I wish to hear from anyone who actually HAS CHF & severe edema - to share your experiences.?

Question

I was stricken with CHF & severe edema in Nov.06 - appr. 1 yr after a massive MI resulting from a car crash. My heart is only1/3 muscle tissue now & incompetent pumping force. But I have 50% Ejection fraction. Please tell me, if you succeeded with diuretics, fluid restriction, and did the water trapped within your tissues all over finally get reabsorbed back into your venous system. ???
did the water pressure & pain in your limbs or abdomen, finally moderate & go back to normal.??
I ask cause diuretics fail in my body. ALL of them.A bit ofcaffeine gives me some diuresis, but not Lasix or the Rx drugs. Cardiologists gave me no clear answers - they say to enter hospital, but they cannot say exactly WHAT they will do and when the water swelling in my body will disappear. They want an open-ended stay & I refuse. I am alone, uninsured, can't pay the fees & am terrified of hospitals. MY illness has no remedy, no cure. I want so much to know how you sufferers coped. Anyone succeed?

thanks, Amanda - CHF is known to cause reduced kidney function. the blood perfusion to the kidneys is deficient, this is due to the heart defect. However, I am not willing to be hooked into an IV drip with 20 times the normal dose of diuretics, this is danger to my body. I know that the chemical Rx drugs simply don't produce urine when I take them. this is not my fault. I am willing to take diuretics in normal average doses, and not more . also, since I have some bank savings, I am utterly disqualified from all govt. help for medical care. I've applied & was rejected. What little I have pays my rent, as I am unable to work now and landlords will evict me 1-2-3. if I don't pay on time. I envy those for whom diuretics did work. they can keep the edema at bay, (sort of). The edema recurs daily, due to th defective heart.

A victim of CHF has to keep ahead of th edaily edema. I suffer horrible pains in my limbs, from the water pressure exploding , the skin is like leather.

Answer 1

Well, since you asked this question a week ago and still have no replies, I will just give you some advice. With my studies of CHF and edema, I would definitely say you need to be admitted into a health care setting. With your body's rejection of diuretics, you aren't going to have much success reducing the swelling in your body, or helping your HF. With one will come another-- decreased edema = increased cardiac output and decreased congestion in your heart. The doctors can give you an IV with medicines to reduce your excess fluid volume which will increase your health and value of life. If you don't go to the hospital, my guess is you will continue to have poor health and continue to complain about your situation and that will be as far as you will get. Take further actions and do something: GO TO THE HOSPITAL. Even if they scare you, think about the relief you will have once your edema goes down. As far as not being able to pay for it, the government has numerous funds that can cover your stay.