Medical situation...

[trojangal]

Okay folks..I wanted to say thanks for all the support in March and April while Mr. Trojangal was going through some stuff medically.

We finally found out what was going on, and we're not real sure what's going to happen.

Turns out that Mr. Trojangal has CHF---congestive heart failure.
We're not real sure how long he's had it, but after he had his upper and lower GI procedures, his heart went out of whack. He went in for a checkup and heart rate was through the roof. His few days in the hospital were used to monitor his heart and find out what he could do right now.

We are doing everything that the doc is telling us. Eating changes in diet ( reduced fat, very low salt, etc) and he is taking the meds that his dr. prescribed for him. Still, it's a lot to deal with for us...he'll be 38 next month, and frankly, his doc is extremely concerned and says that he is "at very high risk". Invasive procedures are not an option at this moment. Possibly in the future, if everything else falls in line. WE do know that as of his last doctor appt. his heart isn't in a regular heartbeat pattern,

We are trying to figure out how to deal with this. We're both scared, he's angry about it, and it's been tough so far. Some nights are not good b/c his breathing isn't regular and he stops breathing momentarily. Needless to say the quality of sleep for both of us has gone down at night.

So...any of you have family members with CHF? How did you guys adjust? What advice can you give?

Thanks for listening....

[Tippiechick]

I'm so sorry to hear that. If you ever need a shoulder, feel free to pm me. Keep us posted on how things go!

[KSigkid]

This kind of falls in line with what I do for work...although I'm not a doctor, so take my advice with a grain of salt...

There have been some amazing things done with cardiovascular medicine, and they know a lot more things now about CHF than they did before. My first piece of advice would be to educate yourselves. Heartcenter Online is a great resource for patients and families; I've found that many other sites only give "worst case scenario" descriptions of illnesses. Go to heartcenteronline.com and register; it's where I found out more info about my own heart ailment, and it's been a great resource for the patients I work with.

Ask a lot of questions and listen to what the doctors have to say. If you don't feel like you're getting enough answers, seek second opinions.

I'm sorry that you and your husband are going through this. You can PM me if you'd like with any questions you have.

[James]

Have him take Co-Enzyme Q-10

http://faculty.washington.edu/~ely/coenzq10.html

there is a neat link.

And Taurine . . .

ETA: Was he really heavy at one time?

the sooner you take CoQ10 the better it works for CHF.

It doesn't seem to have downsides. Also make sure his magnesium and potassium levels stay up.

[carnation]

Thank God you're in Birmingham, with all those wonderful medical facilities!

[kafromTN]

Yeah, UAB is the third best medical center in the WORLD. Definitely a good place to be.


-Mark

[trojangal]

Thanks for the information. We are at St. Vincents Hospital, and so far, feel good about his treatment team. His visit to the cardiologist isn't until June 29th, but he is seeing his internist regularly. He does a sleep study on the 26th of this month to see if anything there may be of help.


He's on six meds right now--BP med, coumadin, two heart meds to strengthen his heart, a diuretic, and something else..just can't remember right now. This is really tough for him b/c he is not a meds person. I basically told him that he needed to do what the doc says and to stick with it. Ironically, he has a degree in respiratory therapy and he knows all he has to do, just has a hard time dealing with it.

Weight is an issue we are dealing with---he has been heavy for some time and we think that part of his weight may have been the fluids for CHF. He is having to go in every week for a coumadin check because his doc is afraid of him having a stroke.

[UlChiOCutie26]

trojangal,

does coumadin make your husband really weak? It made my boyfriends Dad super duper tired after he had his heart attack. I am sure he won't have to stay on it forever. I think it is a blood thinner? Tell him to be careful not to cut himself b/c when my boyfriend's Dad accidentally pricked himself (not sure how he did it) it took awhile for his blood to clot. Like 2 hours long!

I am sorry to hear about your hubby. I'll be thinking about you. I know what you are going through! It's tough, but you are working with the best doctors in the nation. My thoughts and prayers are coming your way!

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by UlChiOCutie26
trojangal,

does coumadin make your husband really weak? It made my boyfriends Dad super duper tired after he had his heart attack. I am sure he won't have to stay on it forever.

Actually, some people have to be on coumadin for life. It depends on what the doctors decide, based on lab testing, etc.