Tell me about Congestive Heart Failure

[drgnfly30]

Mom's health has not been the best lately, mysterious weakness, fainting.. She's diabetic but that was ruled out as the cause because her levels have been testing fine...

She returned from a heart specialist yesterday & called me with a diagnosis of Congestive Heart Failure... I know very little about CHF & she was understandably upset...

Anyone familiar with this? Also, any prayers & PD would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

It's a most painful and slow death if she can't keep her heart strong.

My grandmother died of congestive heart failure 1000 times. You leave her for a little while and come home to find her near death--lungs full of fluid. You rush her to the hospital where they give her oxygen and Lasix. She seems to be at the end for several hours.

The medicine then kicks in, and she'll pop up out of the bed and want to go home. You think..."wow, a close call."

You return to your normal life and then a week, a month, or several months later it happens again. But this time, it takes longer for her to snap back.

You'll go through this for years, and finally her heart gives up the fight...but not before she becomes too weak to get out of the bed.

I'm sorry you have to go through this. Follow the doctor's instructions to the very word and you'll minimize the episodes. She has to take the diuretics even if she doesn't think she needs them. She MUST stay away from salt. If she's smoking, you have to beg her to quit. She must exercise as much as she can.

We didn't have the heart to force my grandmother to quit smoking. If she had, we might have had a few more years to love her...and not just a memory of her.

I know that many people keep CHF at bay for years. But they have to have the will to make it go away. Make her know how much you love her and want her to be around...and you'll have years of happiness together.

 

[bananiem]

My GMIL was diagnosed about 10 years ago and my Dad about 5-6 years ago. They're both doing great! She's 95 and Dad's 87. Grandma even still drives!
Both were put on strict low sodium diets.
Good luck to your Mom!
ETA: www.americanheart.org has some info.

 

[pumba]

alot of CHF people can go on forever with proper treatment and meds.......if they behave their lives pretty much go on .......Please tell her taht my MIL has had it for quite a few years....and does fine......

 

[4cruisin]

My mom had CHF for many years and was treated with medication. It did require hospital stays every now and then but I have to politely disagree with what Rafiki said. Each case is different and I'm sure that was their experience but not all cases are as tragic as Rafiki's was.

 

[Lanshark]

My stepmother had it for 10 years before her heart gave out. She lost weight, took her medication, went to her scheduled doctor appointments and lead a very full and active life those last ten years.

 

[DJBounce]

Quite simply Congestive Heart Failure is the hearts inability to pump blood to meet the demands of the body. It needs help. Lasix is a potent diuretic that helps to remove excess fluid out of the body. Excess fluid=increased workload on the heart. I agree with Rafiki that your mother must follow the instructions of the doctor to the letter. Salt is a BIG no-no (salt attracts fluid, more salt=more liquid=more volume). There are many other suggestions her doctor may have, and you should follow them and use him/her as a resource as to any questions you have regarding limitations to her diet, activity, etc. Other questions would be to find out if there are other resources, such as a nurse coordinator that works specifically with patients who have CHF. It is a tough road ahead of her, but she can get through this and live a near-normal life with diet and lifestyle modification. Patients with CHF can life longer with these changes than without. As strong as your bond is with your mother is now, it will become stronger through this. I wish you the best of luck and will keep your family in our prayers.

 

[Jockaroo]

My granny had this and we went through scares similar to Rafiki described. There was a strong history of heart disease in her family. She did pass away due to a heart attack--it is sad that often the sweetest hearts are the most fragile...

With the CHF my Granny was told to weigh herself every morning and record her weight. She used a calendar she hung in the bathroom for this. If her weight fluctuated by 2-3 pounds in a week, it meant she was retaining fluids and could be heading toward trouble. She went to the Dr. frequently and had her fluid medications monitored and adjusted often. CHF caused fluid to gather around her heart and in essence could allow the body to drown in its fluids. Kidney function is also important. It is critical to monitor the diet and avoid high levels of sodium which can cause you to retain fluids.

My Granny enjoyed several years of high quality of life after her diagnosis. Will send prayers to your Mom and you. This was hard for me to write; my Granny had her heart attack on Christmas Eve...

 

[drgnfly30]

Thank you all for your comments & well wishes... thankfully Mom doesn't & never has smoked... She has put on about 20lbs of unexplained weight in the last few months so we are now pretty sure it's the water retention.. Unfortunately, she already has some kidney issues from the Diabetes.. She has an appointment with her Primary care physician this afternoon & they are scheduling an appt with a lung specialist as soon as possible... apparently the blood pressure in her lungs is quite high... I just hope she improves some with this diagnosis (knowing what to do for her) she just moved into this house a year ago & is a bit out of the way for me to keep a close (daily) eye on her.... we have a very small family. my sister lives in Seattle & uncle in Ohio.. and that's pretty much it - so the brunt of the care will fall on me.... well, you know how the saying goes.. God won't give you any more than you can handle!

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

I'm sorry...I didn't mean to sound so horribly negative. It was my experience with the disease.

