(Mods, I wasn’t sure whether this should go here or in IMHO, so feel free to move it if necessary)
My mother sent an email on Friday with the results of a recent Echocardiogram. She has had at least one, maybe two in the past, but has never mentioned Congestive Heart Failure until now. She did have Arrhythmia and valve damage, so these are the previous conditions which precipitated the latest tests. In her email she said her CHF is moderate to severe, and that her heart is pumping at 45% to 50% normality. She was quick to say that it sounds worse than it really is, but I think she may just be trying to convince herself more than us.
I did some research on the internet, so I’ve got a pretty good idea of the causes, symptoms, and available treatments (lifestyle changes, medications, and surgery included.) However, the main question I have is, of course, survival rates. I was always under the impression that people could live for many years with CHF without any major problems, but that was just an assumption I made without any education on the subject. In my research, the only report I could find on survival rates was very bleak. It said that CHF has a high mortality rate in the first 1-5 years, and that if not diagnosed within the first year, those afflicted are more or less doomed.
I came here first because Dopers in general seem to be a highly educated lot. I also figure many of you here have had personal experiences with CHF, and can give me some idea of what my mother (and my family, eventually) should expect. Thanks!