my uncle had suffered a heart failure, and he's in the hospital fresh out of surgery. after this i went online to check out information of heart failures and such. and i have seen some yahoo answer users saying that heart failures = death. and they said that he was better off with a heart attack. im just curious. thanks
ps. happy holloween! 1 day late i know. Hi James,
Heart failure (cardiac failure) just means that the heart is unable to pump enough blood to the organs of the body. It can be due to many diseases eg MI (heart attack), extremely high bp over a long time, valve disease (eg aortic stenosis, narrowing of the aortic valve), diphtheria, etc. etc.
It depends how bad it is as to what will happen, and the cause. It can lead to death, but most patients live for several years on medication.
Hope this helps. For more info, IM. 65%. Statistics wise!
Continue his medication, get enough rest and excercise, and, watch his diet.
In compliments of: Dr. Rocalita Tibe 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.
Heart failure is a serious disorder that carries a reduced life expectancy. Many forms of heart failure can be controlled with medication, lifestyle change, and correction of any underlying disorder. Heart failure is usually a chronic illness, and it may worsen with infection or other physical stressors.
Please see the web pages for more details on Heart failure. First, the bad news: Heart failure will kill you. Eventually, it is 100% fatal.
Now the good news: It's not going to kill you any time soon, not if you take care of yourself.
Heart failure is the inability of the heart to beat properly. For example, you have a rubber ball. You can squeeze that rubber ball for days on end, and it will still bounce just as good as it did the day you bought it. That's what the heart is supposed to do.
But sometimes all that squeezing can "wear out" your rubber ball, and when you bounce it, it doesn't bounce as high. Basically, that's heart failure.
When I was diagnosed with heart failure in 2002 the average survival rate was 5 years. Now it is 2007 (5 years!) and I'm still going strong! According to the average, I SHOULDN'T be doing this well, and should be getting ready to die any day now. But if I die this week it will be because I stepped in front of a bus.
Five years is an AVERAGE. It takes into account the people who get the diagnosis, take very good care of themselves, and live long and happy lives. It also includes the people who are already very sick, are diagnosed with Heart Failure, and die pretty fast. Averages usually don't mean anything.
You have to fight Heart Failure in several ways. First, your Uncle has to have diuretics (Fluid pills) prescribed by his doctor. Diuretics make you pee. One of the ways Heart Failure works is that it allows fluid to build up in your body, making the heart work harder and harder until it just gives up. So going to the Bathroom is a GOOD thing in this case.
The second thing you do is to control the amount of salt in your diet. The standard heart failure diet allows 2000 milligrams of sodium per day. That's not much -- go to a fast food place and ask for extra salt. Take one of those little packets they give you, tear it open, and pour it on the table. Take a second packet and pour about half of it on the table. That's about 2000 milligrams.
This is the hard part, but it can be done. When he goes grocery shopping, he's going to have to start reading all the labels, especially sodium content. A BIG help is pretty simple: Hide the salt shaker! No salting the food in the pot when it is cooking, and no salting it after it's in your plate. A lot of people use salt substitutes -- Mrs. Dash is a favorite. I can't stand Mrs. Dash, but that's just me. I use a Lemon and Pepper mix that is sold with the spices in the grocery store. If he hasn't already, he needs to have the doctor get him an appointment with a nutritionist, to help him get rid of the salt. And it CAN be done! When I got started on the diet, I just KNEW I'd never be able to keep control of the salt, and it took longer to decide what to eat than it did to buy it, bring it home, and prepare it. Now, I've done it so much it's almost in my head!
The third thing is to control your liquids. The diet allows you 2000 milliliters of fluid a day. That's more than a 64 ounce bottle, so you can drink pretty good. DON'T think "It's hotter than heck today, I can drink more, I'll just sweat it out." because it does not seem to work that way! I don't know why, but sweating a lot doesn't seem to help.
This is the factor you can control the most. Drink what you are allowed, because if/when you have fluid problems, you can cut back if you need to.
Exercise, but not too much. Personally, I get out and walk. Perhaps your uncle isn't used to walking much, well, he should start. Start small -- just walk around the yard at first, and build up. Start walking and DON'T STOP until you are tired, you want your heart rate to go up. It'll help keep the fluid moving along and out of your body.
The walking will help you "read" your body, too. I have a light breakfast and then go for my walk; if I "feel fat" that's a sign that I might need to keep the fluids down a little that day. If I feel like I've got a bowling ball strapped to my stomach, that's usually a sign of a problem brewing. I usually call my doctor.
Keep a chart. The first thing in the morning, before anything else, your uncle needs to go to the bathroom and urinate, then go weigh himself. NO CLOTHES, if possible. The doctor may have told him to do this already, he will want to see what his weight is doing whenever he comes for an appointment. And it's also a sign of trouble... if you ever weigh in the morning and you are up three pounds or more since the day before, CALL THE DOCTOR. Something is going on, but if you catch it, usually all you'll need is a different diuretic, or a higher dose.
If things are going well, your weight is going to drop. Maybe just a pound a day for a while, then a pound or so a week. But when I went on the diet I weighed 205, and today I'm 155. And other than cutting the salt and controlling the liquid, I haven't changed the way I eat. And I'm at the dreaded 5 years, and still doing very well! |
