Community Perspectives: Navigating a CVD Diagnosis

Being diagnosed with a cardiovascular condition can be a difficult and life-changing experience. Many people who are newly diagnosed may feel confused and alone.

At CardiovascularDisease.net, you are never alone in your journey with CVD. Our community is here for you!

Read on for a few diagnosis experiences and chances to share your experiences with our community.

Seeking diagnosis

It can sometimes be a long and difficult process to receive an official diagnosis. Many people in the CVD community are still seeking diagnosis.

David Advent: "After over 2 months of testing, I was now at the same place I was at the beginning of this diagnosis process: no real clear answer on what was happening to my heart..."

Read the full story

Early signs and symptoms

Some people may experience symptoms of a cardiovascular condition for months or years before they are officially diagnosed. Others may experience a sudden, possibly severe medical emergency and receive their diagnosis at the time of that single event.

Mary Sophia Hawks: "It was 4 am on January 1, 2001. Pain on the right side of my chest woke me up. I was also sweating like I had been running in 98-degree heat. As a registered nurse, the back of my mind whispered, 'heart attack...'"

Read the full story

The complicated emotions of diagnosis

People who are diagnosed with cardiovascular disease may experience fear, sadness, anger, or even shame in response to the diagnosis. It may be difficult to accept that you have a CVD condition when you were not expecting it or when it has a very negative impact on your life.

Olivia Rose: "When I first found out, I thought my life was over, and I became depressed because my loved ones and I weren’t familiar with the condition. What would life be like now? I wondered not only how long I would have to live, but how I would deal with the stress. All these questions bombarded my mind, and I was left feeling confused..."

Read the full story

Diagnoses can be life-changing

Whether it's new lifestyle changes that are part of your new treatment plan, or the big and small impacts of your condition on your life, it is normal to feel overwhelmed and to have anxiety over the future.

Emily Wahl: "It all hit me at once. How am I going to return to work? How am I going to be a mom? Am I going to need oxygen for the rest of my life? How much longer do I have to live? Those were all of the immediate questions. As time went on, I found myself in circumstances carefully evaluating every move I was about to make..."

Read the full story

The journey of acceptance

Some people with cardiovascular conditions find that their feelings around their diagnosis change over time. You may feel as though you have come to accept your diagnosis, or that an effective treatment plan has helped make life easier after some time. You may also feel the opposite, especially after a treatment plan wasn't what you were expecting, or you didn't get the support from the people around you that you may have needed.

How have your feelings changed — or maybe not changed — since your diagnosis?
​​

Charlotte Muller: "Accepting the truth, the diagnosis, doesn’t change the fact that there is a diagnosis. It doesn’t take away the grief from living a 'normal' life. It doesn’t take away the sadness, anger, and confusion... but here’s what it does do..."

Read the full story