Let me start by saying I'm sorry.  I am so depressed.  I don't have
anyone I can talk to so I'm using this forum to vent.  I hope you
don't mind.

My husband is 78, I am 63.  He's had afib for at least 40 years.  He's
been on Coumadin for at least 10.  He had quadruple bypass four years
ago.

Despite all of this he's always looked and felt much much younger than
his age.

Then it started...........last November our doctor heard fluid around
his left lung and also found that his kidneys were not functioning up
to par.   He felt fine at the time.  For the kidneys she put him on
Diovan.  For the fluid it started with an x-ray which showed his lung
was partially collapsed.  After a dozen or more doctor visits (PCP,
pulmonologist, cardiologist, thorasic surgeon) and many tests (CT
scan, thoracentisis, bronchoscopy) he was diagnosed with trapped
lung.  Since it wasn't effecting his breathing at the time they said
it didn't need to treat it.

We were so happy.  That lasted about a week, then he started
coughing.  More doctors, more x-rays, more meds.   The radiologist
said he had pneumonia.  The doctor didn't think so but felt she
couldn't ignore the diagnosis.  She put him on Levaquin for 10 days.
Screwed up his Coumadin levels big time.  The coughing continued.  He
took Robitussin DM every night.  He still felt OK.

Then in August he got the shingles.  Knocked the sh.t out of him.
Luckily he did not get the neuralgia but it left him extremely
fatigued - he still is.

About two weeks ago came the shortness of breath.  Back to the
doctor.  She felt it was likely related to the fatigue of the shingles
but sent him to his cardiologist.  The cardio said he was pretty sure
he had "some heart failure going on".  He prescribed Lasix and
Aldactone daily.

First thing that happened was the cough stopped completely.  Also he
lost about five pounds of fluid in three days.  He started sleeping
better.

All this sounds really good.  Not that CHF is good but at last a
diagnosis that responded to medication.

Despite all this good stuff he still has severe breathing problems and
is still extremely fatigued.  Any activity gets him winded.  As a
result he can't do much.  As recently as three weeks ago he was
exercising every morning for at least 30 minutes.  He's done this for
about 25 years.  Now he can't do more than 10.  He spends most of the
day sitting in a chair.

He's looking old and frail.  He's clearly depressed, and so am I.  We
will be contacting the cardio next week to give him an update.

In the meantime all I want to do is cry.  He has no energy at all.
Can't get pleasure in anything.  I'm more like his mother than his
wife - making him eat, telling him to do breathing exercises.  I try
not to let him see how upset I am, but he knows.  I don't know what to
do.

Well, thanks for listening.  If anyone has suggestions about improving
his breathing I'd like to hear it.