape measure highlights the point at which an increased waist measurement increases the risk of heart disease – some of our members have told us that this motivated them to lose weight so that they went from the ‘at risk red area’ of the tape to the healthier white. Of course lots of people find eating healthily a chore so we have over 140 healthy but tasty recipes available to choose from our online recipe finder.

Our free heart matters magazine gives tips on staying active in ways that are both enjoyable and inexpensive. If you dad joins today he will receive our October issue of the magazine which has a fantastic article on dog walking. I hope he will give us the opportunity to support him in looking after his heart by joining Heart Matters.

Live chat with nurse Judy

Keri says: I am 31 and have SVT and up until few months ago was controlled by 50mg atenolol once daily. I had a major SVT event in june and since then I have minor ones daily,dizzy spells, am extremely fatigued and easily fatigued by simple things like housework or walking down stairs at tube station and have noticed fluid buildu...p which I brought up to my gp as we're waiting for my cardiology appointment in 3 weeks. He said my blood pressure is too low to give me anything for fluid its 102/80 and ordered blood tests and a 48hr holter test. My question is with the blood test and all the other symptoms is it possible I am entering heart failure? And what should I be keeping track of to tell cardiologist? At present its everything from svt events how often I get fatigued, dizziness etc.

Judy says:

I am sorry to read that you are so unwell at the moment. When the heart rate is fast and erratic it can lead to the symptoms you have described - low levels of energy on minimal exertion and shortness of breath. Whilst people with heart failure can experience similar symptoms those symptoms alone do not mean that you have heart failure. For most people, once their SVT is better controlled with medication they notice an improvement in symptoms. I hope that this will be case with you and your quality of life will improve soon. As for what you need to tell your cardiologist, what you’ve told us is what you need to tell him or her. A diagnosis will be made using information you give on your symptoms and the test results. Good luck and hope you’ll feel better soon.

Taking heart information out to the nation

Our latest video podcast has just been released, and it's a report from our recent BHF Live! events which took place in north east England.

Our nurses' team and a special BHF Live! truck toured supermarkets offering members of the public free heart health information, plus cholesterol, blood pressure and overall fitness tests.

You can see how they all got on by watching the video below. We hope you enjoy it...

They heard it on the radio...

BHF team member, Andrew Johnson, has been on the road this month as part of the first ever BHF Live! roadshow.

This week BHF Live! has been at The Co-operative in Crook, from where he posts this entry:

"Many people have been coming along after hearing about us on Durham FM.

As a result the free heart health checks have been getting booked up pretty quickly each day.

Our information stand in the store has also been helping people choose healthier choices with some shoppers coming to the stand after to show us the ‘more healthier’ contents of their shopping bags…..

Next stop ASDA in Hartlepool. See you there!"

See the BHF Live! schedule for full details.

Have you visited the BHF Live! roadshow? Post a comment below and let us know your thoughts about it

BHF goes Live!

BHF team member, Andrew Johnson, has hit the road as part of the first ever BHF Live! roadshow.

First stop was the Co-Operative supermarket in Shildon, from where Andrew reports:

"Our new heart health roadshow has stopped in Shildon, County Durham, armed with a wealth of heart health information, support and advice for the community.

"Mayor of Shildon, councillor Ann Hammond, was the first in line for her free heart health check with a BHF nurse. She wasn't alone, with the free heart health checks and health resource materials going down a storm!"

If you are in the Shildon area then you can catch the BHF Live! roadshow bus at the Co-Operative supermarket until saturday 7 June.

After which, we'll be hitting the road to visit other stores in the area. See the BHF Live! schedule for full details.

Have you visited the BHF Live! roadshow? Post a comment below and let us know your thoughts about it!