Need Clinical Help and Advice

I have been in ICU for a week and have been diagnosed to have a Dilated cardiomyopathy. The EF i had the when I was in the hopsital was between 20-25%. After three weeks,  I was taken to another hospital for further tests and diagnosis. The Cardiologist who attended me said I have a viral myocarditis. I remember him saying about Coxsackie B virus.He even told me condition is post stage. The infection had been there for 3 to 6 motnhs. In the chest xray, I could see that the size of my heart doubled. It caused me severe shortness of breath and chest pains. ANd before I was rushed to the ER, i had lost consciousness and had severe chest pains when i was in ICU.
Right now, I am resting with 7 types of medicines taken daily. The following are:
Dilatrend, Digoxin,Aldazide, Rinetic, Comadin, Folic Acid, and Neurobion.
My latest EF is 20%.
Please feel free to share your medical advice on my case and any suggestion for treatment and management. I really need your expert and more advance knowledge related to my condition.
I am from the Philippines and my previous livelihood is hog farming. Now I am praying that my heart will shrink to its normal size, thus giving me a brighter hope of having a normal heart condition., with no risk of sudden cardiac death or stroke.

Thank you very much and God bless.

Joven

[SwanSong]

I can feel for your situation. I have a similar situation but without the severity. I have pericarditis, mild myocarditis, pericardial effusion, and atrial fibrillation. I was on bed rest for 1 month and spent 9 days on 3 separate occasions in the CCU.

I did extensive research on my situation before I even got diagnosed, because I suspected I had the pericarditis. You might want to research on European Cardiology websites about your condition. They have more knowledge about treatment of carditis (pericarditis, myocarditis, and endocarditis) then most countries.

The European Cardiologists have a better grasp on diagnosis and treatment protocol for pericarditis. Where I live there isn't a protocol for diagnosis and treatment.

[jezto]

hi sir, actually i don't think your heart is gonna go back to its normal size, but there are still ways on how your heart can function well and beat normally.. -marc from manila...

[kenkeith]

For some insight, the pericarditis is inflammation of the outer lining of the heart.  When inflammed it will inhibit filling and pumping of the heart.  Post inflammation stage there usually develops scar tissue that may restrict the heart to expand normally.  This condition will put stress and strain on the heart to pump an adequate amount of blood into circulation causing the heart to dilate to compensate and then overcompensate and remodel (dilated myocardiomyopathy).

Treatment of is to reduce the heart's afterload to reduce the stress and strain to the heart.  Afterload reduction med (dilatrend) dilates vessels and slows heart rate, aldazide reduces fluids can reverse remodeling if the dilation is due to the heart's heavy workload.  Digoxin medication strengthens the heart contractions.

Five years ago, I had an enlarged heart and medication has normalized heart size.  For a better answer to your question regarding reverse remodeling would require an  echocardiogram.  An echo views your heart as it pumps and fills, and any impairment would can be evaluated.