Is it water in his the lungs?

I posted a previous question about my father being a cardiac patient. He was hospitalized again yesterday, two days in a row, he just wasn't feeling well. The first day it was dizziness and yesterday a shortness of breath. He had surgery over a year ago and I know it takes time to recover and obviously being a cardiac patient isn't easy, especially my father being the sensitive type. Could the shortness of breath he is experiencing be due to a water in his lungs? He said he started feeling that way since he got his new humidifier. He has allergies, too so that could add to the symptoms. He's visiting his Allergist this week to see if that could be it. Has anyone experienced or know a cardiac patient who experienced this that can give me a bit of advice? I truly appreciate your time this beautiful Tuesday, thank you so much!

Thanks for the answers so far. Helps a lot for the knowledge. Does anyone know what to expect after his surgery? Will he still be able to build his strength? I want so bad for him to get out and do something, even the simplest thing... he's very much a homebody and loves hanging out at home....

Yes, i do agree with J B.

Only a doc can advice you properly after thorough examination.

Shortness of breath is a very common problem for people suffering from heart conditions. I'm going to take a guess and say your dad has congestive heart failure?
It's due to his heart not being able to circulate oxygenated blood fast enough.
It's usually seen more often, and more severely when the person is physically active. So I'd suggest that your father take it easy and relax, and tightly limit physical exertion.

Cardiac patients - especially if they have had a heart attack - often have a weakened heart muscle. Sometimes, the heart cannot pump as efficiently as it once did and fluid builds up in his lungs. This is called Congestive Heart Failure. It does not mean his heart is going to stop - the word failure means the heart fails to operate as it once did. Often, they will adjust his water pill (if he has one) so that he can get rid of the excess water. For future reference, increased shortness of breath, ankle swelling, productive cough and more than 2# weight gain in one day should take him to his doctor before he gets in trouble and needs to be hospitalized. I'm sure all of this will be on his discharge instructions when he gets out. Good luck.

There is a lot to learn about congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy. I suggest starting by reading "the manual" at chfpatients.com. We also have a number of links to reading material at the cardiomyopathy Yahoo! group.

If your father isn't already seeing a heart failure specialist, I strongly suggest you help him find one. Just any old general cardiologist won't do. Find someone who understands this stuff and deals with it every day.

I'm assuming that your father is being titered up on an ACE inhibitor and a beta blocker. Those might be reducing his blood pressure and thus causing dizzyness. The doctors should be able to manage that, slowly raising the dosage as his heart adjusts.

Good luck, and please feel free to ask me questions off-line or at the cardiomyopathy Yahoo! group.