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Not sure if I have CHF

Hi. This is my first time on this forum and I have a question. In the past two weeks I gained 16 pounds in less than 5 days, couldn't walk through the house without becoming completely breathless, my feet & ankles swelled til I could barely tie my shoes, and I was completely fatigued. I took 3 doses of hydrochlorothyazide 25mg and lost the entire 16 pounds and most of the other symptoms went away. I was still had slight dyspnea upon exertion and some fatigue. My MD has run a complete blood panel, an ekg, and an ecko, all of which have come back clean. He recommends continuing the diuretic and coming back in if the symptoms returns althought he highly suspects chf. I am ~130 pounds overweight, have hypertension & hypercholestemia. I am seeing a bariatric surgeon Wednesday for evaluation. My question is how concerned should I be? Is chf definitely on my horizon or is it here? So far I am worried but not scared. I thank you in advance for any answers you may give.
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Avatar universal
My husband was all prepared for his second hip operation and he had been through all the usual tests until yesterday when we went to the hospital to see Anaesthetist and he checked his heart and said he heard something like a murmore he then called in an other doctor saying she was a top Doctor at the hospital she could not here anything then she tried with the Anaesthetist Telescope and still she could not here anything then the Anaesthetist tried again and said what ever it was it had gone but he would not do the hip operation until he can arrange for an Echo of course that has left us in limbo. I will ring the hospital up on Monday 31 December 2012 and ask for this. Our doctor is closed until 7th January which does not help the situation. My husband is overweight and cannot do any type of exercise owing to the hip total gone although he tries to walk with a stick. My husband is 73 years old.Can you help.
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159619 tn?1707018272
COMMUNITY LEADER
Yes, get a copy of your echo results and make your doctor go over it line by line, they owe you that.

CHF may or may not present on an echo. It will if it's due to a change in the structure of your heart such as hypertrophy or dilation. If your heart was weakened by a virus or from previous heart damage it may not show. Having said that, if your doctor said it's good, go with that. They are trained medical professionals. Just make sure to get them to go over your report.

Good luck!

Jon
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Avatar universal
Thanks for the encouragement. I am dedicated to losing the weight, hopefully the surgeon will accept me. I have yo-yoed my entire life, I absolutely have to have some help with this. The MD is a member of the group practice where I go. My family practice MD is out of the office til the 22nd so I had to see someone else, therefore I wasn't familiar with him nor he with me. Would it be wise to get a copy of the echo to review before I make any further decisions? Thanks for your comments and encouragement.
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1701959 tn?1488551541
Sorry my message was cut off...

We are all at risk of developing Heart Disease especially as we age but by losing the weight, controlling our blood pressure and cholestoral levels we greatly reduce those risks. Even walking for 30 minutes every other day can help to reduce our risks.

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1701959 tn?1488551541
hmm interesting, CHF tends to show on an Echo so if all came back well but your doc still suspects CHF....?

Is this a primary care doc or have you seen a cardiologist?  If I were you I would see a cardio doctor, they can tell the difference and let you know the course of action.

Getting the weight off will without a doubt help as well and help with other health conditions. You are taking steps in the right direction!!! Good Luck :)

At this point, I would not be too concerned as your results came back very well, but it can be on the horizon if you do not work on losing the weight and changing your life style. We are all at a risk
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Avatar universal
Thanks for the response. No, I don't know my EF. I had the echo Thursday and the MD called Saturday morning to say it was all right, contiunue the diruretic and come back in if symptoms persist. That's all I know. That's why I'm concerned, I think I'm uninformed.
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159619 tn?1707018272
COMMUNITY LEADER
Do you know what your EF% was on your echo? That;s an indication of your hearts condition. Anything between 50 - 75% is normal.

Jon
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