Hi all thanks for accepting me into this group, I would love to help my grandfather feel abit more comfortable.Grandad had 2 replacement hips last year has suspected cancer in lung and ureter (both will stay undiagnosed due to fraility.) He has COPD, AF, Osteoarthritis and now got systolic heart diease with ejection fraction of 46%.
His main symptom is the breathlessness. It seems to catch him off guard and can be quite problematic especially with eating, it puts him off. It seems to resolve on its own and everytime he has a decent oxygen at 98% and Heart rate reading 70-90 all the time. He doesn't seem to visually be struggling either. He does take furosemide 80mg daily. Any tips before we see heart specialist at guys. His 86 and currently BEDBOUND cause of the hips and breathing.
Please help a Grandaugther help out her grandfather!
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Danielle2419
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Being with him and doing things that he enjoys will bring pleasure which releases the feel good hormones which in turn help. Stress causes dis-ease so when with stay calm - he has enough to deal with and will pick up your stress so enjoy the time you have.
His medical needs are complex so all I would suggest is that you ask if his medical needs are taken into account as a WHOLE by a team. Many meds contraindicate other conditions.
Breathing exercises can help but check with COPD specialist which may help and which to avoid.
As my grandmother said - age is a B….. and something gets you in the end. Make the most of the time with him.
From your post l can read between the lines how much you love your Grandad. He certainly has lots of health problems right now. Perhaps some physio. would help to get him mobile, so worth asking his GP to see if they could get him mobile, even if just to sit in a chair would be beneficial. With the warm weather just around the corner the sunshine will give him a boost. Also, ask for some help with his breathing. There are things they can do. Just make sure he is getting all the care that he needs. Make the most of your time together. Try to make him smile as much as possible and let him know how special he is, sometimes that does more than medication could ever do. Love and prayers.
Thanks so much, this really helps. I don't want to give up on him. I won't ever. Yes physio will be helpful I did get him up yesterday and into the chair. His in process of getting hospital bed so he can be raises up bit better and hopefully ease him of the bed with lots of vigilance behind him with tons of encouragement he can walk with a zimmer frame. It's really thrown him just last Yr upto September he was walking and caring for my nan.
Oh bless him. All this Covid has not helped any of us either and the vaccines can be debilitating on top of everything else. It’s been such an awful wet winter. Let’s hope the summer will build him up and help him feel better. Perhaps you can get a wheelchair, temporarily, for him. You could probably get one from Social Services. You can in my area. Hope it all works out for you and things get better. Try not to worry. We can only do our best and you are doing that.
So very sorry to hear of your Grandfather's failing health, its not easy seeing a loved one going through this and as far as you can help is to spend time with him, make sure he gets what he needs and that little bit extra that only grandchildren can provide. My husband adores our grand daughter and likes to spend as much time with her as possible, they confer on books they are reading, communicate via WhatsApp and so on. Some of us oldies like to play card games, do quizzes to keep our minds active and so on and also go out for a drive etc. You can also be a voice for him by accompanying him to appointments etc., giving him confidence because you are there. With the breathing, well it's difficult however for me breathless is due to fluid over load so he may need a diuretic to help with this, reducing the fluid overload relieves pressure on the heart. In all other respects let him know you are there for him, provide him with love and companionship so he doesn't feel isolated and alone, Sending my very best wishes x
Thank you everyone for answering this he is currently on Furosemide 40mg 2 times a day. Hopefully this can help I believe he has fluid as well, but his fluid build up is around lungs and not around heart. There was no malignancy in the fluid so it seemed to be related to heart. Nonetheless I try my best to spend my time it's hard with work I work 5 days 8 to 6 and just have weekends. Saturdays I am round there most of the day. He likes a paper to do suduoku and putting bets on. Brought the big TV up from living room so he has that now.
Hi Danielle, very well done for loving and caring for your Grandad, he is a lucky man, despite his health issues.Two things from me, and like most people on this helpful site, I am not medically trained, so bear that in mind..
I read this on the NHS website - "Furosemide can cause a blood pressure condition called orthostatic hypotension. With this condition, your blood pressure drops when you change positions, such as when you stand up. It can be dangerous because it can make you dizzy or cause you to fall. In serious cases, orthostatic hypotension may make you faint."
So, maybe something to ask about.
Secondly, I have lived with an Ejection Fraction of exactly 46% for about five years now, since 'heart failure', which just means your heart isn't operating as well as it might. A 'good' EF measurement is only around 60% so don't panic over that. I live a completely satisfactory life, playing golf twice a week (and carrying clubs etc all through the wet winter that we've just had). I also have a wonky heartbeat, hence I keep an eye on this site, but it really doesn't bother me day to day. I appreciate that others are different and can be very troubled by AF. I'm 70, by the way.
So, my post is simply to encourage you and your Grandad, things may not be as bleak as they may seem right now. Good luck and good health to you both.
Omg this is amazing and very reassuring I will never ever give up Hope on him even when the doctors think it's time to give up. I aint doing that just yet. They were saying 6 months to live in November without heart trouble based on undiagnosed nodules in lungs. Yet his still here thriving somehow
Welcome to the Forum Danielle, I am sure all the members here will welcome you and offer advice to help your grandfather based upon their own experiences. Have you visited the AF Association webpage? You will find a wealth of information from helpful videos to patient resources and flyers about AF; heartrhythmalliance.org/afa/uk
If you prefer a chat with our Patient Services Team then please call; 01789 867 502 or email; info@afa.org.uk
that’s a high dose of furosemide and he could be dehydrated. I was on that drug snd one of the times I was in hospital it was changed to Co-smilofruse. It’s not so harsh on the kidneys
My husband has an ejection fraction of 29% snd has been like that for ages He was told that the average is 50% so your grandad’s doesn’t sound too bad at 43%
Your poor grandad he does have a lot of problems though and I do hope they are resolved soon
I'm so sorry to hear about your grandad. He has a lot to deal with but his heart failure/ejection fraction isn't really one of them. As others have explained , it's a dreadful term and does not mean his heart will suddenly pack up. The phrase heart insufficiency would be better. EF of 46 isn't bad at all. I see he has COPD which can be distressing but, just a thought, is he by any chance taking ticagrelor; a blood thinner? When I took it it made me suddenly feel as if I couldn't take a deep breath even though my says were 99%. It felt like asthma. I had it changed to clopidogrel. It was so distressing I literally begged the consultant to change it. He's on a high dose of furosemide so make sure he's drinking plenty; he could get dehydrated. Exercise will be difficult I Know but there are lots of sites online that show seated exercise which can help the heart. Meanwhile just give him lots of love and reassurance. If he's in bed upstairs he'll feel isolated. See if social services could possibly fit a stair lift or get him a wheelchair although there could be a long wait. Red cross often hire out wheelchairs or you could maybe find a second hand one.
If he has Afib that may be causing the breathlessness. His Ejection fraction doesn’t sound to bad. He may need to have an ablation to stop the afib. It’s sounds like he has a lot of health issues going on and it may take a while for him to heal especially after hip replacements. Is he on just one medication? What a wonderful granddaughter you are to help him!
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Fingers and toes crossed please my friends.
