Could I be haveing conjestive-heart failure?

Question

My doctor told me i have a slightly enlarged heart. My left ventricle is thickened. I have severe swelling in my legs, feet, and ankles. I have shortness of breath, coughing, overweight. I have a heaviness in my chest, but also suffer from gurd, barretts-esophagus, and acid reflex.

i forgot to say that i also have high blood pressure

Answer 1

You are having symptoms of congestive heart failure (I am having the exact same symptoms). Talk to your doctor about this. He can order a Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) test which helps with this diagnosis. It is a blood test despite what it sounds like. It is elevated with CHF. Ask your doctor to run the test if he hasn't already. You may also want to consider having a cardiologist take over your care for this. CHF is very serious, but can possibly be reversed with the right care. My own cardiologist is following my case closely.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Most definitely. When the left ventricle becomes too large it compromises the size of the ventricle, making it smaller inside if you will. You can't get as much blood into the smaller ventricle, plus the oversized muscle just isn't as efficient as a lean, healthy heart.
Either way, if the heart isn't able to pump the blood quickly and efficiently, it can begin to back up. This puts pressure on the vessels in the pulmonary system, ie, the lungs. When the pressure becomes too great, fluid leaches thru the capillaries and directly into the lungs. This makes it more difficult to breathe for reasons that I will not take the time to discuss, but it does make it more difficult. In addition, excess fluid that is not being removed from the system adequately because of poor circulation tends to pool in the extremeties, especially the legs and feet.
The normal course of action is diuretics to make you urinate more frequenlty, thus removing excess fluids, and possibly a medication to make your heart pump more effectively, assisting with your circulation problems.
In any case, when the fluid backs up and leaches into the lungs creating shortness of breath, that is called congestive heart failure.
I hope this has been helpful and understandable.

Answer 4

Your symptoms sound familiar to that of what my mother had. She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure but lived many years with it.
I have significant coronary artery disease to which the symptoms you describe are very common with that also.
One thing that amazes me is the "coughing"! My cardiologist insisted to me it has nothing to do with my condition. Funny though, all my family members who have suffered cardiac problems had the symptom! I also read it so many places that it is a common symptom that it makes me wonder why my cardiologist would take such a position? He's known as one of the best in the area.

Answer 5

Due to stressful competitive life the effect goes on to the heart and pressure mounts when a human has irregular low nutritional meals with less sleep. The passage in the nerves of the heart gets narrow and weaker and hence the heart is not able to pump efficiently and it leads to heart attacks and other health problems.
In your case you need to quit smoking and alocohol and have diet in low salt/sugar and do some exercise and consume natural food. You also need to have herbal natural food supplements of http;\\www.nutrilite.com [no 1 company in its field] with turnover of usd 3.75 billion and/or http:\\www.herbalife.com

Answer 6

Hi Teresa, of course only your cardiologist would know for sure but the link below will provide a ton of information. Good luck.

Answer 7

Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure, is a life-threatening condition in which the heart can no longer pump enough blood to the rest of the body. With heart failure, many organs don't receive enough oxygen and nutrients, which damages them and reduces their ability to function properly. Most areas of the body can be affected when both sides of the heart fail.

The most common causes of heart failure are hypertension (high blood pressure) and coronary artery disease (for example, you have had a heart attack). Other structural or functional causes of heart failure include the following:

Valvular heart disease
Congenital heart disease
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Lung disease
Heart tumor
Heart failure becomes more common with advancing age. You are also at increased risk for developing heart failure if you are overweight, have diabetes, smoke cigarettes, abuse alcohol, or use cocaine.

Symptoms :

Weight gain
Swelling of feet and ankles
Swelling of the abdomen
Pronounced neck veins
Loss of appetite, indigestion
Nausea and vomiting
Shortness of breath with activity, or after lying down for a while
Difficulty sleeping
Fatigue, weakness, faintness
Sensation of feeling the heart beat (palpitations)
Irregular or rapid pulse
Decreased alertness or concentration
Cough
Decreased urine production
Need to urinate at night
you have heart failure, your doctor will monitor you closely. This means having follow up appointments at least every 3 to 6 months, figuring out any underlying cause and treating it, and periodic testing of your heart function. For example, an ultrasound of your heart, called an echocardiogram, will be done once in awhile to give an estimate of how well your heart is pumping blood with each stroke or beat.

It is also your responsibility to carefully monitor yourself and help manage your condition. One important way to do this is to track your weight on a daily basis. Weight gain can be a sign that you are retaining fluid and that the pump function of your heart is worsening. Make sure you weigh yourself at the same time each day and on the same scale, with little to no clothes on.

Other important measures include:

Take your medications as directed. Carry a list of medications with you wherever you go.
Limit salt and sodium intake.
Don’t smoke.
Stay active. For example, walk or ride a stationary bicycle. Your doctor can provide a safe and effective exercise plan based on your degree of heart failure and how well you do on tests that check the strength and function of your heart. DO NOT exercise on days that your weight has gone up from fluid retention or you are not feeling well.
Lose weight if you are overweight.
Get enough rest, including after exercise, eating, or other activities. This allows your heart to rest as well. Keep your feet elevated to decrease swelling.Here are some tips to lower your salt and sodium intake:

Look for foods that are labeled “low-sodium,” “sodium-free,” “no salt added,” or “unsalted.” Check the total sodium content on food labels. Be especially careful of canned, packaged, and frozen foods. A nutritionist can teach you how to understand these labels.
Don’t cook with salt or add salt to what you are eating. Try pepper, garlic, lemon, or other spices for flavor instead. Be careful of packaged spice blends as these often contain salt or salt products (like monosodium glutamate, MSG).
Avoid foods that are naturally high in sodium, like anchovies, meats (particularly cured meats, bacon, hot dogs, sausage, bologna, ham, and salami), nuts, olives, pickles, sauerkraut, soy and Worcestershire sauces, tomato and other vegetable juices, and cheese.
Take care when eating out. Stick to steamed, grilled, baked, boiled, and broiled foods with no added salt, sauce, or cheese.
Use oil and vinegar, rather than bottled dressings, on salads.
Eat fresh fruit or sorbet when having dessert.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I would check with the doctor,certainly seems you have CHF symptoms.

Answer 10

Ask your doctor.