Heart Failure

I've been diagnosed with CHF or Congestive Heart Failure and wondered if anyone else here has?  Currently I've been 'well compensated' with the medications that I'm on.  I take an Ace Inhibitor along with Digoxin~a lot of people are put on Beta blockers to help.  I found this article on the HealingWell.com site and thought it might be of some interest to you.

 

Let me know what you think??  Teri

http://healingwell.healthology.com/focus_article.asp?b=healingwell&f=cardio&c=diastolic_dysfunction&spg=SCH

Hi Jay and Thanks!  I skipped around the info so quickly, I didn't notice that and you are right.

 

I want to Welcome you back to Healing Well and hope that you become a more frequent visitor!  I miss talking to you.

 

Coreg is a beta blocker that is used very often in Heart Failure, but in my case, Jay, I'm unable to take any beta blockers as my Blood Pressure remains very low, due to diastole and systole dysfunction of the left heart where all my damage is.  I was told that the bottom left side of my heart is dead and not beating-though if that were all-I'd be doing probably pretty great!  The anterior portion of the rest of the left side is dead and what is left is beating erratically.  Which makes the right side have to work that much harder.  Ergo...no beta blockers.  My Dr.'s have all told me that my med.'s that I'm on now, will never change.  I remain on 2.5 mg. of Lisinipril (Ace Inhibitor) and Digoxin .125 mg.

 

Hope this helps to explain?

 

Please come back anytime and visit~I enjoy having you here!!

 

Teri

Teri, that is a good site isn't it? Keep well!

Thanks BC!!

My EF has ranged from 40-45 in the past few months, BC...I am so sorry to hear your's has gone down to 35%.  Though you know, that many survive at even lower, much lower ranges.  With the EF it's just a number...go by how you are feeling!! 

They've now added a nitro patch again along with Norvasc (only 2.5 mg.) to help open my arteries up with more blood flow.  So wll just hope my B/P doesn't drop too low.

Please be well and I hope everything goes well on Monday!!  What are they going to do??

Love, Teri   Big Hugs From Texas!

Yes, Steve, we've been floating in that same boat for a long while now, along with a few other friends of ours.  But to give others some positive thoughts here, there are many, many new medical treatments that come along everyday to help us stay productive and living our lives as normal as can be!

 

Steve is one of the few that I know personally that continues to seek new ways to remain as productive as he can!!  God Bless, Steve!!!

 

Love, Teri

"After Kidney Graft, Heart Failure May Improve"

 

 "Patients with end-stage kidney disease and advanced heart failure who undergo a kidney transplant tend to see an improvement in their heart function, researchers report.

Congestive heart failure is common in people with kidney failure being treated by dialysis, lead investigator Dr. Ravinder K. Wali told Reuters Health."

This is another article that I thought perhaps may be of interest to some others here on this forum that may have heart failure, or someone else close to them that does!

Hugs, Teri

See the following site for the follow up on this story...

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_24059.html

Hi terry, you, too, Steve and the others. I am new here. My 15yr heart history was briefed in my info thread under "toot-toot" which was posted today

Obviously, I feel for your situation, and since mine has recently become similar the feeling is even more intimate. But I am jealous, you two seem to 'feel great' and other nice to be living anecdotes. I am losing that rapidly and would love any feedback.

I have felt miserable since beginning of year, perhaps due in part to other maladies and meds that have been visiting me, perhaps that I also have what I suspect to be hypoglycemia (nearly collapse on sidewalk a week ago, recovered ater a quick bite at a nearby vietnamese hole in the wall) and have since drastically changed my eating habits to eating something no more than every two hours. I see an endocrinologist next week.

But my immediate concern is last months 3x discharge of the AICD (pacemaker, plus I guess it can be called) and immediate hospitalization to begin Amiodarone treatments. I recently had to stop Amiodarone therapy due to unbelievable side effects that effected every hour of my conscious day. I lasted about 4 weeks, 1st at 800mg/day, 2nd week at 600mg, then down to 200mg maintenance.

It was so bad I preferred the risk of none to a lousy future of feeling so bad I had become a zombie. I hate tv during any daylight hour and never watch it. So, there it is in a nutshell.

toots

Hi Toots!

I'm really glad that you are feeling so good now-breathing while laying flat is a good thing! :) So you can now say you are having a "nice to be living antedote"... Sometimes it's the level you are at and yes, the med.'s play a big part. I always have this feeling if I stop what I'm doing, then what?? So I sometimes have to push...but I do understand those down days-most definitely.

Keep venting, posting, asking questions and we'll all try and pitch in whenever, wherever we can!

Hugs, Teri :)