Heart Failure Health Teaching Pamphlet

A Patient’s Guide to

Living with Heart Failure

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Table of Contents

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What is Heart Failure?

Your heart: • Is a muscle

• Blood also backs up into your veins: swollen legs (Right-side failure)

• Pumps blood throughout your body Heart Failure happens when: • Your heart can not pump adequately • Blood backs up into your lung: difficult to breath (Left-side heart failure) 3

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What caused Heart Failure?

Diseases or conditions that make heart muscle

• Heart valve dysfunction

become stiff or weak

• High Blood Pressure

• Coronary artery disease

• Pulmonary disease

• Cardiomyopathy: an enlarged heart • Myocarditis: inflammation of the heart muscle

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What does Heart Failure feel like?

• Overall weakness

• Loss of appetite

• Short of breath when lying • Swelling in feet and legs

down • Short of breath with activity • Waking up gasping for

breath

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Is Heart Failure serious?

• Heart failure cannot be cured

• Weigh yourself every day

• Heart failure CAN be controlled and

• Taking all medications prescribed by

managed with:

your doctor

• Proper diet

• Stop smoking

• Physical activity

• Follow up with your doctor regularly

• Maintain a healthy weight 7

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What is ”proper diet”?

• Eat whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables everyday • Eat fresh food. Canned, processed food have lots of salt and fat.

• Reduce your salt intake: • more salt = more water in body.

• Your doctor can tell you how much salt (sodium) you can eat daily • Typical sodium intake limit: 1500 - 2000 mg a day • A teaspoon of salt = 2300 mg a day • All salts are equal: sea salt, kosher, or regular salt

• Extra water makes heart work harder

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How do I reduce salt intake?

• Remove salt shaker from the table

• Look for low sodium version of food

• Use more herbs and spices when

• Eat more fresh food instead of canned

cooking to replace salt • Black pepper, basil, chives, parsley,

or processed food • Read food labels

lemon juice, Salt-free seasoning….

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Read food labels?

Remember: Typical sodium intake limit: 1500 - 2000 mg a day

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Avoid

High Sodium Food

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What are good exercises for me?

• Always check with your doctor before starting or changing your exercising program • Goal: be active at least 30 minutes on most days of the week

conversation during the activity • Activities such as exercise, work and sex is healthy and safe for most people with heart failure • Walking, vacuuming, gardening are also great

• Start slow, and slowly work your way up to 30 minutes • Stop and rest: slow down when you cannot carry on

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Do I need to weigh myself daily?

• Daily weight is a good way to monitor your body’s • Weigh yourself the same time everyday fluid status • A rapid weight gain without change in your eating is a sign that your body is holding onto fluid • Record your daily weight on a calendar • Bring the calendar with you to doctor appointments

• First thing in the morning, after urinating • On the same scale • Same amount of clothing

• Call your doctor if you gained: • 2 lbs. in one day or • 5 lbs. in one week

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