Congestive Heart Failure

[goldyfm]

I wondered if anyone here has congestive heart failure and would mind sharing their experiences with medication, treatments and lifestyle changes that may ease your symptoms. Thanks for your input.

[started04]

Originally Posted by goldyfm

I wondered if anyone here has congestive heart failure and would mind sharing their experiences with medication, treatments and lifestyle changes that may ease your symptoms. Thanks for your input.

Gldyfm, if one is in CHF, the protocol would be a diuretic to reduce fluids in lungs due to the heart's left-side contraction impairment, and sometimes the right side is involved causing edema to peripherals. That was my experience.

Causation was a low EF (below 29%) indicating about 71% of the blood remained in the left chamber with each heart beat resulting with less blood pumped out than received and blood/fluids backed up in the lungs causing edema.

An overworked heart will increase in size. An enlarged heart will reduce the strength of contractions. To reduce heart size (dilated type) the medication would be to lighten the heart's workload. Mediation to dilate blood vessels (ACE inhibitor) and a beta blocker to help dilate blood vessels and slow the heart rate. Sometimes medication to increase the heart's contractions.

After 3 1/2 years, with medication my heart has returned to normal size and pumping efficiency... has increased to normal (EF 60%). I still have MVR (mitral valve regurgitation) and no symptoms.

[Lutheran122]

Ken I am happy for your turn around, thats great to see someone go from real bad CHF to where you are today. I wish the same good luck to goldy!!

[started04]

Lutheran, thanks for the kind thoughts.

[goldyfm]

Thanks so much for the info and well wishes. I have 4 incompetent valves and I was put on a low dose Ace Inhibitor as I have low blood pressure. I can't tell if it is helping at this time. I am not to return to cardiologist until November for a followup echo. I really feel uninformed as I do not know if the valves are structurally damaged or if it is from a vegetation of some sort. He did not say I had CHF but from all the literature I have read on valvular disease, it is the outcome. I have a call in to his office and am requesting a copy of the results of the TEE. I think I could understand more of my prognosis if I could see the report. I had some nursing classes and I do believe I could understand if given the opportunity. I just think 3 months of waiting to ask questions and get some idea of my condition is asking too much of a patient.