The heart is perhaps the most important part of your body. It’s the engine that keeps everything running. And when you notice a problem with your engine, you don’t just keep driving—you meet with a mechanic.
So if you begin to experience any signs or symptoms of heart disease, you need to contact a specialist as soon as possible.
At Jaggu Health, we have the expert care and resources you need to address heart disease. But how do we diagnose this condition, and what steps can we take to treat it?
To get the heart help you need, sign up for a consultation with our team, or read on to learn about our clinic’s process for managing heart failure disease in Vienna, VA.
Understanding Heart Failure
Heart failure affects millions of Americans. This condition occurs when the heart struggles to pump blood, leading to fluid build-up in the lungs.
Heart disease can occur for many reasons, including heart valve disease, high blood pressure, or inflammation of the heart muscle itself. Some people live with heart failure for many years, but this condition can become life-threatening if you leave it untreated.
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease is one of the most common diseases that leads to heart failure. This disease stems from fat build-up in the arteries. When the arteries become blocked, they’re unable to circulate blood throughout the body, which can lead to a heart attack.
Not only are heart attacks life-threatening, but they can also lead to sustained damage to the heart. Around 5% of adults have coronary artery disease, and many of them don’t even realize it, and the risks increase as you get older. This is why you should meet with a cardiologist starting at the age of 40.
We can help identify your condition and build a plan for managing heart failure disease. However, the symptoms of heart failure disease aren’t always obvious. Some clients don’t get the help they need until the condition has developed into something more serious. To prevent this, here are the symptoms you should look out for, and when you should meet with a cardiologist.
The Symptoms of Heart Disease
The symptoms of heart disease are many and varied. You may be at risk of heart disease if you have symptoms like:
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Swelling in the legs
- Irregular heartbeat
- Wheezing
- Very rapid weight gain
Those struggling with heart disease may experience several of these symptoms, while others may only have one or none at all. While a single symptom in isolation may not be an indicator of heart disease, shortness of breath and chest pains are the most common indicators. If you experience these symptoms often, come in and speak with our team for a test.
Our Expert Cardiological Care
At Jaggu Health, your health comes first. Our founder, Dr. Vijay Jaligam, specializes in cardiovascular care, so it’s no exaggeration to share that heart health is a cornerstone of our clinic. Despite how important the heart is to your longevity, most people don’t know how to best take care of it.
When you come to Jaggu Health in Vienna, VA, to discuss your cardiological concerns, we examine your condition through an expert lens, building your care plan from the ground up, which allows us to provide the best possible results in managing heart failure disease.
The Consultation Process
If you think you could benefit from heart disease treatment, you first need to sit down with our team for a consultation. The consultation process allows our experts to examine your condition and gather all the information we need to develop a care plan.
During this in-person meeting, we ask about your medical history and lifestyle choices, as these help us determine the cause of your symptoms. This is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions you have about the process.
After the consultation ends, we may opt to perform some tests to accurately diagnose your heart condition.
A Closer Look
With modern medical technology, identifying your heart condition is simpler than ever. We can actually take a live look at your heart with an ultrasound scan.
This noninvasive scanning method works just like a prenatal ultrasound, using high-frequency waves to peer beneath the skin. We may perform your heart scan immediately following your consultation, or if you’d prefer, we can schedule it for another day.
When we perform your heart scan, we first dress you in a standard medical gown. Then, Dr. Jaligam passes a specialized wand over the heart, while a nearby monitor displays a live feed of the heart. All you need to do is relax and breathe while we perform the scan.
The entire process takes about 20 minutes, and we may take additional photos of the heart so we can examine them later, as needed. The ultrasound heart scan is noninvasive, and unlike X-rays or CT scans, it’s completely radiation-free.
The ultrasound allows us to examine the heart for concerns, like clots, tumors, and fluid buildup. Once we’ve gathered this information, we can determine the best treatment method moving forward.
Managing heart failure disease is not an overnight process, so we may also perform additional heart scans following your diagnosis to monitor your progress.
Stress Tests
Another method we use to diagnose heart disease is a stress test. Heart disease can greatly affect the organ’s overall strength, so we need to see how your heart reacts to exertion. When clients come in for a stress test, we ask them to run on a treadmill or use an exercise bike for an extended period of time.
The goal is to get the blood pumping so we can see if your heart is straining. We can also gather important information by measuring how your heart reacts to the cool-down process after your workout.
Depending on your heart’s reaction, we can get a better idea of what may be causing your heart problems. We can also compare these results to how your heart behaves when the body is at rest.
If you’re worried about your heart health, you may wonder if purposefully increasing your heart rate and putting strain on it is a good idea. During your consultation, we can determine if you would benefit from a stress test. If we think this may be in any way dangerous, then we use other methods. At Jaggu Health, your safety is always the number one priority.
After your stress test, Dr. Jaligam gathers the data and sits down with you to go over your results.
For clients who don’t complete a stress test, we offer:
- Blood test
- Chest X-Rays
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
Once we’ve developed a more complete understanding of your heart, we can make a plan for managing heart failure disease.
Addressing Your Heart Disease
At Jaggu Health, we can help you find the right treatment plan for your heart disease. You have options when it comes to managing heart failure disease. We can make lifestyle recommendations to strengthen the heart and minimize the risk of any future conditions.
An active lifestyle and nutritional diet can prevent the development of conditions like coronary artery disease. Depending on how your heart disease has developed, we may also recommend medication.
At Jaggu Health, we prioritize ongoing care. We don’t just give you a prescription and send you home. We schedule ongoing treatments to monitor your progress and adjust your plan as needed.
Concierge Care
We understand that coming to the doctor can be a stressful experience. If you’re concerned about the prospect of developing a serious heart condition, you should talk to a trusted provider, so we can prevent it or treat it.
To make managing heart failure disease simpler, we offer concierge memberships. Concierge memberships allow our providers to build personal relationships with clients like you.
You can message your providers directly and even receive home visits for acute illnesses. Each membership looks different because we tailor them to the client’s needs.
To save on your cardiological treatment and foster a more in-depth relationship with your providers, ask about concierge memberships during your consultation.
Take Care of Your Heart With Help From Our Cardiologists
Your heart works hard every day to keep you alive, so make sure you’re taking care of your heart, too. At Jaggu Health in Vienna, VA, we have the resources you need to diagnose your heart disease, but that’s only the first step.
For managing heart failure disease, you need an expert team behind you that provides healthcare from the heart. Our providers can develop a plan for boosting your heart health. To get started, reach out and schedule an in-person consultation.
If you’re not sure whether you could benefit from our assistance, try our free online treatment planner. Just set aside a few minutes to answer some questions about your symptoms and goals. The tool then uses your responses to develop a digital treatment recommendation catered to you. Get started on the road to a healthier heart at Jaggu Health.
