Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Saw my mother again today. Shes regained her strength in her left leg and left arm. He hand is still weak and can not grip yet. the physio said this is usually common and one of the last things to recover. They are going to get her out of bed tomorrow to do some walking around.

Her left eye lid is still a little droopy also.

They have placed her on stage 1 trials for food and drink as they believe her throat may still be a little swollen. So they are giving her liquid which is mixed with a thickening agent so help swallow, and food currently is just things like yogurt.

She is being assessed again tomorrow, and hopefully will be on more solid food. If not then they will have to see abit sticking a drip through her nose to her stomache to provide nourishment. Fingers crossed this wont be needed. Shes desperate for a cup of tea and some York Jelly Fruits!

Spoke with her dr today. He had to ask me a very hard question. Whether or not she would want to be resuscitated should she have a heart attack. I had to say no, as I know that she has always told me, she would not want to be left bed bound or like a cabbage. There is always a risk it could happen, but there is no indication that its likely to right now.

He said, the blood clot busting drugs are working, and should see more signs of recovery as they days progress. Hes looking in to getting her endoscopy sorted and fingers crossed her angioplasty while shes in hospital and in a more stable position to undergo the operation.

He did say her heart is quite large, and her ejection fraction is currently 20%. Although whether its larger than previously when she was first in hospital is unknown. What I do know is her EF has gone up by 5% so that can only be a good thing.

Trying to stay positive and keeping everything crossed. Also trying to remember that it will take a few days of recovery and shouldn't expect miracles over night.

Still sharp as a needle though, telling me everything I need to do regarding bills, work etc. So that's something at least. Her friends are popping up to see her during the weekend, hopefully that will help her spirits.

Will update as and when I know more.

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

She seemed to be fine with putting names to people and remembering what's happening in the week and right now so that was good. Reasoning not so much. Kept asking for a tea over and over kept asking when we were going home. However that soon changed an hour or so after the blood clot drugs were given.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Mum's had another stroke. Happened while we were in the car today. One moment we were chatting the next it happend. She lost movement in her left side. Good news is I was 10 minutes from her hospital so rushed her there and they gave her the clot busting drugs ASAP. She's already regaining movement. Hasn't lost her speech and hasn't lost ability to communicate so fingers crossed she will pull through this time. Will know more tomorrow.

As the paralysis affected her left side, the clot would have been in the right hemisphere of her brain.

The speech centre is normally found in Broca's area, on the left hemisphere.

Spacial reasoning or associations - putting names to things or to people - may be affected, though. It's good that movement has already started to return, so it looks like it was caught in time and damage should be minimal.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Sorry for my ignorance but is there nothing else they can do to prevent another one?

Other than Shipman's Procedure?

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

I know, its true. But she didn't want to stay in hospital the first time, she was there 4 weeks, the first time, and they were still saying, it will be 6 weeks from discharge. Which it would have been, had the other issues not arisen. The thing is you cant make my mother do anything she doesn't want to do, even if you know its for the best. So all you can do is try to work with what you got.

[cymruambyth]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

When my dad was I'll we were advised to keep him in hospital because that way he would wait a couple of weeks for his angiogram, otherwise it would be a couple of months!

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Plenty they can do, but as an out patient, things move slowly. They took her off anti coagulants previously because they believed it caused an internal bleed, she was waiting for an endoscopy booked for the 1st july to see if there was a problem, before putting her back on it. So I guess that didn't help.

As a result of all that, her angioplasty was delayed, so her blocked left ventricle hasn't helped either.

Made a point to mention all this today, and they said they will try and get it all done now shes admitted, so fingers crossed she wont have to wait much longer.

[cymruambyth]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Sorry to hear of this latest setback, thank goodness you were with your mum. Sorry for my ignorance but is there nothing else they can do to prevent another one?

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Mum's had another stroke. Happened while we were in the car today. One moment we were chatting the next it happend. She lost movement in her left side. Good news is I was 10 minutes from her hospital so rushed her there and they gave her the clot busting drugs ASAP. She's already regaining movement. Hasn't lost her speech and hasn't lost ability to communicate so fingers crossed she will pull through this time. Will know more tomorrow.

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Good plan. This is quite a good page on iron deficiency, with a food chart. Interesting to note that a glass of red wine has more iron content than a boiled egg!
http://www.eatwellscotland.org/healt...ncy/index.html

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Thanks for the info. I had thought about vitabiotics but wasn't sure if the dosage were high enough. Seems like a better option anyway as everything is in one capsule and as you say is a slow release so should increase absorption . I'll get it for her today.

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Hmmm I see your problem. Just had a hunt around, this one might be worth a try. It's slow release so not as hard on the stomach, and contains Iron, B12, Folates, B6 and Zinc. Must be taken straight after a main meal to reduce risk of irritation and aid absorption> http://www.boots.com/en/Vitabiotics-...sules_1238755/
Maybe start it slowly, alternate days then up to daily if no stomach discomfort.

Your mum has a right to be copied in to letters sent by her consultants to the GP, invaluable to know what is going on. You just need to ask for this, it's not offered automatically.

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Thanx for the reply elsa. He hb last count was 8.9. And the same before that. She recently had another blood test by her heart nurse but we don't know the count this time as we can't get hold of her! Not due to see her again until August. They didn't bother to say what her b12 count was either. This is what is really upsetting me, everytime they do something we get half a picture and have to guess what it may be. No one had prescribed her iron, or b12,we took it upon ourselves to add iron tablets to her diet as well as vitamin b complex because a) no one tells us anything and b) she won't eat any of the foods that you mention. I've tried and tried to tell her to eat certain foods but she just won't listen so I've had no choice but to supplement instead. All her cardiologist will say is her haemoglobin is low, slightly anemic and could be a result of something wrong in the bowl or something or stomach but won't say if she is anemic due to iron or b12 so it's left to us to cover all bases.

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Hi SX Guy,
I'd be very wary of increasing the dosage of iron too much, as it is very irritant to the stomach lining and the last thing you want is to cause another GI bleed. That's probably why the GP hasn't prescribed more. Might be best to increase iron rich foods in her diet instead. Black pudding, red meat, pate, dark leafy veg, dark fruits such as blackberries, blackcurrant juice etc etc.
What's her Hb and B12 and when was it last checked?

As MrsD says, the hair loss can be a natural result of severe illness, stress or trauma, and can occur up to 6 months after the event. Apart from direct damage by heat or chemicals, anything that you see happening to the hair already started some time ago in the roots...you are seeing a delayed picture. It can be caused by anaemia, or more commonly hypothyroidism. Are her eyebrows thinning too? It can also be familial, in women of a certain age.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

More seriously, a folic acid supplement would be unlikely to do any harm and an iron rich mineral supplement would probably help, too.