i think i have chf.

[sniper710c]

Hello. i have a problem. i belive i could have chf. the problem is after 6 er visits and countles doctors visits. my diagnosis is still unknown.  my symptoms are. shorness of breath, a simple walk around the store i almost passout with a pounding heart like i joged the whole time. if i stand in about 10 mins. the top of my head goes numb. if i lay down my feet go numb. i also have chest pains.  i have costochondritis witch makes these chest pains hard to tell if its cardiac or the costo. i also gained 30 lbs in a month.  no more no less. after 30 it leveled off.  no chages in eating habits or anything else. i also have periods ware the room starts swaying from side to side acompanied with shortness of breath. i also have palpitations and missbeats.  like one strange beat everynow and agin that gives me the sensation that my heart just exploded just just after it stoped beating for a few seconds. i have almost passed out from this. i also have spells ware i get extramly weak ware i cant even hold myself up. and then my left arm goes numb and i have a very weak but very fast heart beat 2 fast to count.  thares has been drops in b.p. and spikes.  to me it has to be cardiac. thare has been vomiting at times right after spells of palps. i fall under alot of the chf symptoms.  i cant understand why no doctor can find anyhithing wrong. i get rushed by ambulance by the time i get thare im still having palps but everything seems normal.  i need help. can anyone with chf relate to my symptoms??  if so it would relly help. thank you.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hi,

A possibility of CHF can’t be ruled out in your case. However, a very simple and logical test would be an echocardiography which will tell about the function of your heart. It not only tells whether the heart is pumping out adequate blood into the circulatory system but also tells if there’s any damage to the walls or the valves of the heart. An x-ray of the chest will also let us know if the heart is enlarged in size as it usually does in the case of CHF. Also a clinical examination by a cardiologist may help. I will also suggest a pulmonary function test as a disease of the lung like COPD can also present with the symptoms similar to CHF.

I hope that helps. Please do keep me posted.

Kind Regards.

[Encephalomalcia]

My mom had chf for 12 years and all of her family brothers and sisters of 11 and mother and father, aunts and uncles all the way back had CHF.  Also, my grandmother on my dad's side has CHF.  Their symptoms are left side heart failure:  cough, enlarged abdomen, weakness when walking, walking very slowly because unable to breath when walking fast, shortness of breath, shortness of breath when wind blows outside even though in sitting position, at end of life turning blue lips, nose, ears, feet, hands.  Right side heart failure symptoms are swelling in legs and ankles, shortness of breath, weakness.  When you have CHF cannot lay flat on bed, have to raise pillow to be able to breathe.  Generally not feeling well, feeling like you have the flu or some virus. I am wondering if you have something neurological going on.  Have you been tested for  MS?