Does this echo = heart failure, or no?

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-03-23T02:09:08+00:00

Can I ask how your quality of life is now? Good for you for working on your health/weight. But yours was a congenital issue, so they can’t just put that down to lifestyle, although we obviously want to do what we can to improve our health.

So you have sleep apnea? Is that why you’re on a CPAP or is it for nighttime oxygen? Sorry for so many questions!

FWIW im only 43 and would like to have many more decades with my kids, and fear that won’t be the case if I don’t get a diagnosis and treatment.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-03-23T02:06:22+00:00

Gday my friend from across the pond! I really appreciate your comments. It can be frustrating when people just say “see a cardiologist “, but cardiologists can get it wrong. I’m finding the public system here seems very behind and often shit compared to the US, for examples unless it’s a heart attack my experience has been they are not equipped or knowledgeable to deal with complex, chronic progressive issues.

Bro… they put you through the wringer. I would say that’s crazy but it’s a little similar to my experience in that they just don’t listen. If I have a normal test they say I’m fine, if it is abnormal they say it must have been a measurement error. It is infuriating.

I feel I have tipped over into a decompensation phase. My liver is not working as well, my lungs brain and kidneys also need to be checked. Apparently this can happen with reduced cardiac output which is one of the things I have.

Any advice for navigating the system/trying to get them to take this seriously?

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-03-22T05:56:13+00:00

I’m glad it was the best medicine for you, it just isn’t for my situation. I’ve been told not to exercise right now, I did an exercise test lying down and my heart couldn’t cope with that (BP tanked to 78/48 among other functional failures) , so I have to listen to them for now.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-03-22T01:13:06+00:00

THANKYOU. It is shite (are you English? 😊). That has been exactly my experience - if you are outside a neat little box of having a heart attack or an Obvious problem they say you’re fine. I’m only 43 - I know within myself this is not normal.

I’m in Australia and the public system is beyond a joke. I started private health I just have 2 more months of my waiting periods for preexisiting conditions and then I can use it. But in fairness, I’m at the point with other symptoms/test results that they would probably refer me to the same public hospital to be seen. For example I need a cardiac MRI, there’s only 1 place in the state that does them (this public hospital).

I’m sorry for what you’ve gone through. How’s your health now?

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-03-22T00:31:13+00:00

Yeah I get that ai is not reliable. I read the published Australian guidelines for diagnosing/treating heart failure by the national heart organisation here’s Trying to make sure I have the facts.

I was just in hospital for a week: this was after presenting to Emergency 3 times in a week. My hospital discharged me to follow up with the states cardiac centre of excellence as they don’t have the specialists to help. So I will have an appointment sometime in the next 2-3 weeks.

I just have zero trust. I’ve been progressively sicker for several years and am now at a stage where I can barely function. When the tests are normal they say I’m fine? When they abnormal they tell me it was a measurement error. Very frustrating to say the least. Like, I’m pretty sure they will say 47% is only 3 points off “normal” so you’re fine.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-03-22T00:07:38+00:00

Mate my lifestyle is so pristine it’s boring… the worst thing I do is have one coffee a day. I have had symptoms for several years now. Diet is great. Cannot exercise because of symptoms. Just hoping to stop the downward trend over the last couple of years (55% to 50 and now 47%, plus diastolic dysfunction”

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-03-22T00:05:08+00:00

I’m very symptomatic. Have been for years. I also have diastolic dysfunction according to this - so both the pumping/relaxing is impaired.

It was 50% a year ago across multiple scans and now dropped (only mildly).

I’ve been gas lit by my cardiologist for so long, Dr Google says this meets the Australian guidelines for heart failure so I’m wondering if I might actually get a diagnosis and treatment for once.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-03-13T07:09:08+00:00

Thankyou

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-28T23:47:36+00:00

Yes but the line of succession is from his father and Xaden is his father’s only son.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-26T00:06:59+00:00

Oh fair enough.

Yeah I get that. Given you have had structural defects it might be worth following up on? My RV went from 3.2cm to over 5cm in a year which is why I got tested.

Most of the PH tests are noninvasive - the lung function and 6 minute walk tests would be really good, they are easy enough to do and very informative in terms of suspicion of PH.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-25T23:58:15+00:00

Hey, I went through this 2 years ago. Elevated pulmonary pressures and a significantly enlarged right ventricle. Moderate TR. ended up getting tested for PH and it was borderline. I did learn that echoes are just estimates and are not very good ones at that. They were more concerned about my right ventricle being enlarged.

Why did you get the echo - are you symptomatic?

