Congestive Heart Failure

Lauren8239
Lauren8239 Posts: 1,039 Member
in Chit-Chat
Not sure where to put this. Just wondering if anyone has gone through a similar thing. I care for my father, who will be 79 this November. He has very bad health, and also had a triple bypass, and currently has a pacemaker. He also is in stage 4 congestive heart failure. He has black outs, the only exercise he can do is walking to another room. He has a terrible time breathing, especially while laying flat due to the water around his lungs and heart. He has started a diuretic to help. He can barely speak because he has no breath. At this point, there is nothing that can be done, and a transplant is out of the question at his age. Has anyone else experienced this with a family member? I'm just wondering what the next stage will be as his doctors can't really give an answer. He has type 2 diabetes. He now barely eats. Yes, I've googled this until I've gone blind, and there aren't any answers, except that life expectancy is short and once in a coma, it would be hours until death. Maybe I'm grasping at straws, but I'm just looking to see if anyone has gone through anything like this so I have an idea of what to expect. Thanks for any input.

Replies

  • juliecat1
    juliecat1 Posts: 3,450 Member
    I'm so sorry you're going through this. See if his doctor will sit down with you both and give you a clear and concise treatment plan and prognosis. The diuretics will help take the fluid away from his lungs do he can breath. But it will also increase his need to urinate and be up and moving. That may prove difficult for him in his current state. He needs to be honest with you did his doctor on his he is feeling and handling treatment.

    Hugs to you!
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
    im so sorry also. my best friends mom just died from this and the complications of diabetes and other health issues.she went very quickly.
  • Janet9906
    Janet9906 Posts: 546 Member
    I'm so sorry you are going through this my friend. My Grandmother passed away from this. She was in the hospital for the last couple of weeks (Trillium) and she was very comfortable.

    I wish I could give you some advice....I'm always here for you.
  • LonLB
    LonLB Posts: 1,126 Member
    Not sure where to put this. Just wondering if anyone has gone through a similar thing. I care for my father, who will be 79 this November. He has very bad health, and also had a triple bypass, and currently has a pacemaker. He also is in stage 4 congestive heart failure. He has black outs, the only exercise he can do is walking to another room. He has a terrible time breathing, especially while laying flat due to the water around his lungs and heart. He has started a diuretic to help. He can barely speak because he has no breath. At this point, there is nothing that can be done, and a transplant is out of the question at his age. Has anyone else experienced this with a family member? I'm just wondering what the next stage will be as his doctors can't really give an answer. He has type 2 diabetes. He now barely eats. Yes, I've googled this until I've gone blind, and there aren't any answers, except that life expectancy is short and once in a coma, it would be hours until death. Maybe I'm grasping at straws, but I'm just looking to see if anyone has gone through anything like this so I have an idea of what to expect. Thanks for any input.


    Yes. To everything. Exact same issues as my father.


    I'm telling you this not to be crude, or insensitive. I'm telling you this because you said you have no idea what to expect.


    Expect your father to not be with you much longer. Whatever that means (we all deal with it differently) you need to do, do it.
    I lost my dad to this the day after mothers day two years ago. He did everything you said. Could barely walk to another room, couldn't sleep in bed had to sleep sitting up, stopped eating etc.

    One thing that helped ease everyone's mind. He knew it was coming, had a plan in place (not prolong things), and made sure we knew it. The other thing, is that he was living such a lousy life because of it, that it was better he not have to live that way anymore.

    It's weird even drugged so he couldn't feel anything, or even talk to us anymore it's as if he still knew when to give up. I sat with him for two days STRAIT, and when I went down stairs to eat something is when it happened I know that was on purpose. The fact it was the day after mothers day instead of on mothers day was his choosing too.
  • OnionMomma
    OnionMomma Posts: 938 Member
    My son was on diuretics to help his heart due to a heart defect he was born with.He started on Lasix and them moved to a combination of lasix/spironolactone. the 1st can deplete potassium from the body, the second is a potassium sparring diuretic.

