Mother is 86, has CHF is not doing so great what should we expect?

Question

Her O2 Sats @ 84-87. Doesn't eat more than a few bites of food a day, has severe edema in her legs(she's leaking fluid through her pores) and had a scope done, the doc said her valves were severly leaking. Mostly she just seems to have given up. Any hope here?

She is currently in skilled nursing unit, on oxygen 5 and on all kinds of meds.
I hate for her to have to spend too long there she wants to come home but I do not think we could care for her properly.

Answer 1

I am so sorry to hear about this. CHF is a condition caused by right sided heart failure. The heart is not strong enough to pump the return blood.
I assume since your mother is in a long term care facility that you have a DNR order signed by her doctor. This only means that they will not preform heroic measures to save her life. Normally, they order a DNR-CC. This is comfort care. They will still administer 02, meds, oral care, turning every two hours and basic care.
I am a nurse and I have seen this many times. This is the time, you and your family needs to come together, comfort her, let her know that you are there for her.
I am assuming that you are asking this question because you want the truth. Well how long does she have? I can not tell you that. I do know that this can continue for several days. And to be completly honest with you this is the start of a muliti -system shut down. The end is near and I am going to pray for you and your family. I am going to pray for your strength.
Good luck to you and your family.. Giver her kisses and let her know you love her. Remember, hearing is the last sense that we loose at the end of life....

I would not suggest moving her to your home. Although that is where she would want to die. Moving her will be very uncomfortable for her at this point. Hold her hand and let her go in peace.

God Bless.

Answer 2

CHF is progressive. Good O2 sats are usually considered 92% or greater. If she's on chronic O2, and still has a resting pulse ox of 84-87, then it must really drop with any activity. I'm sure she also has diabetes, and also possibly renal disease? Normally a diuretic (typically Lasix) is given, so she could pee off all that excess water she's holding, but this makes the kidneys work extra hard. She might get to a point where she's better than she is now, but ultimately I'm afraid the CHF will be the cause of her death. There should be a doctor in charge of her care who can give you some straight info.
I would seriously look into what kind of palliative care is offered by the hospital. Ask for a palliative (comfort) care consult.
If you have enough money and/or familiy resources available. the recommendation may be to take mom home and let her spend her remaining time with loved ones, in a pleasant atmosphere.
I am not a doctor.
Talk to her cadiologist.

Answer 3

I'm sorry to say there really isn't any hope. Your mother is basically starting to drown in her own fluid. Her heart isn't beating efficiently, causing the edema in her legs and the fluid in her lungs. Because she is struggling to breathe, eating is taking a back seat, hence the no appetite.

If you did decide to take her home, it should be under hospice. That's my opinion from the information you provided. Morphine is a good drug, if she's not allergic to it. It reduces the cardiac workload (how hard the heart has to work) and reduces anxiety from not being able to breathe. Supplemental oxygen is good for comfort, but with sats of 84, won't improve much.

Answer 4

Your mother is 86....... wow that's wonderful. I am 68 and have CHF. There are all deg res of congestive heart failure, only her doctor can tell you the serious of her condition at this point but if it was me I would more than likely want to stay home also. If you can't get her to a hospital. Say to her lets go to the emergency room and let them decide just how serious chf is. God bless you for caring. Reno13

Answer 5

Medically, no. Homeopathically, yes. But I think that your mother has to want to live. If she doesn't, that is probably your biggest barrier. I heard a chemist, that Bob Barefoot guy, mention calcium 3000mg, 600mg of magnesium and 5000iu of vitamin D a day for heart disease. Also 3000mg of vitamin C, from a Dr. Matthias Rath. One of the best weapons against chf and other heart related ailments is something called Co Q 10. There have been studies done with 300mg a day that reversed chf and other heart failures. Now, medically is she on lasix and digoxin? You might want to get her on these now if she wants to fight this thing. If not, then God bless her and you. I know how hard it is to respect people's wishes in these cases.
I gotta add I am not a doc but I am just relaying info that I have heard from PHd's and MD's and DC's.

Answer 6

My heart goes out to you. My mother died of CHF, caused by diabetes which caused her heart attack.

Congestive Heart Failure is caused by part of the heart muscle dying, usually during a heart attack. The heart is weak and cannot properly pump blood through the body.

My mother also had severe problems with her legs, as well.

And my mother finally gave up and asked me to help her die. She knew she wasn't going to be able to come home.

You are right to realize you probably cannot care for her properly at home. But, at the same time, you wish you could. And you would if you could. But you'd need a regular nurse there to take of the meds and monitoring and such.

I wish I could have afforded to bring my mother home, there at the end, but I knew I couldn't take care of her any longer. There was just too much going wrong with her for me to handle any more. I took care of her for as long as I could, and I have no regrets on that.

I would say talk to the doctors about their "Comfort Care" program. That's what we did for my mother when she made the decision she wanted to be let go. They put you on a slow morphine drip, so you're out of pain, and stop trying to treat you, and just let you go down on your own. It took my mother about a week to go. Some people go quicker.

It's the hardest thing in the world to be in the position you're in, right now. You probably feel like you can't make a move with your own life, because you're on a "dead watch." You know she's going. She knows she's going. But you just can't bring yourself to face it.

Every night I left my mother's room, and walked down that long corridor to go catch the bus in front of the hospital, I wondered if that was the last night I would do that.

If she has given up, it's because she knows how she really feels, and she's realized she's at the end.

I wish I could give you a hug through the internet, 'cause I sure know what you're going through. I wish there were a way you could contact me directly, so I could give you some words of comfort, and the benefit of my experience. You probably feel very alone right now, and you're not alone. There are plenty others out there, like me, who know what you're going through. You can take some small comfort in that.

My best advice is to be with her as much as you can. Make the most of what time you have left. Love her and make sure she knows how much you love her. Cherish the life you've had with her.

Take comfort in the fact that death is a state in which you exist only in the memories of others, and as long as they remember you, you'll always be with them.

Take care.

Answer 7

Sorry about your mom, I lost my mom two years ago to congestive heart failure, something I am experiencing myself right now.
Believe me when I say she is not giving up, her body is just worn out, and she doesn't have the strength to continue.
Now is the time to get the family members who are closest to spend some quality time with her and make her remaining time as comfortable as possible.
It is never easy to let go, we have a tendency to think well that's my mom she is a strong woman and has been through allot and things have always worked out.
Unfortunately this is not the case, enjoy what time you have left with her, My heart goes out to you.

Answer 8

Well, I assume she's on some meds? Probably she is too old for surgery, but a diuretic would most likely help her quality of life. And, if she's already on one, she needs a new one or the dosage increased if her lower extremeties are weeping like that. Also a beta blocker or digoxin may help, but maybe she's already taking these?

IMO, do what you can with medication at least to help her feel better. If she feels like **** she is not going to want to help herself anyway. Bless her heart and good luck.

Answer 9

I'm sorry but it sounds like your mother is nearing the end of her life. CHF does lead to death, the heart just is not able to keep up with the supply and demand of the body. Please keep her comfortable and spend time with her and tell her things you want her to know. She is 86 and has luckily had a full life. I'm very sorry, death is never easy.

Answer 10

My young ones and hubby continually make me breakfast in mattress on mom's Day. My young ones each and each make me a card, hubby buys me a card and plant life. We regularly bypass to the park and purely spend the day collectively.