Heart Failure Support Group
Heart failure is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. It is often undiagnosed due to a lack of a universally agreed definition and difficulties in diagnosis, particularly when the condition is considered "mild."
Good evening to all,
I am writing in hopes to educate or possibly with hope maybe someone can even give me peace to a completely RARE event that happened to my mother. Christmas Eve 2014, My mother 68 years old suffered a heart attack. However, she only had heartburn (classic women's symptoms) she ended up going a WHOLE WEEK without treatment. Driving to work, shopping, climbing steps. It was just about New years when she told me when she was trying to sleep she couldn't breathe. I suggested to get to the doctor that didnt sound good. When she went to the doctor the doctor did an immediate EKG and said *You need to get to the hospital NOW, you had a heart attack* Everything spiraled from there. I am 45 yrs old and her only child (Daughter) we are extremely close (Best friends) to say the least. We are also a very small family unit and she is the matriarch of our family and this is my first REAL LOSS.
FAST FORWARD- I was in Nursing school, I withdrew to take care of her fulltime at home. The damage from going a whole week without care to left ventricle was SEVERE. A stent/difib was implanted. Heart Cath procedure blockages etc she was 99% blocked in Left Coronary Artery. She was diagnosed with CHF- Cardiomyopathy on top of already having Diabetes Type 2 diet controlled. she had lost massive amounts of weight before all this and her doctors tested her for everything but her heart. They told me her CHF does not cause weight loss. After finally coming to my house that January so weak she could barley walk we finally got her back to be able to care for herself and enter cardiac rehab and go home in April. She graduated 12 weeks of rehab and she was a walking miricle with that kind of damage. I knew and so did she she was on borrowed time. The thought of losing my mother was killing me but i was running on adrenaline this whole time. She fought so hard to live. Never once complaining. She was always short of breath tho that never went away and we always had to make sure she was in the *Green* zone. The roller coaster of emotions for me was intense while caring for my children one with special needs as well. The point is she had a really decent summer. Her only option to live was either a transplant or the LVAD. She refused a transplant saying she was to old. She wanted it to go to a deserving father or mother or child. (This was a small sample of how giving she was) her doctors pleaded with her to change her mind. She simply refused. By September, she began to get Ill it started with a stomach bug. She dropped 20 LBS. She lives 1 hr from me and i was unaware of how low she got When i found out i said you need to get here now. She was now at 114 and 5'7. We had a good Thanksgiving but my Mother was told she was dying. this heart was no longer going to keep going and she was put on the Milrinone IV .... I became a Cardiac IV nurse hands on training. I know she did not like this anymore. My very independent strong mother was now realizing this time she may not come back. Facing this HUGE surgery (LVAD) seemed impossible. Despite all of our cheerleading i was praying as I am deep in my faith that God would never let her suffer. On December 15th 2015 i just lost her. They brought her in to do a Heart Cath (Again) as they have done 4 times and under the anesthesia she had a RARE seizure. BEFORE the procedure even took place. She left this earth as humanly as if you put an animal to sleep. Thats exactly what they did. But I cant understand what could cause the seizure. Of course she had Affib, It was almost a year later which is a miracle she made it that long with that damage. I know she wouldn't have wanted that surgery. Im sure God had mercy and took her hand. She never EVER had a seizure in her life. I wasn't given much of an explanation. Other than as soon as the anesthesia was administered she seized. they tried all measures to bring her back. She is happy and in no pain now. It is I who suffers without her now. I wish i just knew what the seizure was about! I take peace in knowing she is in a happier place. to all of you who suffer with this. Please, Check out the LVAD if you refuse the transplant. i have so much knowledge now in it. My mother would have done great but she didn't have the weight to help her survive that kind of surgery. At death she was down to 104. Yes, Heart Failure i do believe can cause weight loss.
God Bless to you all.
