Hi. Sorry to hear of your dad's condition. My father had his first heart attack at age 35, back in the 70s. He passed away April 9 of this year - after suffering 7 heart attacks! (yes - 7 - what a strong man) Thru the years, he developed CHF. He had triple bypass in 1995. In 2006 he had his 5th heart attack and they gave him 6 months to live... by then the artieries were badly damaged, there was nothing else they could do for him - at least - thats what they said.

I'm not sure how long it takes before the valves close but I wanted to share with you that there's hope. Although dad was not in hospice last month, we were making plans to admitting him to a long term care hospital - he was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. During the last 5 days of his life, one day he was combative; next day he was fine. He became weaker but strong at heart. Im a daddy's girl so his death is very heart breaking.

Hi. Sorry to hear of your dad's condition. My father had his first heart attack at age 35, back in the 70s. He passed away April 9 of this year - after suffering 7 heart attacks! (yes - 7 - what a strong man) Thru the years, he developed CHF. He had triple bypass in 1995. In 2006 he had his 5th heart attack and they gave him 6 months to live... by then the artieries were badly damaged, there was nothing else they could do for him - at least - thats what they said.

I'm not sure how long it takes before the valves close but I wanted to share with you that there's hope. Although dad was not in hospice last month, we were making plans to admitting him to a long term care hospital - he was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. During the last 5 days of his life, one day he was combative; next day he was fine. He became weaker but strong at heart. Im a daddy's girl so his death is very heart breaking.

I am so sorry to hear about your dad. My 89 year old mother died this past winter after suffering a stroke in May of 2009. She had been battling CHF for almost two years, but after her stroke it got worse and she was placed on hospice care. She died peacefully at home almost 9 months after her stroke. What to look for...oh, boy...I wish I could give you some concrete information, but dealing with a loved one suffering from CHF was -- at least for me -- a roller coaster ride. Some days she was my loving mom, other days she became a totally different person -- mean, verbally abusive, combative... As the months wore on she began seeing "people" and accused us of putting sheets over "pagan pictures" in our living room. Sometimes she would stay awake all night (keeping ME awake all night) talking to people or just calling out for me. Sometimes she would sit and cry and when I would ask her what she was crying about, she didn't know. I know everyone praises hospice, but they were no help to me. All they did was come in every few days and take her vitals and tell me everything was "good." I am no nurse, but even I knew everything was NOT good. By November my mother started sleeping a lot -- sometimes for a few days at a time. Then she would stay up all night (for a few days at a time...) and then repeat the cycle. She progressively got weaker and weaker and had little interest in food. She rebounded for a few days and then sunk deeper into the sleep/awake/sleep cycle. The reason all of this was happening, I was told, was that it was getting more and more difficult for oxygen to get to the brain. This whole pattern continued thru the day she died in February. We had no warning, nothing on that day was any different than the months before, but she woke up on a Saturday morning after sleeping for two days. She was thirsty and hungry and as she was eating a bowl of oatmeal she turned blue and breathed her last breath. Again I am told that with CHF patients death often occurs suddenly not giving any advance warning or time to prepare. I miss my mom so much and the pain has not gotten any less with time. I will keep you in my prayers and my only advice to you is to take one day at a time, try not to "control" this illness your dad has because you can't, try to make him as comfortable as you can, TELL HIM YOU LOVE HIM as often as you can, thank God for each day you have with your dad and ask Him to take him home peacefully when his time comes. And take care of yourself, my friend, because this is going to be one of the most difficult periods in your life.

