atrial fibrillation worsening breathlessness

[rosmarin]

My husband was diagnosed with atrial. fibrillation 18 years ago and it has been well controlled with beta blockers. However he was also diagnosed with liver cirrhosis 20 months ago. Now he has increasing breathlessness, is very
weak and exhausted all the time. Is it possible to find out what is the exact cause of the worsening breathlessness?          He also seems to have a lot of aches and pains.He has had heart Xrays and lung Xrays but they show no change from over a year ago.I should add he smoked heavily for years but stopped over 20 years ago.
Rosmarin.


This discussion is related to Ablation?.

[ireneo]

When was the last time he was seen? You mentioned the x-rays but were they recent? Perhaps a pulmonary function test (for his lungs) would show something. A stress test if he hasn't had one or an echo-cardiogram at the least. Have they checked the status of his liver recently?

[rosmarin]

Thanks very much for your comment. He has has fairly recent xrays of heart and lungs,but they didnt show much change from a year ago,he has an enlarged heart which we didnt know about. However he is now going to have an echocardiogram in a day or two,so that may show up more. I think a stress test could finish him off! He has had a test for asthma fairly recently,but I shall ask the consultant about  any other pulmonary tests available. We are in the UK so have to push the NHS doctors as it is common knowledge that the over 60s have low priority.That is why the internet is so invaluable,I need to know how to ask the right questions.
Thankyou again for your helpful comment.

[ireneo]

The echo will be helpful to show how enlarged the heart may be (that can cause breathlessness and fatigue since it won't be pumping as efficiently), show any valve problems and hopefully they will check his ejection fraction too. That shows how much blood is being pumped out of the heart (55-60% is pretty normal).

There are stress tests that don't involve walking on the treadmill. Some people can't do that for one reason or another. So the doctor can use a medication to speed up the heart a bit just as if he was walking. Then they can see how well the heart is working under load. All he would have to do is sit there.

[rosmarin]

Thankyou very much, ireneo,I shall definitely feel more enlightened when we see the doctor and know what to ask him. Especially good to hear that there is now an alternative to the treadmill test,that was really scary last time,some years ago.
I am so grateful to you for taking the time and trouble again to comment.
Its great to know there are people in this world like you who are kind caring and encouraging..
I now feel more hopeful, rightly or wrongly!
rosmarin