Well here is where I am going to expose my own stupidity, and no I’m not talking politics here. Have any of you ever had to deal with congestive heart failure, either yourself or through a close friend or relative who had it? Well when I had those 2 hospital stays with it in July and August I didn’t let it worry me. After all since 1985 I have had 8 heart attacks 2 of them massive attacks that the cardiologist called (widow makers). I’ve got stents in my heart, and as a lifetime smoker pretty much everything else that goes along with that lifestyle I chose. I always described myself as a lifetime 2 pack a day overweight diabetic with thyroid disease and a hand full of other issues. However that said I have always stayed pretty active and every time something would hold me back I would cut back on the smokes,cut out the soft drinks and sweets and start working out or hiking more and things always seemed to work out. I have always managed to get back into shape to climb ladders, do yard work, home repairs and work on the cars no problems. So along comes congestive heart failure, I figured I would just straighten up a bit and continue life as usual. 2 or 3 months passed and I was still feeling too weak to get up and do anything. I eventually got to where I could do a few chores. I had my follow up appointment with my cardiologist in mid January and she took me off furosemide and put me on farxiga instead. She told me to keep a log of my weight and BP and if my weight increased 3 lbs or more in a day to call her immediately. I called her yesterday not because it went up 3 lbs in a day but because I noticed a 10lb weight gain in a week. I have also gone back to having no energy and terrible shortness of breath. Just carrying the trash can out to the street would have me sucking wind big time. I need to cut this short but I did a little online research and it looks as if you don’t get over congestive heart failure, once you have it you are going to retain fluids for the rest of your life because your heart does not pump enough blood to get rid of fluids in the chest legs and other parts of the body. Yikes!!! I have to do some research and determine how to best regain at least some of the lifestyle I have lived for the past 75 years.
Congestive heart failure is in my family history. My grandfather died from it - not directly, but it was the precipitating cause of issues that eventually got him. Best wishes for good and improved health and many more years.
If it’s any consolation, I doubt that you ate your way into congestive heart failure, people don’t want to hear this, but I suspect that, to a large degree, genetics loads the gun AND pulls the trigger.
I have my theory on what actually kicked it off but I have probably been living with it few years anyway. What I think kicked it off was COVID and I could be wrong but, I had congestion for a few days and on July 23rd it got very bad. We were visiting my wife's family in Missouri and they talked me into going to the ER to be checked out. They did a chest x-ray and discovered my lungs and around my heart were surrounded by fluid so that was the diagnosis. 5 days later we begged to let us fly home because we had plane tickets. On the plane I had another breathing attack and the next morning they took me to Advent Health in Orlando.....The first test they ran was a COVID test which was positive. The hospital in MO never did a COVID test so either I had it when I got there or caught it there.
I’m clearly an outlier on this board, but I’d argue that it’s almost a near certainty that Covid didn’t kick it off. Are you on beta blockers ? I understand that it’s a medication that actually works as advertised, specifically for congestive heart failure.
My father battled it for 16 years after a massive heart attack and the discovery that 80% of his heart muscle was "dead". However, my mother is an RN of 55+ years experience and turned their home into a medical ward. Keeping Dad home for many things that would require most to be admitted to the hospital probably helped keep him alive much longer than the average congestive heart failure patient.
Mike, I wish I had encouraging news for you, but the truth is a person diagnosed with CHF has entered a long slide towards the end. You probably know there are 4 stages and the inevitable decline can be slowed but not stopped. Improvements in your diet and regular exercise will slow the decline but unless something else ends your life it is likely you will die from heart failure. If you are still smoking - please STOP! And keep moving as you are able; don't sit still for lengthy periods of time! Follow your doctors orders! My mother was diagnosed with CHF when she was 80 and died from pneumonia contracted after she had fallen and broken her hip when she was 88. It was not unrelated. Is most of your water retention localized in your legs or is it general weight gain from excess water? If it's primarily in your legs there are mechanical devices, leggings with air pockets that zip up the legs and assist in pumping lymph up and out through your lymph system. They are more effective than compression stockings, that I detest. I have lymphedema in my legs, the after effect of radiation from cancer that destroyed several key lymph nodes, and use a pair of these leggings and they do help move the lymph up and out. They might help you, too.
Love threads like this. Heart disease is the number one killer. And Science is slowly gaining ground. But most of healthcare is behind the times today. It sounds like you have a good team to work with. But the archaic…plug the numbers in and prescribe a statin is archaic!
I'm really not sure. I know numbness and swelling in my feet I have had for years. Both being diabetic and a smoker have contributed to that. My Cardiologist Assistant Sara Werfel (yes that is her name) slightly different spelling, did switch me back to furosemide which is a diuretic. I am urinating a lot more now so I think that will help drain the fluids I'm sure the fluids around my heart & lungs are a lot of the immediate problems I am having right now.
I’m not a doctor nor an expert but like others said I don’t think it is reversable just a question of how long you can live with it. My dad had a friend from childhood who was otherwise in pretty good health but got CHF and he lived with it many years but he eventually succombed to it (or something else). It’s not implausible that Covid made it worse but I doubt it caused it.
I had a bout of it also December of 2022. Entresto, Cardevilol, better diet and increased exercise along with monitoring fluid buildup in my legs has largely beaten it back. I do still get winded going up flights of stairs, however.
I think what kicked it off is smoking 2 packs a day for years. But yeah Covid sounds plausible - go with that. Either way as I’m sure you know it’s irreversible so BOL. Drinking is a much better vice….
If you are retaining water, swelling and or feeling fatigued I would urge you to reach out to your physician asap when that occurs. I can't tell you how many times I have ran CHF patients that waited too long and then had to call 911 because they were in acute respiratory distress. It's one of the most emergent medical calls paramedics treat because there are multiple systems affected and we have to balance treatment of the breathing problem with their circulatory status. Can't use CPAP if the blood pressure is too low which then often requires sedation and intubation. I don't say that to scare you but to emphasize how important it is to stay ahead of symptoms. Plenty of people manage their CHF fairly well by paying attention to their diet and activity as well as knowing when to take it easy or call their doctor. Stay vigilant.
Vibes to you. I hope you’re able to stick with us for quite a bit longer. But if not don’t fret. We are all right behind you.
Yup, that is why in the OP I mentioned how stupid I was. I didn't really take this seriously for the first few months, I'm lucky it didn't get me then. Mid January when the breathing problems multiplied and I started looking at the chart I was keeping and saw I had gained 10 lbs in a week it hit me like a ton of bricks. Unlike everything else this isn't something that will just go away if I change my habits. It is here to stay and probably ain't never gonna get much better so I had better straighten up and fly right.
My stepdad has it (retired coal miner, former smoker.) I agree that it is not reversible per se, but he has been living with it for many years. He’s 6’5 and used to be so brute strong that my mom couldn’t open jars he casually put lids on. Now he can’t do anything strenuous for even a few minutes. He also survived a widow maker, quintuple bypass (I wasn’t even aware that was a thing), and I don’t know the stent count anymore. But he’s still kicking and his spirit is still strong. Hang in there bruv!
Damn man. That totally sucks. Hate to hear it. Just know you are in all our thoughts. 1 gallon of water weighs 8 lbs so you’ve retained quite a lot in a week. Listen to the Docs.
Thanks guys, I appreciate the thoughts and the positive comments. Y'all kind of lightened up my evening. After a little research this afternoon I wasn't feeling real good about this thing. Feel a little more positive now. Thanks again.
