Living

It took me a long time to come to terms with my dilated cardiomyopathy diagnosis. I was diagnosed in 2014 after suffering a stroke at a fitness competition. At 25...

If you ask anyone who knows me if I like coffee, they will likely cackle and say, "Have you met the guy?" It's true, coffee is one of my favorite...

Social situations tend to revolve around 1 thing: food. And not typically heart-healthy food, like vegetables and healthy fats. It’s unfortunate that many foods that taste "good" to us are...

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Karen Parete and originally appeared on our partner site Heart-Failure.net. One of the best volunteer programs I’ve seen and experienced myself was at...

When I was first diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH), I thought I had to be homebound and kiss my travel goals goodbye. Granted, at the time, it was too difficult...

Last year, I moved from Florida to Wisconsin. It was to pursue a new degree and to make a career shift. So far, I've enjoyed my experience in a new...

I vividly remember my very first visit with my pulmonary hypertension specialist. He was incredibly patient with me and took the time to deliver such fragile and life-altering news. I...

You might read this title and think something like, "Really? Let’s see how out-of-touch or toxically positive this article is." The reality is, many of us with chronic health conditions...

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...

While the development of some types of heart disease can be somewhat within our control in terms of lifestyle factors, there are also many elements beyond our control that can...

Genetics can play a major role in many of the diseases that we have. Some of us may have had parents with high blood pressure and heart disease, and as...

Would you like to share your experience with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and help others who are also living with a CVD condition? CardiovascularDisease.net is looking to add new patient advocate...

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Jazmin McRae and originally appeared on our partner site Heart-Failure.net. Have you heard the saying, “Those who give a lot have a big...

In another continuation of my journey with heart problems, I recently took a rather big step: I started a new drug in the hopes of quelling some of the pain...

Grief is a complex emotion; there are expectations around how to grieve, when to grieve, and guilt that comes with not meeting those expectations. You can’t force grief. You just...

When I was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, I was completely shocked. How was it possible that I had cardiomyopathy? I’d been eating healthy and had been a lifelong athlete as...

Have you ever had that response to a new diagnosis? This one came out of the blue and added to my list of comorbid diseases. In December 2021, I had...

Getting diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), also known as genetically high cholesterol, at age 17 was not easy. Do you know what else was not easy? Being a freshman in...

My pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis was delivered to me as I lay in an ICU bed recovering from a pulmonary embolism, or PE (blood clot in the lung), just days...

A maze procedure is an operation. Your doctor may recommend you have a maze procedure to treat atrial fibrillation, also called AFib. AFib is a condition in which the heart...