Question: Hi. My mom is not healthy and I am concerned about her, and wondering how many more years we might be able to have with her. She is morbidly obese and she was diagnosed with CHF at age 63 due not to a valve problem but to a weak heart. They gave her a cocktail of medications which we think helped, although she tested positive on a blood test at one point for drug-induced lupus and went off of them but ultimately went back onto them. Now she is 72 and was recently diagnosed with Atrial Fibrilation. She then had a fainting spell which they concluded was Syncope. Given these factors, what is her general prognosis? How many years could she live? How many years is most likely? I need to think about relocating to be closer to her and I just want to know how concerned about all this I should be. Thanks. She has been told that she does not have any valve problems. Her original diagnosis of CHF, they said she had a weak muscle... too weak for age 63... and theorized she might have gotten it from a virus or something.

Atrial Fibrilation led to a stroke at age 83 with my grandmother. My mom is now taking a blood thinner that is supposed to help reduce the likelihood of this happening.

I would just really appreciate having some idea of what her chances are of dying within the next couple of years, within the next 5 years, or could she easily live another 15 years? I need to consider moving back home if it seems like she's getting to a certain point, to help my parents, but I'm a single mother across the country away and it would not be a trivial move. Thanks!