Congestive heart failure and choking

[plavixman]

I have congestive heart failure. I take a regiment of pills every day, Furosemide is the direutic I take. I take 40mg everyday and add another 40mg. everyother day.
About every 3 or 4 months for no apparent reason, usually when I am laying down or sleeping I become choked from what I beleive is mucus getting into my lungs. Actually I think I am drowning.
Does anyone else with CHF have this problem.
I actually think I am going to pass out as it is extremely painful and I gasp real hard just to get my breathe back. I usually throw up something I think is mucus. This will go on for 5 or 10 minutes. Usually my chest will get sore and the next day I am very weak.

[started04]

Originally Posted by plavixman

I have congestive heart failure. I take a regiment of pills every day, Furosemide is the direutic I take. I take 40mg everyday and add another 40mg. everyother day.
About every 3 or 4 months for no apparent reason, usually when I am laying down or sleeping I become choked from what I beleive is mucus getting into my lungs. Actually I think I am drowning.
Does anyone else with CHF have this problem.
I actually think I am going to pass out as it is extremely painful and I gasp real hard just to get my breathe back. I usually throw up something I think is mucus. This will go on for 5 or 10 minutes. Usually my chest will get sore and the next day I am very weak.

I had CHF and mild edema 3+ years ago. My symptoms were a dry cough as opposed to mucus in the lungs, but that may be due to different lung conditions prior.

I'm not in CHF since the episode 3+ years ago, but it can come on fast so I am alert for any symptoms. I was advised on my release from the hospital to weigh myself prior to going to sleep and again in the morning. A 3 lb. increase could indicate the beginning of an episode.

I no longer take Furosemide (after a year), but I take a beta blocker, and ACE inhibitor to get blood pressure as low as tolerated and a lower heart rate as well. The relief helped the heart to heal and a recent echo calculated an EF 60% and very little if any muscle damage. I do have moderate MVR though due to the enlarged heart with CHF. Heart chamber dimensions are all normal and that reduced MVR.

What is your heart rate resting and blood pressure?

[Lenin]

plavixman,

About every 3 or 4 months for no apparent reason, usually when I am laying down or sleeping I become choked from what I beleive is mucus getting into my lungs. Actually I think I am drowning.

I think what you are decribing is very common with CHF sufferers, to the point that many can not sleep in a bed but prefer a recliner instead to prevent fluid from welling into the lungs.
I think if it occurs only once every several months, there is nothing to worry about...probably a result of the normal swings in the effectiveness of your furosemide vis a vie your water intake, blood pressure, salt intake, etc.

I don't think you have anything to worry about unless the incidence of these "attacks" starts increasing.

All that said, I DON'T have CHF but every once in a while, perhaps once a year, I unconsciously inhale a drop of liquid that doesn't belong in my lungs but rather in my stomach, and it wakes me and causes prolonged couging and pain <it hurts like HELL>until I "get it all up"(it can take 10 minutes.) Amazingly, when it happens I am usually dreaming about being under water just before I waken...go figger.

I always fear that I might get ASPIRATION PNEUMONIA...but except for "sore lungs" for a short while the next morning, all is well.
Needless to say, I HATE the experience.

[Seraph]

You will have much less of this if you sleep propped up on pillows. My mother had this and it runs in her family too. The ones who had it always had to sleep sitting up.