I am so sorry to hear about your dad. My 89 year old mother died this past winter after suffering a stroke in May of 2009. She had been battling CHF for almost two years, but after her stroke it got worse and she was placed on hospice care. She died peacefully at home almost 9 months after her stroke. What to look for...oh, boy...I wish I could give you some concrete information, but dealing with a loved one suffering from CHF was -- at least for me -- a roller coaster ride. Some days she was my loving mom, other days she became a totally different person -- mean, verbally abusive, combative... As the months wore on she began seeing "people" and accused us of putting sheets over "pagan pictures" in our living room. Sometimes she would stay awake all night (keeping ME awake all night) talking to people or just calling out for me. Sometimes she would sit and cry and when I would ask her what she was crying about, she didn't know. I know everyone praises hospice, but they were no help to me. All they did was come in every few days and take her vitals and tell me everything was "good." I am no nurse, but even I knew everything was NOT good. By November my mother started sleeping a lot -- sometimes for a few days at a time. Then she would stay up all night (for a few days at a time...) and then repeat the cycle. She progressively got weaker and weaker and had little interest in food. She rebounded for a few days and then sunk deeper into the sleep/awake/sleep cycle. The reason all of this was happening, I was told, was that it was getting more and more difficult for oxygen to get to the brain. This whole pattern continued thru the day she died in February. We had no warning, nothing on that day was any different than the months before, but she woke up on a Saturday morning after sleeping for two days. She was thirsty and hungry and as she was eating a bowl of oatmeal she turned blue and breathed her last breath. Again I am told that with CHF patients death often occurs suddenly not giving any advance warning or time to prepare. I miss my mom so much and the pain has not gotten any less with time. I will keep you in my prayers and my only advice to you is to take one day at a time, try not to "control" this illness your dad has because you can't, try to make him as comfortable as you can, TELL HIM YOU LOVE HIM as often as you can, thank God for each day you have with your dad and ask Him to take him home peacefully when his time comes. And take care of yourself, my friend, because this is going to be one of the most difficult periods in your life.

My 93 year old mother just died a few days ago. My mom did have CHF but that was not the cause of death--she died from fluid overload by the incompetent doctor who wanted to hydrate her giving her 155 ml per hour of IV and Jevity feeding to try to bring her BUN down--elevated due to diuretics. I managed her CHF by giving her mega doses of Co-Enzyme-Q10 over the years--so although she had CHF, it was not a major problem. My 84 year old father also had CHF in the end, with Kidney dialysis, and CHF was not a factor in his death, he died from a fungal infection. So my point is, maybe you should try CQ10 therapy for your father--it is proven to work on CHF. It does no harm, at least. Start with 50 mg, then titrate up. I was giving my dad 300 mg per day, and my mother 600 mg per day. It takes a couple of weeks for it to work. Just monitor him. I also gave my mother L-carnitine, L-arginine, magnesium, D-Ribose and taurine.

My 93 year old mother just died a few days ago. My mom did have CHF but that was not the cause of death--she died from fluid overload by the incompetent doctor who wanted to hydrate her giving her 155 ml per hour of IV and Jevity feeding to try to bring her BUN down--elevated due to diuretics. I managed her CHF by giving her mega doses of Co-Enzyme-Q10 over the years--so although she had CHF, it was not a major problem. My 84 year old father also had CHF in the end, with Kidney dialysis, and CHF was not a factor in his death, he died from a fungal infection. So my point is, maybe you should try CQ10 therapy for your father--it is proven to work on CHF. It does no harm, at least. Start with 50 mg, then titrate up. I was giving my dad 300 mg per day, and my mother 600 mg per day. It takes a couple of weeks for it to work. Just monitor him. I also gave my mother L-carnitine, L-arginine, magnesium, D-Ribose and taurine.

I hope this is not inappropriate. I am a 87 year old female with COPD. Up until 2 years ago I was the caregiver for my husband who had CHF. He was in and out of the hospital the last year of his life (7 times in 13 months). So far I am healthy because my COPD is mild and am otherwise healthy. After reading various end of life postings and what I experienced, I am more and more leaning toward assisted suicide if I ever get to the point of being like the patients in these various postings. I do not want to die at home. I live with my daughter. Both she and her husband have very demanding jobs and it would be too much of a burden on her plus the fact that my room would forever be the place where mama died. I want in-hopice facility care if needed. I have a living will but feel this is not adequate enough. It is a conundrum.

I hope this is not inappropriate. I am a 87 year old female with COPD. Up until 2 years ago I was the caregiver for my husband who had CHF. He was in and out of the hospital the last year of his life (7 times in 13 months). So far I am healthy because my COPD is mild and am otherwise healthy. After reading various end of life postings and what I experienced, I am more and more leaning toward assisted suicide if I ever get to the point of being like the patients in these various postings. I do not want to die at home. I live with my daughter. Both she and her husband have very demanding jobs and it would be too much of a burden on her plus the fact that my room would forever be the place where mama died. I want in-hopice facility care if needed. I have a living will but feel this is not adequate enough. It is a conundrum.

