How Is Heart Failure Treated?
Heart failure is treated with a variety of medicines that have several aims; to improve the pumping action of the heart, reverse abnormal changes in the heart muscle, improve quality of life and prolong life expectancy. They include:
*Diuretics, or water tablets, which work on the kidneys to remove the extra fluid and salt from the body and lower blood pressure.
*ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors, which lower blood pressure and help the heart to pump more easily. They work by blocking the production of a hormone (a chemical signal carried in the blood) called angiotensin II.
*Digoxin helps the heart by making it beat more strongly and pump more blood.
*Nitrates help with shortness of breath because they reduce the blood pressure in the lungs by widening (dilating) blood vessels and allow the heart to work more efficiently.
*Warfarin stops blood clots from forming.
*Aspirin also stops blood clots from forming.
*Patients may also be able to help themselves by making lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking and eating a healthy diet containing fruit, vegetables and fibre.
Important Things To Know If You Have Heart Failure
• See your provider regularly and keep all your appointments. If you cannot make an appointment, call ahead to re-schedule.
• Get a pneumonia vaccine (one time only for most people).
• Get a yearly flu vaccine.
• Explain your condition to your family or other caregivers so that they know how to help you.
• Fill out an Advanced Directive form so that your provider and family will know what to do in case you become seriously ill.
• Choose someone to make important health care decisions for you in case you become seriously ill and unable to make decisions for yourself. Explain to that person what you want done so that they can help the providers make the best decision for you.
Call your provider if you start to have any of the following symptoms, or if the symptoms you have become worse:
•Increasing shortness of breath,especially when you exercise or are active
•Shortness of breath if you lie flat at night
• Breathing difficulty that wakes you up from sleep
• Need to sleep using more pillows or sitting up in a chair to breathe easier
• Chest pain or pressure
• Fast or irregular heart beat
• Fatigue or weakness
• Dizziness or fainting
• Swelling of the ankles, legs or abdomen (belly)
• Persistent (frequent) coughing
What Can You Do When You Have Heart Failure ?
The list below shows how to monitor and manage heart failure. Not every item may apply to you, so ask your provider to go over the list and check the important items for your care plan.
1. Diet
• Reduce salt in your diet. Be aware of foods with “hidden” salt such as hot dogs, salami, canned foods, and cheese. Do not add salt to your food or when cooking. Ask your doctor about using salt substitutes.
• Reduce saturated fats, especially whole milk products and fatty meats.
• Reduce total cholesterol.
• Eat more fruits.
• Eat more vegetables.
• Limit water or other fluids to less than 3 liters per day.
2. Exercise
•Get some exercise (for example,walking, cycling, swimming) or some physical activity (for example, yard work) almost every day for at least 30 minutes based on your healthcare provider’s recommendation.
3. Weight
•Weigh yourself daily, at the same time of day (morning is preferred, after emptying your bladder). You can use the form that is included with this information sheet to keep track of your weight.
• If you gain more than 2 pounds overnight or 3-5 pounds in one week, call your provider.
• Reduce your weight to within 10% of your ideal weight.
• Your goal weight is ___________ pounds.
4. Alcohol, smoking and other drugs
• Limit alcohol use to one drink per day.
• Stop tobacco use.
• Do not use illicit (street) drugs.
What is Heart Failure?
Heart failure is a condition when the heart ‘fails” to keep up with your needs by not pumping as well as it should. It does not mean that your heart stops working. It means that your heart cannot supply enough blood, food and oxygen to your organs and muscles. This may cause you to feel tired and fatigued. When the heart is not pumping as well as it should, fluid can build up and cause leg and ankle swelling. If fluid builds up in the lungs, it can cause coughing and shortness of breath.
Heart failure can be caused by high blood pressure (hypertension), heart attack, coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries), or even heavy alcohol use. It cannot be cured, but it can be treated.
Health Benefit Of Oatmeal
The benefits of oatmeal are due to the fact that it’s made from oats and oats are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
According to the American Cancer Society:
1. Insoluble fiber’s cancer-fighting properties are due to the fact that it attacks certain bile acids, reducing their toxicity.
2. Soluble fiber may reduce LDL cholesterol without lowering HDL cholesterol. LDL is bad; HDL is good.
3. Soluble fiber slows down the digestion of starch. This may be beneficial to diabetics because, when you slow down the digestion of starch, you avoid the sharp rises in your blood sugar level that usually occur following a meal.
4. It has been found that those who eat more oats are less likely to develop heart disease, a disease that is currently widespread in the United States.
5. The phytochemicals in oat may also have cancer-fighting properties.
6. Oats are a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium. Oats are also a good source of protein.
Recent Comments