I don't know whether this will help, or not, but I'm 56 years old and have had CHF for about 3 years. The most important part of care is to make absolute postive sure that your mother is prescribed the medication she needs and that it is taken EVERYDAY.
The reason for the CHF has to be determined by her doctors, then the proper medications dispensed. In my case, they started me out on 40 mg. of lasix, 25 mg. Coreg 2x day, 90 mg. Diltiazem 2 x per day. I am now taking 140 mg.
The good news is, CHF is treatable, with drug therapy, and the lasix is a good place to start. Then Coreg, and perhaps diltiazem, or some other BP med to keep your BP in check.
If you smoke, quit. If you drink alcohol, quit.....and if you have any extra weight, lose it. If you do the medication and all of the above, you should do very well.
I hope the best for you, and that I've answered your questions.
I can suggest a few things, but much depends on the nature of the congestive heart failure (CHF) and any underlying cause, when it began and what part of the heart is damaged or affected. Accurate diagnosis is crucial to the type of treatment and prognosis offered. An accurate diagnosis is established through chest X-rays, ECG, echocardiography,and other tests (such as a heartworm antigen test). Do you know if your vet has undertaken this process - and if yes, what the results were?
For me, I take Coreg 25 mgx2 per day, diltiazem 90 mg, 3x day, and lasix 120 mg per day. My swelling is under control, and it helps a lot, but I'm still very, very tired and weak most of the time, which, of course they tell me is also from CHF.
My problems were caused by a virus, and I have wondered a lot, why they ask me if I drink alcohol everytime I'm hospitalized....now I know.....thanks for sharing.
It really depends on what you need. If this has been prescribed for you, and you are uncertain about it, then you can always ask your doctor for more clarification. It really just all depends on your individual circumstances.
I have suffered with taking diltiazem(180 mg ER) AND metoprolol (50 mg ER) for atril fibrillation for the past two and a half years. The side effects have been debilitating.. Both drugs have the same side effects and together and one or the other or both create what I can only describe as chaotic turbulence in my chest and pain in my left arm when the second drug kicks in.. My cardiolgist now wants me to add a blood thinner (xarelto) to my meds menu.
Not all of us respond the same to the same medications. The indapamide worked better for you than the dilitazem so it only makes sense to stay w/the indapamide and forego the diltiazem since your doctor obviously didn't consider the indapamide and diltiazem a good combinantion.
I understand about uninsured doctor visits. We lost our family doctor of some 30 years and got a rude shock when we started doctor shopping!!! From a standard $35 office call to a $150 initial office call!!!!!
At the ER last month, I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and pneumonia based on a X-Ray, CT Scan, Pro-BNP test, and an EKG. My EKG was abnormal (enlarged heart, etc.) and my Pro-BNP test score was 4996, which from what I have seen, is very high. I was very swollen and my oxygen level was low (70%). They gave me a bunch of medications including a diuretic. All of this made sense when I looked into it, because I have EVERY symptom of CHF.
I have COPD and CHF and had a stent put in two year's ago and found out it is now 60% blocked. I am concerned because I had been told because of COPD, not a candidate for surgery. So, my question is can they put another stent in or what or the possibilities now?
I have been taking metoprolol and diltiazem for sixteen months and initially the medications brought the SVTs under control. Fourteen months ago I started coughing blood and experiencing chest congestion. This took my attention off any heart issues and sent me on a long search for the cause of the bleeding. After many tests and visits with various specialists I never did get the answer. The bleeding resolved itself after 10 months (last October) and has not reappeared.
Anyway, he said that I was over medicated so he lowered my dosage back down to 240 mg. of Diltiazem CD and he also put me on Enalapril 2.5 mg. Since my Diltiazem dosage was raised I have been losing weight unintentionally. Believe me I have been eating VERY well and the pounds are still dropping. I have struggled to lose weight for months and now all of a sudden I'm losing. My question is could the Diltiazem be causing me to lose weight and has this happened to anyone else?
Do you have a diagnosis of CHF? This is NOT meant to imply that you do, but it helps to better understand your situation regarding hemodynamic stability.
Then (like you) I went on to diltiazem for 3 days. While on this, I had some insomnia and almost felt like I was having a stroke at one point. I had facial flushing and weird body sensations. Came off that one.
Now I'm on atenolol (25 mg) and it puts me to SLEEP very easily. It's so funny that some people like you experience insomnia whereas I can barely keep my eyes awake.
I take atenolol b/c of tachycardia moreso than high BP but I do have prehypertension.
Ive read so many warnings about the two together Im a mess worrying--Thank you * Hepkitty* I have been on valium 25 yrs so not a good time to quit it--Please tell me this is ok-- I sleep a lot but been thinking it is chf--I take 2 mgs in am and 2mgs in pm of valium and 120 mgs long acting Cardizem in am
The first in two years landed me in the Hospital. My meds were changed from Metoprolol to Diltiazem 360 mg per day and Fleconade 50 mg 2x per day plus Warfarin. The Metoprolol 25mcg 1 x daily has been making me wheeze for the past four years, but no one ever thought to change the meds. I have been on this new med protocol for 1.5 weeks. I just started the Fleconide and Warfarin three days ago.
My question is I need to loose 45 pounds asap.
I agree 100% that you need to change doctors right away! First off if she only had time for one issue on this visit, she will only have time for one visit on the next!!! Your swollen feet and ankles could most certainly be from CHF and you don't want to fool around with that at all! Do yourself a favor and find an internal medicine physician. When you make the doctor appointment, ask them what their usual wait time is and you can bet if they tell you an hour or more, keep searching!
My mom has CHF and her heart has a moderate EF and the doctor says that she should think about having a heart transplant. As scary as that sounds to her she is thinking about doing it. I want to ask if she doesent get it done than will she have a chance at living with heart for the next 5 years? And how secure is a Heart surgery..I am scared that she will not wake up and if so how well do people live after they have had a heart implant?
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