living with cardiomyopathy

[pmadhavi]

My husband is 44 years old and is suffering with viral cardiomyopathy. Suddenly he developed breathlessness 4 months ago and was taken to the emergency and after examination the doctors concluded that he is having viral cardiomyopathy. His EF has gone down to 20 and sometimes he feels very weak. He is taking strict medication and diet.
Last week the doctors did angio and told that there are no clots and his condition improves with time. My question is how much is he  at risk for heart failure. I am very much worried about his health. No concrete information on EF is given. I just want to know is this disease reversible, if so how much time will take. How risky it is and what are the measures to be taken if he is breathless again. how to improve his EF with diet or small breathing exercise.

[hotrod100]

Sorry to hear about your husbands diagnosis. I am 37 years old and have the same condition. When I was diagnosed with Viral CHF my EF was 5 to 10%. After a year with a strict diet, weight loss, medication and exercise my EF is at 41%. So, to answer one of your questions, yes, he has good odds of recovering as long as he follows his Cardiologists instructions. Limiting fluid intake was crucial for me to keep from forming fluid in my lungs and becoming breathless. Also make sure he weighs himself daily, on the same scale and at the same time of the day.( Usually it's best to do it first thing in the morning after using the bathroom.) You'll want to keep track of his daily weight as this will tell you if he's retaining fluid. A low sodium diet also seems to be a must. When my Cardiologist lowered mine to 1000mg a day it helped a lot to lower fluid retention. Walking also helps to strengthen the heart muscle. Just make sure he doesn't overdo it. Above all else, Make sure he follows ALL of his Doctors instructions.