Finding support for Congenital Heart Defects? Connect with people like you.

Welcome to our Living With Congenital Heart Defects Community (Formerly “Atrial Septal Defects” Community).

Congenital Heart Defects Community is an online patient support community that is powered by BensFriends.org, a network of patient support communities for rare diseases. Our mission at Ben’s Friends is to ensure that patients living with rare diseases or chronic illnesses, as well as their caregivers, family, and friends, have a safe and supportive place to connect with others like them.

A congenital heart defect is a problem with the structure of the heart. It is present at birth. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect. The defects can involve the walls of the heart, the valves of the heart, and the arteries and veins near the heart. They can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the heart. The blood flow can slow down, go in the wrong direction or to the wrong place, or be blocked completely.

Within the community, we have discussion groups for various types of congenital heart defects:  Transposition of Great Arteries, Tetrology of Fallot, Single Ventricle Defects, as well as Aortic and Vessel Defects and Valve Defects.  

Doctors use a physical exam and special heart tests to diagnose congenital heart defects. They often find severe defects during pregnancy or soon after birth. Signs and symptoms of severe defects in newborns include

  • Rapid breathing
  • Cyanosis – a bluish tint to the skin, lips, and fingernails
  • Fatigue
  • Poor blood circulation

Many cases of congenital heart disease are diagnosed before a baby is born, when mother gets a prenatal ultrasound.  However, it’s not always possible to detect congenital heart defects in this way, and mild defects may not cause any problems until later in life. We have many members who did not discover their congenital heart defects until adulthood. There are many narrative discussion threads about their surgical experiences, and their successful recoveries on the community discussion board.

Living With Congenital Heart Defects is a virtual community intended to be a safe place for patients and family members as young as age 12, to visit for information, discussion, venting and mutual support. Members come from many backgrounds. Some have a strong religious faith, and others no faith; some are children and others adults, rich and poor, graduate educated or taught by life. Our common denominators are that we share a life journey, and we try to help each other.

Though we get occasional visits from medical doctors, the site is not routinely supported by medical professionals. Nobody here can diagnose you or tell you what your treatment choices “should” be. We might inform your choices by sharing individual experiences and information developed by study as lay people. But Living With Congenital Heart Defects is not intended to replace the advice or treatment of licensed medical professionals. Readers should validate any information they take away from here, against the experience of a licensed medical doctor. Site owners and moderators are not legally responsible for the accuracy of information shared on the site.

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How is Ben’s Friends Different from Social Media and Other Support Sites?

Our mission at Ben’s Friends is to ensure that patients living with rare diseases or chronic illnesses, as well as their caregivers, family, and friends, have a safe and supportive place to connect with others like them.

We’re interested in you as a person, and in your struggles as a rare disease patient.  But we don’t want to know your name or where you live. We won’t even allow you to use your real name when you register for one of our communities. Because when it comes to medical things, anonymity is important in our googly universe.  Your information is never shared, and your activity never tracked by adware.

When Ben’s Friends asks for the country and region you live in, that’s in case your fellow members can recommend local resources and help, and so everyone knows what kind of medical system there is where you live.  That’s important when it comes to giving and getting support. Because we are all about support, and we’re all in this together.. 

Ben’s Friends: Safe and Supportive. 
And anonymous to keep it that way.

 

Why create an account?

Posts on the different Ben’s Friends communities can be read by anyone on the internet. You can browse through the different topics and find most of the information you’re looking for but there are many things you won’t be able to do unless you create an account. These include:

Making your own posts. Although you’re able to find useful information just by reading other members’ posts, you might still have a lot of questions in your mind. Either you want to start a new topic to talk about them in detail or you want to reply to a comment on a thread. These won’t be possible unless you create a new user account.

Viewing other members’ profiles. Member profiles include information about the country or region they are from, whether they are a patient or a caregiver, and details about their disease and treatments. Maybe you came across an interesting post and you want to learn more about the member. Or maybe you’re looking for members who are from the same country as you. Having a user account allows you to see other member profiles and find information that may be relevant.  

Sending private messages. Aside from being able to post publicly and commenting on a thread, having a user account also allows you to send private messages both to other members and moderators. In case you want to discuss a topic only with a specific person, this is possible by sending private messages when you have created your account.

Click here to create an account and join.

 

Latest Discussions

  • Pregnant post ASD closure
    by Kay on February 25, 2024

    Hi All. Please help if any suggestions or experiences. I had my ASD closed 4 years ago at 33years,which was mistakenly discovered during my second pregnancy. 37 years now and pregnant with my 3rd which was totally unplanned. I am perfectly okay health wise, I have a bit of palpitations here and there but nothing of major concern. Should I be worried ? What has your experience been with pregnancy […]

  • Looking for Your Stories!
    by Modsupport on January 10, 2024

    @trust_level_0 Dear Living with Atrial Septal Defects Support Member, For over 10 years, the Ben’s Friends online rare patient communities, run & moderated by rare patients themselves, have been a source of support for many of us, living with rare diseases. But it’s not enough. We would like more people to know about this wonderful service. To that effect, we are planning a social media […]

  • 📢 Calling mothers of children with rare diseases of all ages
    by Modsupport on August 12, 2023

    Ben’s Friends has launched a new community for moms raising children with rare diseases and chronic conditions and we are inviting you to join Warrior Moms Living with Rare Disease Warrior Moms Living with Rare Disease Warrior Moms fighting rare diseases together. Please share the community with other families who are affected. 70% […]

  • 7 Things to Look for When Choosing a Doctor
    by BF_Writer on May 10, 2023

    Sascha Gallardo – November 1, 2022 When you are experiencing symptoms and know that something is wrong, do you settle with the first doctor you meet? Like many other patients, do you also think that doctors know everything so you should believe and simply follow everything they say? At Ben’s Friends, one of the things we always encourage our members to do is to advocate for their own health. […]

  • Time to pay attention to congenital heart defects
    by BF_Writer on May 4, 2023

    Sascha Gallardo – February 20, 2023 When talking about heart diseases, we usually think of poor lifestyle choices as causes like smoking, lack of exercise, and unhealthy diet. However, some of these problems have been present at birth such as congenital heart defects (CHDs) and they need immediate attention. Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs) are structural abnormalities that develop during […]

  • Spotlight on Our ModSupport Member: Sharon a.k.a Stoney
    by BF_Writer on April 25, 2023

    Sascha Gallardo – June 4, 2020 Providing a safe and supportive community for patients is our top priority at Ben’s Friends. We want members to freely ask questions, share opinions, and express emotions without having to worry about inappropriate reactions from others. And this has always been possible because of members who voluntarily devote time to ensure that this goal is always met. We […]