Heart Failure Daily Action Plan

Introduction

Living with heart failure may not be easy. But there are things you can do to feel better, stay healthy longer, and avoid the hospital.

Good self-care means doing certain things every day, like taking your medicine. It's also about checking for symptoms such as weight gain and swelling. Tracking your symptoms every day will help you know which heart failure zone you're in. That can tell you when you need to get help.

Your daily action plan

Here are some important things to do every day.

• Weigh yourself at the same time each day. Keep a calendar by the scale, and write your weight on it every day.
• Pay attention to symptoms such as shortness of breath or swelling in your feet, ankles, or legs.
• Take your medicines as prescribed. Try to take them at the same time every day.
• Limit sodium. Your doctor may want you to eat less than 2,000 mg of sodium each day.
• Be active. But watch for signs that your heart is being stressed, and know when to stop and rest.

Check each day to see which heart failure zone you're in.

More self-care tips

There are other things you can do to take care of your body and your heart.

• Try to stay at a healthy weight. Eat a healthy diet with lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• If you smoke, quit.
• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.
• Keep high blood pressure and diabetes under control. If you need help, talk with your doctor.
• Talk to your doctor if you feel sad and hopeless much of the time or if you are worried and anxious. These may be signs of depression or anxiety. Treatment with counseling and medicine can help.

When you take charge of your health, you're more likely to feel better and keep your heart failure from getting worse.