Healthy Congenital Heart Disease

As you have probably found out, having CHD doesn’t mean that you can’t do or become anyone you want. You might need to modify how you do things, but in general, there are very few things you can’t do. Some jobs may be problematic based upon the amount of physical exertion and stress they involve such as firefighting, construction, and law enforcement. Another limitation may be positions in which you could jeopardize the health of others should you have an abnormal heart rhythm resulting in a loss of consciousness when directly providing transport to others such as being a pilot, school bus driver, or train engineer. Finally, if you have a pacemaker or ICD, arc welding will interfere with their operation and must be avoided.

As you have probably been told, even with the repair of a CHD, many people are not cured. Or sometimes, the repairs can put stress on other organs over time that needs to be monitored. As a person with a heart defect grows and gets older, further heart problems or problems with other organs such as the liver or lungs may occur. Often, there are subtle signs that a healthcare provider can detect or tests that can be run to ward off ill effects. Therefore it is very important to see your doctor as regularly as they request so that if needed, additional medications, surgeries, or other procedures can be started right away. At a minimum, you should see your CHD doctor at least once a year.

Most women with congenital heart disease (CHD) can have a successful pregnancy. Doing so requires careful planning and management.

Smoking - No health professional in good conscience can advocate cigarette smoking because of the adverse health risks that can cause disease in anyone. For persons with CHD, the nicotine in cigarettes can cause even more severe issues by increasing heart rate, inducing heart arrhythmias, causing blood vessels to tighten and increase blood pressure, and destroy the lining of the blood vessels over time increasing the likelihood of a heart attack.

Alcohol - You’ll need to speak with your physician about whether it is safe for you to drink alcohol in moderation. Moderation means no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Alcohol can increase blood pressure and cause arrhythmias. Additionally, alcohol can interfere with some common heart medications such as warfarin (Coumadin). It is important to note that anyone who has undergone a Fontan procedure should avoid alcohol completely. Patients who have undergone the Fontan procedure are at high risk of developing liver disease, and alcohol can increase the risk of having liver problems.

Very little is known about marijuana and CHD, mostly because the study of what has historically been an illegal drug is not usually fundable research. What we do know is that marijuana use is associated with a faster heart rate and blood pressure fluctuations, two things implicated in heart attack and stroke. Smoking marijuana or inhaling secondhand smoke may scar and damage fragile blood vessels in the lungs. For some people with CHD, their lungs do more work for their bodies to compensate for their hearts, so inhaling any smoke which could damage the lungs should be avoided.

There are many dangers with taking illegal pills or even legal ones that have not been prescribed specifically for you. Illegal drugs are usually designed to do one of 3 things: speed you up, bring you down, or make your mind confused.

None of these are good for your heart and could put stress on it. Legal drugs that are not prescribed for you, but that people sometimes take are strong pain pills called opioid narcotics.

There is much in the news about the huge epidemic related to opioid addiction and overdose. Over 64,000 people died from these overdoses in 2016, and addicts tell stories of how their life was forever ruined because of the physical and mental addiction to these drugs. You didn’t survive your CHD as a child to suffer an addiction that could ruin your life so please avoid all drugs except those your physician prescribes.

First off, it’s important for you to know you are not alone. In a recent study of persons with CHD, over 50% of the persons surveyed said they had concerns about managing their mood and/or anxiety, coping with a cardiac condition, stress management, anger management, relationship difficulties, substance use, and smoking cessation.

One of the best ways to manage feelings is to talk about them with someone you trust: your parent, a good friend, your doctor, teacher, or maybe a pastor or school counselor. Sometimes we need extra help and may need to talk with a licensed mental health worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist. It is best to speak openly about your feelings with them so they can best guide you in ways to help you handle these feelings.

About 40% of people with CHD need to get a little help from these professionals every now and then. They may be able to put you in contact with other young adults your age going through similar things. Online, check out some of the groups where peers help each other talk through some of their feelings. You can also Join a Meetup for young adults in Atlanta with chronic illnesses (not specific to CHD), or ask your doctor’s office, local hospital, or one of the groups listed on the Resources page about support groups in your area or online.

According to the American Red Cross, you can donate blood as long as you are in good general health, aged 17 or more, and weigh at least 110 pounds. Specific for CHD, you should be able to donate if your blood pressure, hemoglobin level, and blood oxygenation levels have been within normal levels for the previous 6 months, and your doctor has not told you to restrict your activity. 

While very popular, tattoos and piercings can cause complications in healthy humans and even more in persons with CHD. Some of the most concerning complications for someone with CHD are infections, and in particular, endocarditis. Getting bacterial endocarditis could be lethal, so this is a serious conversation to have with your cardiologist and the artist who must use strict sterile techniques. You may be told that you should not get a tattoo or piercing.

Here is a great article on what kind of physical activity you can do if you have CHD. In general, research on patients with CHD, even complex disease, has shown that routine moderate exercise is safe and can be beneficial. For most people, the benefits of exercise outweigh the perceived risks. Low-intensity activity is still preferred. An additional exception may be to limit exposure to altitudes greater than 6360 ft. As always, speak to your cardiologist first before engaging in a new exercise program.

As you have probably found out, having CHD doesn’t mean that you can’t do or become anyone you want. You might need to modify how you do things, but in general, there are very few things you can’t do. Here is a story about a girl with a pacemaker who went away to college and how she made it work for her. 

As you have probably found out, having CHD doesn’t mean that you can’t do or become anyone you want. You might need to modify how you do things, but in general, there are very few things you can’t do. The one big exception to this is going into the military. Because of the intense training and physical stress placed upon new recruits, people with any degree of heart disease may not serve in the military. Here’s an interesting article.