Congestive Heart failure at 44. Anyone else?

[LeftofU]

Had it for about 2 months. Really scared but hopeful because of my age.
Doctors can't give me a reason for it, though. Cardiomyopathy or "who knows".
Frustrated.

[barbtries]

1. i've never had it

just wanted to wish you well.

[LeftofU]

2. thank you.

Wishing you well, too.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. That's gotta be scary.

Are they doing more testing to find out the cause so maybe fix it?

[LeftofU]

4. Have an echocardiogram in about a month.

On thing about this is, there are no daily mensurable information on your progress.
There is only if i "feel good" today.

[TheDebbieDee]

5. I was diagnosed with this in July 2003............I was 40-1/2 years-old.

after narrowing of the arteries in my upper left arm led to a mild heart attack.

An angioplasty opened up my arteries and several years of taking Zocor and Simvastatin statins seem to be keeping these arteries open.

You don't mention how severe your CHF is........are you confined to a bed, do you get tired out walking to the bathroom, are you still able to work?

You need to do your own research, but I think that CHF means that your heart and its valves are no longer efficient at moving blood into and out of the heart. This causes a back-up of blood throughout the heart and the rest of the body. It is also a condition that becomes progressively worse over time. I think that it is also a condition that most people will develop eventually -I believe that if you live long enough, you will develop congestive heart failure.

If you are still able to live what I would consider a normal life at this point, then I will tell you that it may be possible for you to live another 60 or 70 years with this condition if you take care of yourself and eat a proper, healthy diet.

About 5 years ago, I read about a very promising treatment for CHF - it involved the use of pneumatic splints on the arms and legs and the rhythmic tightening and release of pressure in these splints. I'm going to see if I can find this article and I will post a link if I find it.

[TheDebbieDee]

6. Google for EECP Therapy...........

It's a treatment that MAY slow down the deteriorating effects of this condition for many months or years at a time.

[pertilotte]

7. CHF

Whoa there, just hold on for a minute.
I'm really sorry to have to say this, but doctors are real a**holes sometimes. My very own personal doctor told me that I have a 'baggy' heart and the doctor in the emergency room told me that I have 'congestive heart failure.' I rushed home after the 'baggy' heart diagnosis to look it up and scared the beecheesus out of myself. After the 'congestive heart failure' bit, I didn't bother to rush home and look it up; I just accepted my fate with resignation.

After 10 long months (yes, folks, you have read that correctly) and oodles upon oodles of tests of every kind and description, I finally saw a cardiologist who told me (with barely disguised disgust at the previous diagnosticians) that I do not have a baggy heart, nor do I have congestive heart failure.

What I do have is 'broken heart syndrome' or TAKOTSUKO as I will explain in another post as I am a newbie here and must reply to 10 posts or more before I am allowed to start a new thread.

Please consider carefully about accepting a diagnosis from your regular doctors; make sure you are referred to a cardiologist first.

Wishing you all the best.