Thanks for your kind words, Janus.

I wish I could do something more substantial. At this point I must say I am almost more concerned with your state of mind than your state of heart, so to speak. Even though the facts about your current heart condition speaks for them selves I have a feeling (that kind of 'feeling' one gets after 15 years in this business) based on a compilation of your story, that the outcome may not be as grim as they have put forth.

Hey Janus, we may not be much in the way of family, but we are always here for you.

Go and get a second opinion if you have not done this, find a world class cardiologist and get confirmation. You owe it to yourself to know exactly what you are up against. Stay positive.

I just had my yearly, did the breating test and bombed it, so I'm on meds to breath now:(

Janus,

I am utterly speechless right now. I am essentially gone for the next two weeks for shows and meetings. If you need anything between now and Sunday let me know. I'll be back to a more normal schedule after Nov 8th. If there is anything at all I can do to help let me know.

Janus,

My brother had CHF, he was also at 10%. He is fine today and lives roughly the same life he did. He is only 35. Do not buy into the desperation yet, we were also given a very grim prognosis initially....don't give up, kick this things ass!

Janus,

I want to add that his diagnosis changed almost daily for the first couple of weeks, it seems there's a fair amount of black magic to CHF diagnosis, you never know what good news is around the corner.

lendaddy, good information for Janus to know. I too would be getting a second opinion.

Well, your instincts were correct before and so I hope they are correct his time.

Thanks, that is very encouraging. I'm glad to hear it is at least possible to get better. So far every website I have found has focused on "Dying With Dignity" and "End Of Life Financial Decisions". Not a single source has mentioned the possibility of getting better. It can be very discouraging. May I ask what your brother did in order to treat his condition? So far the only thing my doctors say is "Wait and see". Nobody even seems willing to discuss how the heart gets better. Does it heal itself? Are there exersizes I can do? Is it really just a crap shoot with the odds favoring snake eyes?

All in all, I suspect I am still living in a state of denial. It is like stubbing your toe. For a second or so, you don't feel the pain - but you know it is coming. That's how I feel now. It still seems a bit unreal. And I fear at some point, it is going to suddenly become too real.

Janus,

My brother has asked that you contact him via e-mail and he'll give you the skinny. I'll PM that address shortly. I don't remember exactly how or why he got better but last I knew he was up to 80-90%.

Janus, what ******* websites are you going to? Hell I did a quick google search and most of them indicate that a person of your age, not having had a heart attack, have a very good chance of recovery. For example:

"Ask an Expert: Recovering from Heart Failure

Q: My 52-year-old son has congestive heart failure caused by a virus that attacked his heart. He has only about 30 to 35 percent functionality of the heart muscle, and he is very concerned about the time he has with his two young children. Do many people with CHF actually get better? Is recovery possible, or should we be looking into heart transplantation? We are seeking any advice and guidance you can offer.

Answer from Jeanne Phillips, M.D., heart failure/transplant cardiologist and medical director of The Center for Advanced Heart Disease at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center: Your son has a great chance to recover his lost heart function, to lead a normal, active life and to enjoy his children for many years to come.

Congestive heart failure means the heart is too weak to circulate blood as well as it should. Usually, an event – in this case, the virus – causes the initial injury. The heart tries to compensate for its weakened state by enlarging itself. But the added size just makes the heart weaker and less efficient.

The percentage of patients who recover from congestive heart failure varies, depending on the cause of the damage, the patient's age and his or her individual response to medications.

I see a number of factors that suggest optimism in your son's case. First, he is relatively young. Second, the fact that a virus started this (rather than a heart attack) is in his favor. Third, we have two medications that greatly improve the condition of most patients.

The two drugs work in different ways to allow the heart to regain its strength:

Ace inhibitors dilate the blood vessels, making it easier for the heart to circulate blood. They also block the damaging hormonal changes that heart failure sets off.

