Anyone who is afflicted with congestive heart failure & edema please reply.?

Question

I am afflicted severely but the Rx chemical diurectics fail to make urine in my kidneys. Only caffeine seems to do it somewhat. So please tell me, if you had severe pitting edema in lower limbs, thighs, abdomen, after your diuretic treatments, & fluid restriction & salt limitations, did the water packed in your tissues ever get fully REABSORBED into your bloodstream??? I am told this process is extremely slow to happen. Were you able to avoid hospital and drainage of fluids from lungs, etc. simply by takng diuretics?
I am in severe pain in limbs and have some fluid in lungs and gasping when I breathe. I'm told by Drs that this is basically my fate unless I get new heart entirely. Edema will recur & recur & recur until heart pumps normally. I believe in ultrafiltration as more serious method to remove fluid overload. But the residual water in tissues is still not directly affected. Please - share your experiences with me.
I had MASSIVE MI after car hit me. Been ill since.

SA16- thanks for reply. My creatinine, albumin, liver/kidney functions are A-OK. Ejection fraction is 50%. heart is now 2/3 scar tissue. but water streams out my right leg day&night. It won't stop. I wear incontinence pads to absorb flow. My dread fear is that the water packed in my thighs, etc. under such pressure, will maybe not reabsorb back into bloodstream, this would be a lifetime of torment. Diuretics do not directly remove water from tissue spaces. I'm scared. CHF seems to decrease urine output directly from its onset. diuretics failed on me. Pray for me & ask God for mercy on me. I pray Jesus for death every day, I am in torment. Pressure within my limbs & tissues is explosive & legs are hard as wood to touch. Skin is like leather now. Stretched to breaking point.

Answer 1

I think a 2nd opinion is ALWAYS important. It just gives you another outlook. Different Dr's may know different things, may have different beliefs, may have learned different techniques, may be more up to date on new procedures, medications. Maybe even try a teaching hospital.. You should not be in pain! I would think hospitalization to get the fluid out presently would help. then a daily mediacation to help prevent. Check w/ another Dr. A SPECIALIST! Start there--good luck!

Answer 2

Wow, my thoughts are with you.

However, if the diuretics are not working, then you either have kidney damage, which is a common effect of heart failure, or your need to try a new diuretic.

Unfortunately, if the heart isn't pumping effectively, then the likelihood of all of the fluid leaving the tissues is low. Even if the diuretic is working, then your poor heart cannot keep "ahead" of the accumulation, and it will continue to build up.

There are many other causes of edema. There are also many other treatments. I would recommend talking to your doctor and reiterating how much pain you are in. Ultrafiltration (or SLED, or dialysis) may be appropriate to get ahead of the build-up.

I cannot comment much more w/o knowing much more about your health history, symptoms, and lab results. For example, what is your blood protein and albumin levels. This can affect edema. Sorry I cannot help more. Good luck. Be sure to talk to your doctor. If he/she is not listening, then it may be time to find a physician who does listen.

Answer 3

After twenty or more postings of the same question, here are a few things that can be concluded:

Your heart can not be 2/3rds scar tissue and have a 50% ejection fraction. I know you are only repeating what you were told BUT IT IS WRONG.

Loop diuretics are not selective on whom they work. If they are in your bloodstream they will affect the distal tubuals of your kidney and you will experience diuresis - the exception might be someone who has chronically used these medications for years. Even with people who have impared kidneys, respond to diuretics.

The edema in your legs could drain over a weekend if you are volume overloaded. If your legs are edematous because of a lymph drainage problem, therapies can very sucessfully address that too.

You will breath better if you get the fluid out of your lungs.

You would prefer to continue to gasp and have painful limbs rather than take proactive action to address your problem.

You would rather ask the general public for their opinions and sympathy rather than address your medical problems.

You would rather have a bank account than do what you need to to breath better and prolong life.

It is a joke to imagine that you might participate in a heart transplant operation when you refuse to even get the basic care that you need.

I suggest that you seek help to cope with the mental aspects of the problem and you interpret it that I think your problem is all in your head. SOME of your problem is in your head because you are behaving so disfunctionally.

Harsh? Yes, perhaps it will prod you into doing what you need.
Good luck.

Answer 4

Don't know much about CHF but what I do know is to be careful with any meds including diuretics. They can cause serious Potassium problems and also they take out the bad with the good with diuretics.. Also other melds cause edema and you will find it all over the Internet, but doctors don't believe in the Internet. My wife was in the hospital on intervenes dire tics and at the same time was giving a drug causing adema. Good luck