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congestive heart failure

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Posted 6/25/2019 2:35 AM (GMT -5)
There is no congestive heart failure forum on the internet or on this website, so I just thought I'd ask the Lyme community about this as everyone is very active and helpful here.

I took Rogaine for a year, and then started getting chest pains. Then I learned that Rogaine is actually a heart medicine. I stopped taking the medication, but continued getting chest pains for about a month, and then they subsided. However, I then got swelling in my hands and feet. They feel like balloons. It hurts to stand for long periods of time. I can't sleep without my feet and head propped up. I thought this would go away, but I've had it for about 4 months now.

Although CHF is one of the leading causes of death in America, there is very little helpful information on the internet about it. I have no idea how to get diagnosed with CHF. From what I've read, it sounds like the diagnostic procedures are very flakey at best. There's no definitive test you can take to be diagnosed.

Does anyone else here have CHF? Were you able to get diagnosed?
Posted 6/25/2019 3:28 AM (GMT -5)
gfields -

Have you seen a Cardiologist?

My FIL had congestive heart failure - he was on medications -
he also was diabetic but didn’t stick to a proper diet and relied on the insulin to manage his blood glucose. (It wasn’t managed well)


My heart appears to be fine - I’ve onky had it checked once - with the basic testing - EKG.

I wouldn’t put it off - talk to your doc and get a referral to a Cardiologist.
Posted 6/25/2019 6:45 AM (GMT -5)
Definitive or no, there are tests of heart function that can tell you how dangerous what you are experiencing is. If there is swelling or fluid around your heart, inadequate function in one or more valves or chambers, arrhythmia, etc. then you can see that with an echocardiogram. The symptoms you describe sound like something definitely is off. There's a chance that the problem is neurological, like postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) but regardless it would be best to know. I'm not a fan of unnecessary tests and medical involvement, but not being able to sleep without sitting up is a heart failure symptom. (My dad did this for two months before having a valve replaced due to endocarditis.) Please get this checked out.
Posted 6/25/2019 9:37 AM (GMT -5)
Yes. See a cardiologist.
Posted 6/25/2019 11:18 AM (GMT -5)
Forgot the mention - there is a Heart/cardiovascular disease forum on this site. I don’t think it’s very active tho.
You could post on it and maybe you will get some responses.
Posted 6/25/2019 4:57 PM (GMT -5)
Thanks for this information. I haven't seen a cardiologist recently. I did see one maybe 2 years ago because I was having heart problems due to lyme. He said everything looked fine. I would assume he'd probably draw the same conclusion again. I think heart failure might be a tricky thing to measure because you're trying to gauge whether the heart is pumping efficiently. The cardiologist just tells you that the heart is pumping, but he doesn't tell you how efficiently it is pumping (to my knowledge). I'm not sure if you have to go to a specialist to get diagnosed with heart failure.
Posted 6/25/2019 5:27 PM (GMT -5)

gfields said...
Thanks for this information. I haven't seen a cardiologist recently. I did see one maybe 2 years ago because I was having heart problems due to lyme. He said everything looked fine. I would assume he'd probably draw the same conclusion again. I think heart failure might be a tricky thing to measure because you're trying to gauge whether the heart is pumping efficiently. The cardiologist just tells you that the heart is pumping, but he doesn't tell you how efficiently it is pumping (to my knowledge). I'm not sure if you have to go to a specialist to get diagnosed with heart failure.

Isn't a Cardiologist the Specialist?
Posted 6/25/2019 5:37 PM (GMT -5)
Hi, gfields:

Out of an abundance of caution and concern for you, I agree with others about getting checked-out. It may be inconvenient, and, depending on your situation, a bit costly. But, the cost of doing nothing could be much higher.

Over the years, I've seen many cardiologists and had a variety of tests: Several treadmill stress tests, a SPECT scan (uses a radioactive tracer), numerous EKGs, wore a Holter monitor many times, had a couple of doppler echocardiograms (ECGs) with color flow, an MRI/fMRI (I can't recall which), a Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) test, and a Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) score. Those are the ones I can recall.

The point is there are a number of different tests that cardiologists can employ. Perhaps one specific test will be helpful to investigate your situation, or several may need to be performed, in order to overlay all the results to get a more complete picture. There may even be other specialists they can bring into the mix, again, to help widen the investigation.

Despite healthcare having its share of problems, it also does a lot of great things and employs a lot of leading-edge technology. I spent quite a few years in Service/Support in that industry and they often take a lot of unwarranted knocks. No one here would be involved in a car crash and ask for a Homeopath.

Wishing you well, friend.

Dude
Posted 6/25/2019 5:41 PM (GMT -5)
p.s. There's also the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic.
Posted 6/25/2019 9:02 PM (GMT -5)
If you go to a cardiologist, they will do various tests to calculate your heart function to determine chf.

My dad has chf, it is from various things. Silent heart attack years ago, arterialsclerosis, and now aortic stenosis. Many different drivers for it. There are Many different tests to diagnose this condition
Posted 6/26/2019 7:52 PM (GMT -5)
Thanks everyone. Thanks Dude. Yes, I should probably just go to the cardiologist. It seems to be getting worse, not better. It's unfortunate how much it costs to perform these tests, but I should probably just do it. Thanks for the advice everyone!
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