What is Heart Failure?

Since my mom's bypass, she is dizzy a lot so they told us not to give her her lisinopril unless her top number was over 110. It hasn't helped. She's still dizzy. It's gotten so bad, we are in the ER as I speak. Could it be the metoprolol? Should she not take it either?

After my mother-in-law had gastric bypass surgery, she developed sepsis. The doctors thought she might die. She made it through, but she now has heart failure because of it.

She will probably live quite awhile longer, because she does everything she can to stay healthy. Her heart is just weak. She stood up too quickly a month ago, and she passed out, so she has to be careful.

I know she is glad to be skinny now, but heart failure is a big price to pay for improved looks. She tries so much harder now to eat well and exercise lightly, but it’s frustrating to know that she will never be strong again.

@OeKc05 - My grandmother has one of those pacemakers. It works on both of her ventricles, pacing or stimulating them as needed.

Her doctor told her that it is designed to fix electrical problems that cause heart failure. The pacemaker puts out electrical impulses that serve to make the heart pump correctly.

Since she is old and vulnerable, she could easily die if her heart beats too fast, so she has the type of pacemaker that also has a defibrillator. If her heart rate is too high, it will shock her heart, and its rhythm will slow down.

I heard something on television about a type of pacemaker for people with heart failure, but I only caught the end of the program. I would like to know more about it, because I just found out I have heart failure.

It’s been really hard for me to exercise in the past few years. I just get out of breath doing the simplest things. I thought it was because I’m getting older, but it was much more serious than that.

I will be looking into this special kind of pacemaker. Has anyone here had any experience with it? I will appreciate anything you can tell me about it.

A member of my church who is in his fifties was recently diagnosed with heart failure. He has been overweight for the entire twenty years that I’ve known him, and that has taken a toll on his heart.

His fingers always seem to be swollen, and he says he also has ascites of the abdomen. I can tell that his stomach looks tight, like a balloon about to rupture.

He seems to be all right most of the time. His wife worries that one day he will just fall over dead, though. He ‘s on medication for his condition, but he knows his time is probably limited.

@manykitties2 - I am sorry to hear about your mother's heart failure prognosis. My grandfather recently passed away from acute heart failure and all the treatment for heart failure he had just didn't help anymore.

I think that when people are younger they really have to stick with a good exercise routine and healthy diet to help prevent heart failure later in life. Of course, some heart failure is tough to avoid if you have a family history of it, but I feel better knowing that I am doing everything I can not to follow in my family's footsteps. I will keep up with my exercise and eating well, hopefully that will keep my heart healthy.

My mother was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and she found that her quality of life diminished very slowly over time. She first noticed shortness of breath, and it became really difficult for her to exert herself. Apparently that is one of the really early heart failure symptoms.

My mom's doctor gave her a ton of medication and she had to undergo a few bypass surgeries to help with blood flow in her body. She is doing a bit better, but I think all the treatments have merely extended her life a bit. We're all hoping that she won't go through chronic heart failure anytime soon.