I am writing in hopes to educate or possibly with hope maybe someone can even give me peace to a completely RARE event that happened to my mother. Christmas Eve 2014, My mother 68 years old suffered a heart attack. However, she only had heartburn (classic women's symptoms) she ended up going a WHOLE WEEK without treatment. Driving to work, shopping, climbing steps. It was just about New years when she told me when she was trying to sleep she couldn't breathe. I suggested to get to the doctor that didnt sound good. When she went to the doctor the doctor did an immediate EKG and said *You need to get to the hospital NOW, you had a heart attack* Everything spiraled from there. I am 45 yrs old and her only child (Daughter) we are extremely close (Best friends) to say the least. We are also a very small family unit and she is the matriarch of our family and this is my first REAL LOSS.
FAST FORWARD- I was in Nursing school, I withdrew to take care of her fulltime at home. The damage from going a whole week without care to left ventricle was SEVERE. A stent/difib was implanted. Heart Cath procedure blockages etc she was 99% blocked in Left Coronary Artery. She was diagnosed with CHF- Cardiomyopathy on top of already having Diabetes Type 2 diet controlled. she had lost massive amounts of weight before all this and her doctors tested her for everything but her heart. They told me her CHF does not cause weight loss. After finally coming to my house that January so weak she could barley walk we finally got her back to be able to care for herself and enter cardiac rehab and go home in April. She graduated 12 weeks of rehab and she was a walking miricle with that kind of damage. I knew and so did she she was on borrowed time. The thought of losing my mother was killing me but i was running on adrenaline this whole time. She fought so hard to live. Never once complaining. She was always short of breath tho that never went away and we always had to make sure she was in the *Green* zone. The roller coaster of emotions for me was intense while caring for my children one with special needs as well. The point is she had a really decent summer. Her only option to live was either a transplant or the LVAD. She refused a transplant saying she was to old. She wanted it to go to a deserving father or mother or child. (This was a small sample of how giving she was) her doctors pleaded with her to change her mind. She simply refused. By September, she began to get Ill it started with a stomach bug. She dropped 20 LBS. She lives 1 hr from me and i was unaware of how low she got When i found out i said you need to get here now. She was now at 114 and 5'7. We had a good Thanksgiving but my Mother was told she was dying. this heart was no longer going to keep going and she was put on the Milrinone IV .... I became a Cardiac IV nurse hands on training. I know she did not like this anymore. My very independent strong mother was now realizing this time she may not come back. Facing this HUGE surgery (LVAD) seemed impossible. Despite all of our cheerleading i was praying as I am deep in my faith that God would never let her suffer. On December 15th 2015 i just lost her. They brought her in to do a Heart Cath (Again) as they have done 4 times and under the anesthesia she had a RARE seizure. BEFORE the procedure even took place. She left this earth as humanly as if you put an animal to sleep. Thats exactly what they did. But I cant understand what could cause the seizure. Of course she had Affib, It was almost a year later which is a miracle she made it that long with that damage. I know she wouldn't have wanted that surgery. Im sure God had mercy and took her hand. She never EVER had a seizure in her life. I wasn't given much of an explanation. Other than as soon as the anesthesia was administered she seized. they tried all measures to bring her back. She is happy and in no pain now. It is I who suffers without her now. I wish i just knew what the seizure was about! I take peace in knowing she is in a happier place. to all of you who suffer with this. Please, Check out the LVAD if you refuse the transplant. i have so much knowledge now in it. My mother would have done great but she didn't have the weight to help her survive that kind of surgery. At death she was down to 104. Yes, Heart Failure i do believe can cause weight loss.
God Bless to you all.
Hugs and prayers.
Jean
Too often we drive ourselves crazy asking why. If I recall some of the releases I signed at the hospital, seizure is listed as one of the risks associated with these procedures, yet when the worst does happen, we ask why, how could this have happened.
It was your mother's time. From your description she was headed down this path and her body just could not withstand the procedure. She's now at peace, you should remember all of the great time you had with her, and be at peace as well.
Robo