Advanced Copd And Now A Heart Attack?
Monday
Sep 28, 2009
Hello all, my mother is 58 and has severe COPD from years and years of heavy smoking. She nearly died several weeks ago due to her oxygen levels and was put on a ventilator. She managed to get thru it and was released from the hospital only to return 2 weeks later. When she was in the hospital 2 weeks ago she was only treated for COPD and her heart was never even looked at even though i told the doctors i thought her heart was bad. Now that she is the hospital again they said she had a heart attack and all the main arteries in her heart were clogged so they put stents in but due to her COPD she was having serious breathing problems so they decided to put the other stent in days later. Do you think that my moms heart condition could’ve caused alot of her COPD symtoms. The times she has gone into the hospital she had alot of swelling in her face (mostly under her eyes) and very lethargic and weak, could this be from her heart condition?
Comments
Barry M
September 28th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
lethargy/weakness is a symptom of heart disease and COPD. People with COPD invariably have heart problems due to the same causes as COPD and made worse by it.
chris m
September 28th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
No, it sounds like 2 separate problems, but the heart problems could be related to the years of smoking too. My mother died at 60 from COPD related problems brought on by years of smoking. The swelling in the face could be related to steroids for the COPD. The lethargy and weakness could be related to both problems. I will tell you this much, though, and I’m not saying this to be mean, but if she doesn’t stabilize soon she may not be around much longer. With her COPD she doesn’t qualify for bypass surgery and if the stents don’t take care of her problems there it’s not a good thing. You might consider Hospice soon.
Darcee
September 28th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Your mom’s heart problems did not cause the COPD symptoms, just the reverse. The COPD has caused some of her heart problems. Since the heart has to work much harder to get oxygenated blood to the vital organs, it starts to enlargen. After a while, she will most likely develop DHF (diastolic heart failure). This affects the right side of the heart. She sounds like she has atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) as well. This is probably due to a life of smoking and not eating properly. DHF, heart problems, and bad lungs are a bad combination that cause things like edema (fluid retention) and fatique. Her body is not getting enough oxygen and her kidneys are working overtime trying to eliminate excess fluid.
As another responder stated, she has many strikes against her. If she hasn’t stopped smoking, she needs to do that as soon as possible. Her condition must stabilize before they can risk another stent. Surgery definitely is out of the question not only because of her heart problem, but her lungs are probably not healthy enough to survive a surgery. She is in a tough spot. She sounds like a fighter, so you can hope for the best. Just be prepared for a tough fight that may not have a good outcome. Good luck to you, your mother, and your family.