Any experience with heart failure?

My mom was just diagnosed with heart failure and I've looked on the net for info already. I was wondering if anyone out there already has it and what your life has been like sense. Any info would be helpful!

Oh...I forgot...my mom is only 45 years old, doens't drink or smoke, is a little over weight, and is in pretty good shape...I don't understand how she developed this (other than genetics).

Hello,

With optimal medication regimen and diet control (no more than 2 grams of salt a day), the symptoms of congestive heart failure (shortness of breath, leg swelling, inability to lie down without several pilloes) can be really well controlled. Make sure your mom is under competent doctor care (either primary doctor or cardiologist). Good luck!

Heart failure isn't good but depending on her circumstances: other medical problems, family history, smoking, weight, and age...she could have a great prognosis or a bad prognosis.

A great cardiologist is another important factor. You need to be able to communicate with the doctor. You should feel comfortable talking to him or her and you need to feel confident that your mom is being conscientiously taken care of.

I grew up with my grandma and her 3 sisters. At some time or another, all of them were diagnosed with heart failure.
Their lifestyles and the quality of care they received played a significant role in their longevity.
2 of my grandma's sisters ate poorly, they smoked, they were overweight and they, in general, didn't take good care of themselves. They didn't have as much success as my grandma and her remaining sister. Both of them were diagnosed with heart failure in their late 60's or early 70's and each of them lived to be in their mid-80's. They took care of themselves and if they were doing something that contributed to the problem, they stopped. I wish your mom the very best. It sounds like she has a wonderful daughter to take care of her. God Bless You. I'll say a prayer for you and your family.

Heart failure has several basic etiologies.
1) Ischemic - blockages in the arteries causing changes in the heart muscle.
2) Valvular - leakage in one or two valves making the heart output inefficient. There can also be leaks between the right side and the left side of the heart (called a shunt) that can affect the heart's efficiency too.
3) Chemical toxicity - certain treatments, like chemo used to irradicate breast cancer can be toxic to the myocardium.
4) Post myocardial infarction - heart attack causes damage that may never fully heal.
5) Idiopathic - No known other cause. There's the genes and it usually is with people who have no other risk factors and it can happen at a young age. Sometimes you hear about young athletes suddenly dying with this as a complicating issue.

Treatments as discussed above can be very helpful. People can live very long lives with heart failure, but truly the prognosis depends on the etiology of the problem. If the problem can be fixed or improved then the prognosis naturally improves.

Go along with your Mom (if she's okay with it) to her appointment and talk all of this over with her medical provider. Good luck.