Re: My question about Congestive heart failure and angina PLEASE READ
While I don't have CHF myself, and I am not a doctor, I work with heart patients of all types and associate with heart surgeons, cardiologists and other medical professionals in the area of heart disease.
The only thing you did not give was his ejection fraction. This is the amount of blood pumped out of the left ventricule when the heart beats. This is an important reading in the case of CHF.
Your dad has many heart problems.
First, the "widowmaker" is a common term used by cardiologists. It is not said in jest but more to reflect the seriousness of the situation. The "widowmaker" is the Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery which serves roughly 60% of the heart. If it becomes blocked, there is a good chance you will die. Period.
A heart attack occurs when one or more coronary (heart) arteries become blocked usually due to one or more blood clots. It's usual cause is a condition named atherosclerois. The is a build-up of deposits (plaque). The plaque usually ruptures, and as a result, the body's defense mechanism, a blood clot(s), form around the rupture. If the blood supply is cut off to a portion of the heart muscle, it dies. The heart is the only organ where the cells do not renew themselves. Once a section of the heart muscle dies, it remains dead. However, depending on the extent of the damage, many people that have had heart attacks can carry on in life and are allowed to exercise to a certain extent.
Angina is also due to atherosclerosis but the blockage is usually only partial, and the pain only comes on when a person exerts themselves. There is an exception called unstable angina where the pain persists when exerting themselves or also when resting.
Congestive heart failure involves the reduced pumping action of the heart. The symptoms your dad is suffering can be typical symptoms of CHF. The many medications he is on are given to help improve his condition. There is only so much doctors can do. I assume he is limiting salt in his diet since salt only adds to the problem of water retention.
The fact that your dad could tolerate a stress test, at least to a certain extent, is a good thing.
Despite how he feels, if he and your family have nothing but fear of the future rather than faith in the future, he can only get worse.
There are usually underlying causes for CHF including heart attack(s). Also the mini-strokes are related to his heart disease. I trust whatever risk factors he has for heart disease and/or strokes are being kept under control if they are controllable risk factors.
There is much research and trials going on in the area of heart disease, including a implantable device that helps coordinate the pumping action of both sides of the heart, right and left. This device is still in the experimental stage and only available on a limited basis. You may have heard of stem cell research that is going on. Results of this research have great potential, but results, if they develop, are many years away.
When the ejection fraction falls to about 15% or less, the only alternative, at the present time, may be a heart transplant. I know about five people who have had heart transplants, and all are doing well as long as they take their anti-rejection medication every day.
There is another procedure where a laser creates tiny holes, up to about 30, in the heart muscle. The exterior holes heal over, but the holes within the heart stay open and allow for adequate circulation. This procedure may or may not be of any help to your dad. It is only done at a limited number of hospitals that specialize in heart disease.
I wish I could be more positive than I have been, but you need to know what is going on with your dad. Possibly, someone with CHF, who has also had a heart attack, can give you their experience and how they cope with their condition.
You are always entitled to a second medical opinion, but feeling bitter against his doctors may be unfair, and they may be trying to do all they can for him. But again, despite how he feels, if he has a bad attitude, it can only work against him.