How long do people live with congestive heart failure?
People with mild to moderate congestive heart failure (CHF) could potentially live many years; it needn't be a death sentence. Congestive heart FAILURE is really a misnomer -- think of it as congestive heart inefficiency!
With mild to moderate CHF, the heart is not as powerful as it once was. As less blood is pumped out of the heart with each beat, the blood returning to the heart through the veins backs up. This back-up causes fluid congestion in the tissues. When that congestion occurs in the lungs, the person experiences shortness of breath. People with mild or moderate congestive heart failure who are well controlled with cardiac medications can live relatively active lives. Medications, which increase the pumping power of the heart muscles, give such folks some relief from the associated fatigue, difficulty breathing, and swelling in the extremities. People with CHF should be under the care of a doctor and should be consistent with their medications.
The heart reaches the "failure" point with a diagnosis of severe CHF, when medications and treatments are unable to help compensate for poor function in the heart. Such patients are typically hospitalized and have a poor prognosis.
My father is 75, he has chf and a leaking heart valvve with copd, the drs wanted to put a pacemaker in him but he got to ill to do it now he wont get one in, hes too weak, hes not on any heart meds at all the only thing he is on is a stomach pill for upset stomach. is he at risk of dying sooner then the time he was given> what about blood clots> he cant walk he barely gts out of bed and when he does its of course with the nurses helping him, he refuses his physical tp. his drs gave him 2 to 3 months to live hes now rallying and doing better, but do u think the drs are right about the time limit? the other dr said 6 months to a yr maybe.
more like a question how can I stop extra water for going down my ankles? I have go to DMC almost every night and its taking a toll ome and my kids their grown but what can I do stop retaining water, I do have conjestive heart failure, please help me. thank you Evone Byrd
e byrd :
Restrict your fluids and salt intake.Have a low salt diet 2000 milIgrams of salt per day and watch how much you drink see a doctor most important of all, they may need to start you on a diuretic (water pill)to help you eliminate the extra fluid from your body. When your ankles swell up put your legs up in a chair or anywhere just keep them up above your heart this will help the fluid to go back to the heart and get distributed more evenly. I hope you feel better soon. And SEE A DOCTOR VERY SOON!! IT CAN BE VERY VERY DANGEROUS TOO HAVE A LOT OF EXTRA FLUID because it's not only on your ankles it's everywhere in your body including your lungs this can lead to pulmonary hypertension etc. My mother has CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE/pulmonary hypertension so i'm very familiar with all of this.
All the best Crudelia
I have had congestive heart failure for 9 months now and I can't stand longer than 10 minutes before I am so weak I can't stand anymore. I now use a walker and I hope to get a battery operated wheelchair. My doctor won't give me a pacemaker but I am on dilitiazem, multaq, fouresimide, ramipril, and bystolic for blood pressure. I want to swim but I am just too weak to make it to the pool. Can anyone offer any suggestions for me?
Toronto Globe and Mail cites New England Journal of Medicine (ca.March 21 2003) report of the results of a small study (24 subjects) on sleep apnea at Toronto General Hospital which showed the startling effect of CPAP device use: each of the 12 congestive-heart-failure patients in the trial who used the CPAP device experienced a reversal of congestive heart failure. "The study had to be discontinued because given the results it was considered unethical to deny the treatment to the 12 patients without the CPAP device...This treatment should work for everyone who has a combination of sleep apnea and congestive heart failure." One-third of 500,000 Canadians who have CHF also have sleep apnea ("6 x the number who have sleep apnea in the general population"). Worth checking out.
I have had CHF since 2005 and that has created an enlarged heart. I started using Arjuna, an herb from India (Terminalia arjuna), and my heart is shrinking and my ejection fraction is steadily increasing. I also take CoQ10,Magnesium, vitamin B complex, Fish oil, vitamin E, Blue Green Algae, and other supplements. I had an echocardiogram, then I added the Arjuna, and had an echocardiogram after 4 months, my heart had shrunk a full point and the EF had increased 5%. The next echo, 4 months later, showed further shrinkage and another 5% EF increase. In 8 months I've reduced the size of my heart by 1.5 points and increased the EF by 10%. I take 4 Arjuna caplets a day. My cardiologists are both impressed by my improvement. I use Himalaya brand Arjuna. This is the only nutrient that has made a continuing difference for me.
