Dr John Launer is a retired GP and GP educator, and he has severe heart failure. Recently he wrote an article about his diagnosis, how he found out about his illness, and about the language and expectations around his condition.
He was informed that he had severe heart failure by a consultant standing at the end of his bed, surrounded by several people who were never introduced. There was no privacy, or discussion of hope, no context about the future and what that might hold. Even the words, ‘severe heart failure’ imply a loss of hope.
Dr Launer defies this image of himself. He still works almost full time, and is a keen long-distance walker. Patients with heart failure may live almost without symptoms, with the appropriate medicines and implanted devices. He calls on us all to see beyond the medical label and to look at patients and their potential. Clinicians could do better by informing people about their diagnoses in a way that empowers them to make their best decisions about their future health.
One of these decisions about health is about lifestyle. There are few conditions that are not improved by exercise, by eating well, eschewing smoking and alcohol, and good weight management. There is strong evidence that exercise has excellent benefits in the management of heart failure, including a reduced risk of hospitalisation and mortality, improved quality of life and enhanced exercise capacity. Check the British Heart Foundation page here for more information:
And so it is that Dr Launer walked a thousand miles around Wales, raising money on the way for ‘Pumping Marvellous‘, a heart failure charity. Don’t let your diagnosis define you, disempower you, or dishearten you.
Hebridean Adventures in Realistic Medicine 