User blog comment:AverageHero/An Update On My Mom./@comment-1874924-20130721035508

I'm sorry to hear that things have been going poorly. Chronic illness is always tough to deal with. My understanding is that fluid buildup is a common symptom/side effect of a dysfunctional heart. The heart valve bit doesn't sound right, though. I wouldn't think that a heart with only two valves would be able to function at all for any significant time, much less decades. Perhaps you meant that she only had two good valves?