I took care of my mother to the end, and I wanted so much to bring her home since I could take care of her better than at the nursing home. I took care of her for 29 years at home, before her major stroke in March, 2010, when she became paralyzed on her left side. I wanted her to have a chance for recovery so took her to nursing home for rehab. She's had strokes in the past, but not this major, and I nursed her back to health. I went to the nursing home everyday, and to the hospital, and stay on top of her care but still could not prevent the mistreatments, and healthcare mistakes. I was grateful to have been there and taken care of her, and should have brought her home, to die in my arms. Please give your daughter a chance to take care of you; if she loves you, she would want to be given a chance to take care of you. Don't feel that you are a burden--it is a burden that should be borne, and you would rob your daughter of a chance to express her love for you. It is hard.

I took care of my mother to the end, and I wanted so much to bring her home since I could take care of her better than at the nursing home. I took care of her for 29 years at home, before her major stroke in March, 2010, when she became paralyzed on her left side. I wanted her to have a chance for recovery so took her to nursing home for rehab. She's had strokes in the past, but not this major, and I nursed her back to health. I went to the nursing home everyday, and to the hospital, and stay on top of her care but still could not prevent the mistreatments, and healthcare mistakes. I was grateful to have been there and taken care of her, and should have brought her home, to die in my arms. Please give your daughter a chance to take care of you; if she loves you, she would want to be given a chance to take care of you. Don't feel that you are a burden--it is a burden that should be borne, and you would rob your daughter of a chance to express her love for you. It is hard.

Dear Caregivers, So much of your experiences bring back memories of my mom's battle with deterioration after her stroke in 1991. Our "miracle" experience was the grace from God of 13 years of a wonderful 'love building' relationship, that we had not had due to her struggle with Schizophrenia. The lesson I learned, quoting the Bible, 'the greatest of these is love' So, none of us may overcome the illnesses that our loved one is enduring, unless the loved one is willing to accept our help whether it be better nutrition, natural health products, trusting us as their caregiver more than the medical community. This being the case, the best we can do is to daily assure them of our enduring love, providing comfort via their favorite thing; a good healthy laugh by jokes or just watching children play or reading the comic pages to them; encouraging them to play...coloring books & crayons, or a favorite game(s). Make every moment you are with them a time of joy for both of you. Having done this then "stand" and give the rest of the situation to God. Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding and He will direct your path...

Dear Caregivers, So much of your experiences bring back memories of my mom's battle with deterioration after her stroke in 1991. Our "miracle" experience was the grace from God of 13 years of a wonderful 'love building' relationship, that we had not had due to her struggle with Schizophrenia. The lesson I learned, quoting the Bible, 'the greatest of these is love' So, none of us may overcome the illnesses that our loved one is enduring, unless the loved one is willing to accept our help whether it be better nutrition, natural health products, trusting us as their caregiver more than the medical community. This being the case, the best we can do is to daily assure them of our enduring love, providing comfort via their favorite thing; a good healthy laugh by jokes or just watching children play or reading the comic pages to them; encouraging them to play...coloring books & crayons, or a favorite game(s). Make every moment you are with them a time of joy for both of you. Having done this then "stand" and give the rest of the situation to God. Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding and He will direct your path...

My dad passed 26.02.10 due to congestive H.F. but he was in a medically induced coma. So that he would not feel to much pain. What was ironic was that in early Feb '10 a prophetess at my church told me that she saw he passing from the same aliment. Last year Oct God told me get used to being an "orphan." I thought "ok" maybe in a year or two they would be gone. Did not think it would be so quick. My dad in Feb and in May my mom was Dx with stage two breast cancer. With this case it was funny that the doc's did not put a stint near the valve to keep it open.

My dad passed 26.02.10 due to congestive H.F. but he was in a medically induced coma. So that he would not feel to much pain. What was ironic was that in early Feb '10 a prophetess at my church told me that she saw he passing from the same aliment. Last year Oct God told me get used to being an "orphan." I thought "ok" maybe in a year or two they would be gone. Did not think it would be so quick. My dad in Feb and in May my mom was Dx with stage two breast cancer. With this case it was funny that the doc's did not put a stint near the valve to keep it open.