Beta blockers block the toxic effects of extra adrenaline that the body secretes in an ill-fated attempt to get the enlarged, weakened heart to pump faster and harder. Initially, the extra adrenaline does the job. But over time, it poisons the heart, weakening it further.
In addition, some patients need diuretics to control fluid build-up in the lungs and other tissues. This excess fluid can create extreme shortness of breath in a patient who otherwise would have enough heart function for daily activities.

Your son should start drug therapy as soon as possible. With continued use, the drugs have the potential to increase heart function to normal or near-normal levels.

Stick with it for six months, then measure the improvement.
After about six months, your son’s cardiologist may order an echocardiogram (or ultrasound of the heart) to measure how much your son’s heart function has improved on the drug therapy. It was probably an echocardiogram that was used to determine his current heart function of 30 to 35 percent. The cardiologist may refer to that number as the “ejection fraction” – that is, the percentage of blood in the heart that is pumped out, or ejected, with each beat. A normal ejection fraction is 60 to 65 percent (each time the heart muscle contracts, it pumps out 60 to 65 percent of the blood in the chamber). After six months on the drug therapy, it’s reasonable to hope that your son’s ejection fraction will have improved.

Beyond the numbers, the cardiologist will ask about changes in your son's everyday activities, his symptoms and his tolerance for exercise – all of which are important indicators of improvement.

Most patients, but not all, do respond to these medications. If your son is among the minority who do not, then you may consider exploring a heart transplant. But give the drugs a chance before taking that step.

The drug therapy is critical. Left untreated, congestive heart failure gets worse with time. With effective treatment, it improves. After patients regain heart function, they often require fewer medications to maintain their heart strength.

To contribute further toward improving his health, your son also can take some lifestyle steps:

Exercise. The goal is to maintain overall body muscle strength, not to build cardiovascular endurance. I recommend that patients walk regularly; some even can jog lightly. He should not exert himself to the point of breathing very hard or gasping for air. His physician can guide him regarding what levels of exercise are safe and appropriate.

Maintain a low-salt diet. Sodium in the diet causes the body to retain fluid, which leads to shortness of breath.

Weigh in daily. A bump in weight is often an early sign of fluid build-up. By stepping on a scale each day, your son will be able to notice any changes quickly so that he can alert his physician right away, before he starts experiencing symptoms."

Thanks, that means a lot to me. That quote above is the first thing I've seen yet that doesn't predict a slow and unstoppably slide into the toilet. I'm clinging to the hope that my age and healthy heart history will be the difference.

Nearly everything I have found so far has been positively GRIM. I have mostly relied on wiki, Medline, and WebMD. And none of them is very comforting. By the time I got to the section in WebMD where it suggested I set up a "living will" I was positively despondent.

Lendaddy, I got your PM. Thanks for the info. I will definitely contact your brother and ask many questions!

Janus, no doctor has ever been sued for saying a patient was going to die and they turned out to be wrong. I would also be looking for a doctor that is optomistic on the outcome. Hell you are already depressed, no need to hear more depressing news. The bottom line is no one knows how long you will be sticking around. Plan for the long run.

My Gawd Janus! I hope you get better. Heck, I was gonna tell you to change your air filters on your HVAC! Good thing I didn't become a Doctor!

Janus-

Be careful about getting down about this all too quickly.

The first doctor team that diagnosed my father's cancer were a bunch of pessimistic pricks IMO that were too fast to write him off. 3.5 years later and he's in probably the best shape of his life. He had to go to another doctor to get a better attitude and a battle plan.

Surround yourself with positive doctors, and formulate a battleplan. You are definitely young enough that you have a shot. A doctor can be both realistic and positive. Find one.

OH- be sure to bring someone else along to take notes on the consultations. You'll be overwhelmed, and you will need a second brain to help you.

+1

Stay positive Janus, and get other opinions!

Both my parents were written off by doctors. My father 5 years ago and my mother more than 15 years ago - and both are doing very well, thank you very much.

A negative diagnosis is often the easiest (path of least resistance) for a doctor to give - and the least likely to get him sued.

So hang in there!