Don't assume you know what's wrong! Update on old thread

Hi. Just returned from a doctor visit mandated by Social Security in relation to my disability claim. The brain fog and excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue I attributed the sleep disorders, and the joint pain to the PLMD. The shortness of breath I blamed the extra weight for. Over the past several months I've found myself altering my days to avoid stairs or walking more than a few yards, and have even half-joked with my friends with "My heart can't take this" type of remarks. Well, today I had an EKG and chest x-ray. My heart is enlarged and I am close to congestive heart failure. While apnea and weight are contributing factors, cpap can only prevent futher stress on the heart - it can't fix this. Just wanted to tell this in case some reader keeps waiting on cpap to make them feel better and delaying treatment, when their labored breathing with minimal exertion is cause for medical attention. To all the regulars in the chat room at nite who challenge me about taking my mask off during the nite - I will be wearing my mask all nite from now on!
Kathy

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP

Hey, Kathy. Am so sorry to hear about your enlarged heart. Is there anything the doctors can do at this point to prevent congestive heart failure?

I'll be praying for you and hope you will keep us updated.

Low salt diet. Water pills. Is how I got better. I had congested heart failure with my 2nd child. LoL had doctor tell me was post partum blues. I have a high history of heart problems in family and am pron to dying of heart diease. I know that Low salt and Water pills are not the complete answer by they do help. Was told losing weight also will help.

Kathy,

I am so sad to hear about your heart problems.
I don't know a lot about your condition but I hope there is something you can do to help it.
You are in my thoughts and prayers my friend.

Gerard

So sorry to hear about your heart Kathy. Hopefully others will read your post and realize that OSA isn't always the only problem. I hope you are able to get the medical treatment you need. Keep us posted.

Brenda

I know that I am weird to the MAX, but honestly Kath, I'm SO HAPPY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR HEART PROBLEMS!!! Now, I love ya, so don't take this wrong. You were diagnosed today CLOSE to CHF, not IN CHF!!!! I'm SO HAPPY that it got diagnosed and that you can begin treatment to make it better!!

I had to suffer a pretty dramatic heart-attack last March 31st to get myself diagnosed. I'll tell ya, that when they slap defibrillator pads on ya when they're rushing you up to the cath lab from the ER for emergency stents, and they're afraid that you're gonna crash on the elevator, it makes you sit up and think!

But listen, I WAS diagnosed then. And, I was BLESSED since I have very little lasting heart damage from it. During my stay, I also got diagnosed with OSA and have been really serious about my xPAP since.

I've also taken control of my life, in a way that I wouldn't have if I hadn't had this TERRIFYING shot across my bow. As you know from my BORING rants in the chat room, I eat healthy now, exercise aggressively at the gym 5 days a week, have lost more than 50 lbs, and I FEEL GREAT!!!

I credit my xPAP for most of the improvements I feel, and I am SO GRATEFUL that I was diagnosed, and it was caught before that terrible day happened that I woke up dead one morning, and folks would be there at my funeral muttering to one another about what a shame it was that I died in my sleep.

So, Kathy my dear, all I can say is HOORAY!!!! You got the diagnosis that you needed, and you got your providential "shot across the bow" just like I did. Now, your g-d-damned right you're gonna wear your mask THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT!!! We love ya and we're gonna torment ya to make sure that you stay with us for a very long time! But, you also ought to REJOICE that you got your warning BEFORE you entered tragic CHF, and TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY and make the changes that you know that you need to make in taking your meds, eating right, getting exercise, learning once again how to be a healthy woman!We'll be with you EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!!! And I'll ya babe, ITS SO WORTH IT!!!

Congrats Kath!!!!

Chuck

you can easily reverse that diagnosis. Get a dog, take it for a walk every evening, watch your diet.

The more you move the more energy you will have, there is no pill for exercise.
don't avoid the stairs, take the stairs just take longer to get where you are going, get tired stop and rest. Park your car farther away from the door at the store etc.

you should call your cardiologists office and request a script for a monitoring pulse oximeter. then you will know if the cpap is keeping you in the safe level of oxygen.

I would seriously be considering a daily preventative aspirin and niacin.

There are a lot of things to do for "impending" heart failure-I hope you will be seeing a cardiologist. I'd see the cardiologist before starting an exercise program-and keep avoiding stairs until you are cleared. That avoidance was protecting your heart from too much strain that it wasn't ready for. You will need a more gradual approach. Ask about the aspirin if your doc doesn't recommend it. Have a good night with your keeping on the mask campaign.

Kathy,

Needless to say, I hope the prognosis is good and you'll be in my prayers.

Best wishes,

Den

Wow, Kath. ((((((((((((((((((((((BIG HUG)))))))))))))))))))))))

I am so sorry to hear of this - but so grateful at the same time that the doc caught it before anything mroe serious happened. Do see a cardiologist - and take CARE of yourself. The world wouldn't be the same without you!

Your best nagger - er, I mean, bud -

CG

Please stay active and may you recover.

It's interesting the timing of your post. Here I am trying to figure out if I have apnea. And you with congestive heart failure.

I say this because I used to be a cath lab tech. That was a long time ago. I used to be very up on cardiology. As young as 17 I was teaching interns how to interpret electrocardiograms. I was a little hyper kid.

And now here I am, searching for an answer. From one side of the fence to the other.

But I'm athletic. My resting heart rate is 47 beats per minute. And that made it even more difficult for me to grasp. How can I enter a bike race, and trounce the kids who are thirty years younger than me, yet be a basket case on those occasional days now?

It's pretty scary stuff. I still think that activity is the answer to most of our ailments. That was Pritikin's hypothesis also. Even though he died pretty young.

I'm so glad we have the forums for supporting and communicating with each other. None of knows what tomorrow will bring, but together we can help make it through.

hey Kathy--Just know that there are many people here for you to encourage you and give you support and to send healing thoughts and hugs to you...We Care!!!! Please stay in touch with us in chat!!

Kathy,
Wow, heavy news and so glad they caught it. You are in my prayers.

Stay well,
Tash

Kathy,
I hope with proper treatment you will recover without much heart damage. Please keep your mask on, it will help. Like everyone else has stated see a good cardiologist & donot take that mask off during the night.it could help save your heart from further damage. Take care & keep us posted.