Living with Heart Failure: Goals for Management

Heart failure is a long-term condition that you need to manage over time. It's important that you manage it as your doctor tells you. This will help keep you healthier for longer.

Your doctor will talk with you about your goals of treatment. These goals may include:

• Helping you feel better.
• Improving your daily function.
• Keeping you as healthy as possible.
• Keeping your heart working as well as possible.
• Helping to keep you mobile.
• Keeping you out of the hospital.

Talk with them about what's important to you. You may want to:

• Keep active.
• Have fewer symptoms.
• Spend more time with loved ones.
• Keep working.
• Do hobbies.
• Travel.

You and your doctor will talk about your treatment plan. It's important that you learn and know each part of it. Ask questions if you don't know why some things are there.

Your treatment plan will likely include changes in your daily life. This will include:

• Making changes to what you eat and drink.
• Managing your activity level.
• Managing your medicines.
• Keeping track of your symptoms.
• Weighing and measuring yourself.
• Seeing your doctor as advised.

Your doctor may give you specific instructions for each part of your treatment plan.

Know the symptoms of heart failure and keep track of them. Symptoms can include:

• Tiredness.
• Feeling short of breath.
• Swelling in hands, feet, arms, or legs.
• Quick weight gain.
• Chronic coughing.
• Nausea.
• Fast heart rate.
• Confusion.

Keep a journal of your symptoms. Write down what symptoms you have each day. If your symptoms get worse, call your doctor. Don't ignore symptoms that get worse.

Set up a way to make you take your heart failure medicines correctly. You may be prescribed several medicines. Each has its own instructions.

• Write down a list of your medicines and what they do.
• Use a pill organizer with sections for days and times of day.
• Fill up the pill organizer each week.
• Keep the pill organizer in a handy place you see every day. Check it often to make sure you're on track with your medicines.
• Set reminders on your computer or phone for when it's time to take medicine.

Over time your condition can change. Planning ahead may help make these changes easier. You may be advised to create an advance directive. This document lets people know what your wishes are for treatment in the future. An advance directive can give your loved ones peace of mind that your wishes are being met.

Heart failure is a serious health condition, but it's still important to set personal goals and be active in your life. Follow your treatment plan and take an active role in your own care. You can reduce your symptoms and continue to enjoy the people, places, and things that are important to you.