    He stayed on his diuretics until about 6 weeks post op and we were able to stop.

    Oxygen may help as well but in all reality, I think you are fighting a losing battle as hard as it sounds. I completely agree with the poster above me. I'm sorry and that doesn't make it any easier.

    I think at some point probably soon, you need to have a meeting with his "team" of DRs and see if hospice can step in and be of help.
  • LisaD1021
    LisaD1021 Posts: 42 Member
    Sorry you are going through this. My Mom just passed away last Thursday from the same thing. She was also Type 2 Diabetic and had high blood pressure. She was 81 years old.
    As hard as it is to face, you're getting to a point where all you can do is make him comfortable. If you want to PM me, I can tell you everything we went through with Mom. It was 8 weeks of emotional roller coaster that I'm still riding, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I know she is OK now, I just need to get through this.
    My heart goes out to you, I truly understand everything you're going through.
  • MommyofLily
    MommyofLily Posts: 149 Member
    Hi there. So sorry you are going through this. My mom is also in CHF. Hers is due to her disease, pulmonary hypertension (PH). It sounds like your dad could possibly have this too based on how you described his symptoms. If he is in that bad of shape, it might be way too late to try to treat him for PH if that is what he has, but it might be worth mentioning it to his doc if he is still able to go see his doc.

    Symptoms of PH: http://www.phassociation.org/page.aspx?pid=974

    Heart failure in PH patients results from the poor lung function which makes the heart work harder to pump the oxygenated blood through the system. I know how scary this is because I've been through it. My dad died 8 years ago this Thursday due to Diabetes and other health problems. It sucks watching your parents go.

    I'm here if you want to talk any more about PH or what you're going through. Some days I feel so alone with dealing with this stuff.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    There is just nothing like caring for your parents as they age. It is so heartbreaking because during your life they were so strong. I 'm so sorry that you are going through this and hope that you have a lot of support. My mother passed away a year ago from congestive heart failure after battling cancer for 15 years. When she got to the point of difficult breathing and they put her on diuratics, her organs slowly started failing. She passed away within 2 weeks. Have you contacted Hospice? This is a wonderful organization that will be such a good support and will help you get anything you need to make your father's last days easier. We waited too long and they were only with us for the last week. They will come in at any point that the family needs them. Take care of yourself and know that there are a lot of people thinking of you. :flowerforyou:
  • TexasRattlesnake
    TexasRattlesnake Posts: 375 Member
    Can you reach out to a hospice organization? They're usually a lot more comfortable with the process of dying and up front about what that is going to look like where possible.
  • reddi2roll
    reddi2roll Posts: 356 Member
    Sorry to hear about your family's trouble. Agree with above poster. Hospice or Palliative Care would be wonderful options for you if your dad is ready to hear about those options. You might want to discuss that with his doctor. Does he have an Advanced Directive. Do you know what he wishes to do re: end of life decisions. Hospice or Palliative Care can help with that. You have the hard job of sorting it all out. If you can't talk with the doctor easily see if one of the social workers at the hospital where he was treated might be able to help you. You could also talk with a social worker at your Area Agency on Aging where you live.
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
    it's honestly hard to say, because it varies from person to person. some people go years with these issues and others don't. depends on how much he wants to fight or if he is just tired of it all. i would say make sure u know what he wants as far as DNR orders and such and talk with him about it so u arent stuck making some hard choices down the line.
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
    [/quote]
    It's weird even drugged so he couldn't feel anything, or even talk to us anymore it's as if he still knew when to give up. I sat with him for two days STRAIT, and when I went down stairs to eat something is when it happened I know that was on purpose. The fact it was the day after mothers day instead of on mothers day was his choosing too.
    [/quote]

    my grandma did the same thing, she was unable to speak or respond to anyone, but it's like she waited until we were all out of the room to go. it was less than 5 minutes that we were all out of the room, but that's all it took.

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