My grandmother did not take care of herself. She insisted on continuing her life patterns she'd already known.

If your mom takes care of herself, there's no reason why she can't live for many more years. Hugs and PD to you.

 

[tkd lisa]

Another thing to keep in mind if a diabetic has CHF, diuretics can have other impacts. My FIL has CHF and is a severe diabetic. He would take an extra diuretic (based on dr. input) when he gained over a certain amount. But his last visit, they decided that the diuretics were putting too much strain on his kidney's so they are keeping much closer control of the balance now.

And he's been dealing with the combination for probably 8 years now, and it's only been the last year that his health has really impacted his quality of life (and there are other complications, so it's not just the CHF).

 

[4cruisin]

I'm sorry...I didn't mean to sound so horribly negative. It was my experience with the disease.

My grandmother did not take care of herself. She insisted on continuing her life patterns she'd already known.

If your mom takes care of herself, there's no reason why she can't live for many more years. Hugs and PD to you.

Rafiki,
I'm sorry that your grandmother made poor choices. I know how difficult and painful it is to watch someone do that to themselves. You always want what is best for your loved one and yet their choices are so hard to watch.

 

[Sandcass]

It's a most painful and slow death if she can't keep her heart strong.

That may not have been the best way to start your reply. Made me cry and my mom's not the one with the diagnosis.

 

[JennyMominRI]

I had CHF in 2000 at the age of 30.. I had been walking around with CHF for weeks before being diagnosed,.. I was terrified of course.. MIne was due to Restrictive cardiomyopathy..If I don't take my meds I could go into CHF any time..That said I'm doing very well. Meds keep the Cardiomyopathy under control and I've not experienced it again since 2000.
She will probably be out on an Ace Inhibitor and a Diuretic. I Took Digoxin and Lasix and now take Atenolol and Monopril

 

[drgnfly30]

MIne was due to Restrictive cardiomyopathy..

So CHF is present because of an underlying issue? She mentioned Pulmonary something or other... I guess the lung specialist makes sense now... Today her PCP adjusted/removed some of her current meds... gave her a five day prescription for lasix, and she ordered a bunch of tests - from a chest Xray to some overnight sleeping thing?!

Ugh.. I forsee alot of trips back & forth, time away from work & home and stress! Something I went through 4 yrs ago when my Dad died of brain cancer and not something I wanted to re-live this soon...

 

[JennyMominRI]

So CHF is present because of an underlying issue? She mentioned Pulmonary something or other... I guess the lung specialist makes sense now... Today her PCP adjusted/removed some of her current meds... gave her a five day prescription for lasix, and she ordered a bunch of tests - from a chest Xray to some overnight sleeping thing?!

Ugh.. I forsee alot of trips back & forth, time away from work & home and stress! Something I went through 4 yrs ago when my Dad died of brain cancer and not something I wanted to re-live this soon...

Yes,Usually.In my case my heart is enlarged and doesn't pump properly.This causes liquid to pool in my lungs.. It's like you are drowning in your own fluids. That's why they load you up on lasix right away,to get rid of the fluid..I was literally sleeping sitting up for a couple nights.I couldn't sleep lying down because fluid would fill my lungs

 

[drgnfly30]

I'm sorry...I didn't mean to sound so horribly negative. It was my experience with the disease.

My grandmother did not take care of herself. She insisted on continuing her life patterns she'd already known.

If your mom takes care of herself, there's no reason why she can't live for many more years. Hugs and PD to you.

No worries... I'm the type of person that needs to know the worst case scenario...

Thanks for the PD!!

 

[drgnfly30]

Yes,Usually.In my case my heart is enlarged and doesn't pump properly.This causes liquid to pool in my lungs.. It's like you are drowning in your own fluids. That's why they load you up on lasix right away,to get rid of the fluid..I was literally sleeping sitting up for a couple nights.I couldn't sleep lying down because fluid would fill my lungs

Gotcha... it's fitting together for me now.. Mom has a tendancy to not fully listen & to get things mixed up... apparently she has a leaky valve, which I presume could cause the liquid to pool in her lungs, like in your case... Thanks for sharing!

 

[Chris2597]

Christine
Was the pulmonary something, pulmonary hypertension. My mom has right sided heart failure, is on 9 different pills to keep things running smoothly. The cardiologist said that she also has pulmonary hypertension which is a result of the right sided heart failure. The drs havent said CHF but she is on all of the pills for it.

 

[2BigKIdz]

My mom had CHF for the last 2-3 years of her life and only had a few hospitilizations due to the CHF. Her doctor recommended weighing herself every morning and if she gained 3lbs or more in 24 hrs she needed to get to the doctor because it meant she was retaining too much fluid. My mom passed away last Dec. 14. She was also diabetic. BUT- she smoked 2 packs of cigs a day and did absolutely nothing to help herself get in better shape or maintain a modicum of good health. When she was first diagnosed she started going to cardiac rehab but she didn't stay with it very long. I would definitely check into programs like that for your mom. to you and your mom.