Congestive Heart Failure? We Thought He Had A Cold!

I walked into his room where he was sitting in his recliner. His face was red and he looked bloated as he struggled to breath and talk at the same time. As I greeted him, the next thing I noticed was the "rattle" in his voice which came from deep in his chest. Pop told me that he was suffering from a cold for sometime and that he also had bronchitis. This is not unusual as he is now 89 years old and it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to stay healthy. It seems like once a week for the last couple of months, he's either been to the doctor's office or has taken a trip to the emergency room. So, when I was told by my sister a week later that he had been to the doctor's office again and that he was having difficulty even getting in and out of the shower, my husband and I decided we needed to bring him to our home to watch over him until we know more about the many tests he had been subjected to and the results.
  
One thing was certain, he was obviously unable to care for himself. Upon trying to take a shower, his breathing became more labored and almost collapsed! Pop and Mom still live on their own and have done well to car for themselves albeit with help from my sisters and myself. However, my Mom's health is also fragile and her mental capabilities are diminishing. She is very small and petite and would not be able to lift him if he should fall.

So, as I mentioned before, we invited him to come home with us so that we could keep a close eye on him and told Mom that this would be a good break for her and she could focus on herself and not have to worry about Pop. At first, she was happy with the idea but as the days went on, she became somewhat jealous of all the attention being doled on Pop. They become like children the older they get. Anyway, we had him with us for two days before he started to get sicker and developed even more difficulty with his breathing. That weekend was one of the worse weekends I've had in a long time. We were using a baby monitor to listen to him as he slept and in case he needed us, he would be able to call out to us. Listening to him breath all night I felt like he would not make it through the night!

(No matter how much he mistreated me or abused me as a youngster, I have forgiven him and vowed that I would always be there to care for him and to make sure that he never suffers. I can't stand to see him sick or suffering.)

Sunday morning we made the decision to take him to the hospital which was the best thing we could do as he had Congestive Heart Failure which is basically fluid around his heart and has lots of water throughout his body. This is why he was so out of breath and feeling so poorly. The doctors were able to relieve him of his water buildup and swelling with medications and flushing his systems with IV's.

The good news is that after spending a couple of days in the hospital and with some medication changes, he is now home and although he is still sick, he is feeling much better and appears to be breathing easier. He is actually back at home with Mom for now! We visited with him today and my husband gave him a haircut!

I am so grateful that he is doing so much better!