Heart failure - end of life

[Madgirl25]

Hi I'm just wondering if some of you lovely people can help me.

DM is currently in hospital with sky high blood sugars (15) and has an existing diagnosis of heart failure but didn't engage with health enough to know what state. We know that 2 years ago she was 35-40% heart failure

they have ruled out an embolism
she is on oxygen
no appetite
she has had swelling in her legs
recently says she lost a stone
she's been anxious tired snd confused, she's not really been able to hold long conversations

i am waiting to go and speak to a doctor so I'm reliant on her she has said that they have told her she will be in a week, be on oxygen and then take pills

anyone have any similar stories or advice so I can know what to advise?

Also I'm asking is this end of life or is it fixable ?

I’m really sorry your mum is so unwell, you must be so worried and stressed.
The best people to speak to are the staff taking care of her.
No-one on the internet is going to be able to tell you her prognosis because people on here aren’t her doctors and without access to her test results, medical history and without doing an examination we have no way of knowing (it can be difficult to tell even with all those things).

I know it’s hard waiting but honestly her medical team are the only people who are going to be able to give you any answers. The nurse looking after her might be able to give you a little bit more information whilst you’re waiting to see the doctor. Also, it might take a few days for them to have a clearer picture whilst they wait for results, do additional investigations, and see how she responds to treatment.

She sounds like she might have some complex health issues so any stories you get from other people are unlikely to be helpful (except for support) because every situation is unique.

I really hope your mum feels better soon.

Thank you
yes I am waiting to speak to them
today I just can't stop worrying and feel completely out of depth

Sounds a bit like the situation we had with my father. He was developing dementia so stopped taking his blood pressure pills. We didn't find out until he collapsed and was rushed to hospital (more than) half dead.

In his case he lived another 8 years but we had to supervise his meds from then on in.

I wish you and your mum all the best.

A bit more context is needed. How old is she? Assuming she is on various meds for her HF but is she compliant?

15 isn’t a life or death blood sugar. It’s high absolutely, but I routinely nurse people with difficult to control blood sugars that are much higher.

Is she end of life? Impossible to say without looking at the whole picture. If she’s in hospital she’s in the best possible place. We can’t reverse heart failure as you know but we can control a lot of the symptomatic parts (to a point).

I don't think she is very compliant at all and she hasn't attended appointments since 2023

So sorry to hear about your mum OP but as others say, no one here is qualified to offer any advice. So much depends on other symptoms, blood tests, perhaps mri or ct scans. The human body is very complex and so many underlying factors can have knock on effects in other areas. I would suggest you write down all your questions and concerns before you speak to the medical team. Only they can give you answers. Best of luck.

Sorry to hear about your Mum @Madgirl25 No-one here can really give you an informed answer, because only the medics can tell you that. What age is your Mum?

What I can say is that 'Heart Failure' is simply a catch all expression that the heart is not pumping blood around the body properly - but that can be for a number of different heart problems. It is not, necessarily, an immediate death sentence, which is what you are actually asking. My Mother had heart failure for many, many years - at least 15 - and didn't even realise that, until nearly 3 years before she died at age 93 - from pneumonia. She too, did immediately think that meant she was about to drop dead any minute and had to be reassured that wasn't the case.

As a PP said, write down all the questions you want to ask at the hospital, so you don't forget when you are actually seeing them. And write down the answers if you think you might forget.

And is this in keeping with her character would you say? For my father it was a change and marked the start of his dementia.

Sadly it is

So her BNP is 4000 and 88% oxygen upon admission it hour oxygen support