I'd like to hear from those of you who were hospitalized for edema of congestive heart failure.?

I am told by cardiologists that no preductable guarantees of success are possible with inotropics and IV diuretics. They say it varies by degree of left & right ventricular damage from MI. Many failures & non-responders exist using diuretics treatments. So then if you were admitted, how long was your stay until they said your edema had resolved safely. ?How long did you remain free of edema till it recurred again? (they say it always does, regardless of treatment modality) did you have respite of 1 month, of what time period? And did sodium restriction, fluid restriction & diuretics at home help to keep your edema from recurring? Please share with me. I have severe edema since Nov. which came on rather quickly. liver is exploding with ascites. Thighs & legs are rigid as wood, under intense pain & pressure from fluids within. I cannot flex my legs to wear my pants and climb stairs or ambulate hardly at all. My breath is gasping, sleep is near impossible, I am weak and listless.

Heart failure is a syndrome of ventricular dysfunction. Left ventricular failure causes shortness of breath and fatigue, and right ventricular failure causes peripheral and abdominal fluid accumulation; both ventricles are usually involved to some extent. Diagnosis is clinical, supported by chest x-ray and echocardiography. Treatment includes diuretics, ACE inhibitors, 尾-blockers, and correction of the underlying disorder.
Digoxin may be administered to increase muscle strength / contraction of the heart, slow down abnormally fast heart rates and help prevent hospitalization. I know one similar case who has undergone Off-pump CABG with 30% heart function who has not responded to Lasix diuretics. After administration of Digoxin, his symptoms such as pedal edema and cardiac asthma have vanished.
Please see the web pages for more details on Congestive heart failure.

Follow advice of MD. Each person and each case is different.

If you have congestive heart failure there is no cure, just treatments with diuretics, digoxin and ace inhibitors. Low sodium diet helps as well as exercise and pacing your daily activities. Since the right side of your heart is affected, based on you having your legs swollen (edema), and fluid building up in your system. Your next step would be buying an oxygen tank to help with your shortness of breath periods. Sleeping has become difficult because as you lay down the excess fluid from your belly is pushing on your diaphragm causing you to feel short of breath. Try sleepin on a lazy boy sitting with pillows behind you. Edema will continue to occur because the problem lies with the heart, the valves your circulation, kidneys and your system.