Joe Bob! Thanks for the info. Do you have a website or other form of communicating?
Hello JoeBob. I am particularly interested in both the dietary and supplemental approach to managing Congestive Heart Failure since my husband was diagnosed with severe CHF some 3 years ago. His EF at that time was just15 to20% In his case he decided within a matter of a few months not to take the prescription drugs and instead to supplement with Ubiquinol (CQ10), Magnesium Citrate , Hawthorn Berry extract and Arjuna amongst others. He also reduced his carbohydrate intake and veered toward a more paleolithic way of eating. Having said that the diet has seen many changes over that period and at the moment Dairy in the form of unpasteurised cheese vies with meat both fatty and lean to provide the majority of the protein. Eggs are also very much on the menu with as many as two dozen being consumed each and every week. Oily fish was also one of his favourite dailies but for the past month has metaphorically been placed on the back burner. No vegetable or seed oils are used and no grains are eaten. If he feels the need he will throw a slice of butter over his side plate of steamed vegetables. Obviously this approach is not one that he would ever recommend to others and I can well imagine the magnitude of disapproval that such a seemingly reckless approach would engender within the medical profession. However the results speak for themselves and from barely being able to walk twenty metres he now enjoys daily walks of several miles. As for the Arjuna he recently stopped taking those in favour of supplemental Taurine. Time will tell if that was a wise move.
this is a follow up to the response about " give Jo Bob an atta boy"...i unfortunately hit the wrong button and my response vanished...hopefully it can be mated with this wrap up...As i was relating...i discovered Arjuna and Ashwaganda in a book titled " Prescriptions for Herbal Healing " by Phillis A.Balch CNC and in Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing" by she and James F Balch, MD...i discovered L-Arginine and L-lysine...My wonderful Sister Turned me on to CO-Q10 after the procedure in May 09.
YOU NEED TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH TO TOTALLY SUPPORT YOUR DECESION NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS MAY TELL YOU...SUPPORTIVE OR NOT !
AND THE INTERNET IS AWESOME WITH INFORMATION ...thats how i discovered this site tonite asking about Arjuna...and now sharing my almost 3 yr x-periance...
in Oct of 2010 my bp was dropping to 95's 100 etc so i cut the Carvedilol in half to 6.25 mgs and the BP was in the 115's ...then in Dec it dropped bk to the 90's & low 100's and i cut that in half to 3.125 mgs and the BP was about 115 again until March 2011 . Same thing...BP mid 90's low 100's ...i then terminated the Carvedilol and my BP has been anywhere between 105 and 115 since..
. i still was on the Coumadin & Digoxin and was looking to reduce or eliminate what ever i could...more research on blood thinners and clot elimination led me to Nattokinase..or "Natto" as it's called..
After a few months of deliberation i decided i had confidence in making the decesion to ween off the Coumadin and introduce the Natto in August of 2011...remember we're all different...and clotting capabilities vary ...some Dr's have a patient on both ...which i find interesting ...when i made the decesion to go with the Natto...it stressed to be completely off the Coumadin AND Asprin before introducing the Natto...
as for the Digoxin... it is to help your heart have a regular beat which mine has never had since birth...so i decided to let that go as well several weeks after the coumadin...theres really not much difference in my regular or irrigularities than before...
We're all doing the best we can and it's nice to see alternative success stories...the biggest challange is as mentioned from the lady writing about her husband...getting enough Protein...it's the fuel that makes your ticker tick....whatever 1/2 your body weight is...is the number you target for grams of protein per day...for Regular Maintainance...if you are "Wound Healing"...that number needs to be close to 80% of your body weight ! you'll feel the difference... ..Again...we're all x-periments take your time, carry a note book...write down what you do when you do it as you do it then look at your day on paper and see if you want to continue or change