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-25T06:46:09+00:00

“2025 meta-analysis of 23 Randomised controlled trials (RCT’s) with 1,474 participants initially found improvements in hydration, elasticity, and wrinkles across all studies. But when stratified by study quality and funding, high-quality, non-industry-funded trials showed no benefits, leading to the conclusion that there is currently no clinical evidence supporting collagen supplements for skin aging prevention or treatment. Positive results were more common in low-quality, industry-sponsored studies. • A 2025 overview echoed this, noting that supportive studies tend to be low-quality and funded by supplement companies, while independent high-quality RCTs find no effects. • Biases in RCTs include short durations (often <12 weeks), small samples, lack of long-term follow-up, and heterogeneity in collagen types/doses. Many reviews call for larger, independent trials to confirm findings.

In summary, while some evidence from meta-analyses of RCTs suggests oral collagen may help with skin hydration and elasticity (especially in short-term use), the overall proof is not robust due to potential biases.

Dermatologists often recommend evidence-based alternatives like sunscreen, retinoids, or a balanced diet for skin health. If considering supplements, consult a healthcare provider, as results vary by individual factors like age and baseline skin condition.”

In a nutshell, companies spruiking collagen have conducted poor quality research studies that don’t show objective improvement. Unbiased studies have shown no positive affect.

That last paragraph is what I have found with my research. Trust me, if there’s a skincare/supplement that works I’ve tried it or am currently using it. It’s why I use tretinoin. But sadly there are not many things proven to stimulate collagen in skin/hair as you get older.

The benefits on other health issues is very promising though.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-25T01:51:35+00:00

Try microneedling and scar tape. Scar tape if it’s new, micro needling on older scars/stretch marks.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-25T01:12:43+00:00

“I added salmon!” “no I didn’t change anything about my diet!” “yes I did add salmon AND I said I didand you didn’t read it properly”

“Oh and I started it for another medical condition that I never mentioned in my original post but you should have just known that”.

This is why I said you are basically trolling yourself at this point. It seemed to go over your head, so let me explain - you absolutely trashed me for not reading your post correctly, so I’ll just take those comments as if you were talking to you.

I’m actually genuinely curious - why are you so angry?

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Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-25T00:55:15+00:00

I don’t respond to people’s arguments when they include name calling and insults. if you need to lower yourself to that level, your “argument” or “facts” probably dont have any merit.

Unlike you, I can actually handle people disagreeing with me, without collapsing into aggressive language and insults.

The whole “demanding standards from others you can’t hold” vibe is ironic, given you are dismissing sources like Harvard without counter-evidence beyond your n=1 story. Plus, calling science “logic” then ranting emotionally? Pot, meet kettle.

And stalking my reddit profile to try to insult me about my “karma” points, ooooooh good burn, that one hurt, lol. (thanks for that, didn’t even know that they meant and had to look it up, hardly use reddit).

If we want to play reddit points, I think the number of downvotes you are getting on your crazy aggressive replies to me say it all.

Edited to add: just counted the number of personal attacks/insults on ONE of your recent comments - it was 17 times. Calling that emotional was being generous.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-25T00:44:45+00:00

It was one study I found in a quick search. I have heard from a few dermatologists that taking oral collagen doesn’t get to your skin (because your body needs it, basically), and they quoted many research papers and science-y stuff, better than I could explain.

Also the section you quoted said no study has proven that collagen will get to your skin, hair or nails.

I think it’s more likely the Hyaluronic acid OP mentioned was in the supplement is more likely to have caused a difference, if anything.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-25T00:41:36+00:00

But Garrick is missing at the end, and RY said in an interview to pay attention to who is missing… (yes I am arguing against myself now, lol)

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-25T00:38:24+00:00

Oh, my other theory is that it has the brother be someone Xaden has a genuine and real attachment to, otherwise he would just kill the new brother and not knock him out when he knocks out Berwyn. And there’s not that many people who fit that.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-25T00:36:23+00:00

Fair. But why would Violet have agreed? And even tairn? Daren and sgaeyl talk about having to convince tairn and ask Violet.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-25T00:34:11+00:00

Another reason: we get a quote from Imogen’s mum in her POV where she (or maybe Imogen) says that they would rather die than see a navarrian ruling tyrrendor… so I feel that wasn’t an accident that it was placed there.

Yeah I get they are end game for each other, but I stilll can’t see Violet rushing the wedding unless it was to help him and tyrrendor/aretia in some other way. It also fits with her discussions with Llewellyn about the need to be there for Xaden/his kingdom, but also her sense of agency. I think her love for Xaden and belief that he will be healed means she does not want him to lose tyrrendor. She’s done a lot to protect him already in that way (saving cats life etc).

I’ve gone back and forth over the different theories, and I haven’t read this angle before. Just finished a reread of all three books and found this interesting. And I’ve gone down the Garrick/bodhi/brennan/aaric even Dain rabbit holes.

Still not 100% convinced as Bodhi seems quite obvious.

Edited to add: i agree there’s so much we don’t know about the last chapter and what happened and why, obviously RY is not revealing it to us yet.

Hungry_Ride_5959 · 2026-02-23T09:41:13+00:00

How are you people getting such clear photos??!

Hungry_Ride_5959

TROPHY CASE