My father in law has end stage CHF/COPD/CRF he was not expected to make it through the new year. Well it is now February and as of today he's off the O2, has no shortness of breath, no swelling or water retention and even his memory is improved. Shocking since he refuses to take his water pills and barely used the O2 only about 4 hours a day.
What we did differently is all diet. We made sure all meals included fresh garlic and mostly raw onion. He drinks pineapple juice, ginger ale and the occasional beer. I did a ton of research on diuretic foods and made sure it was included with all or most of his meals and drinks. We also cut out all salt.
Maybe we just got lucky but maybe it was the diet. I would like to see a lot more work done in care homes and hospitals around the diet needs of all people. It really does make a difference.