Monitoring you heart failure daily!

If you are living with heart failure, you know how important it is to realize any changes that occur in your own body. Taking care of yourself and practicing healthy living habits can help keep your conditioning from worsening. Take steps to avoid colds! That one is easeir said than done but there are a few things you can do. Whenever you grocery shop, clean off the handles on the carts with a antibacterial wipe. I carry antibacterial spray in my purse. You can spray you hands after touching door knobs, etc and I use it at church after shaking hands with several people. This is NOT being rude....it's protecting yourself. Even a simple cold can reck havoc on someone living with heart failure. So, if you know someone with heart failure, please when you are ill........do not expose them. Stay away until you are better. Anything someone with heart failure comes down with is very hard on their heart. 2 bouts of bronchitis last year was very hard on me!

Also, if you have heart failure...........GET A FLU SHOT and a PNEUMONIA SHOT! I advise everyone to get the flu shot. That way, you don't pass it on to someone that does have heart failure. My daughter got hers last week and Steve and I are scheduled to get ours. This is something you can do to protect yourself and your own family.

For anyone with heart failure, it is important that you weigh yourself every day. This is one of the best ways to keep track of your heart failure. Sudden weight gain may be a sign that fuild is building up in your body. Weigh yourself at the same time, with the same scale, and with the same amount of clothing. About 2 pounds shows up on the scale for each extra quart of fluid. Make sure to record you weight in a chart everyday. ******If you gain 2 pounds in a 24 hour period or 3-5 pounds a week, call your doctor******This is very important! Do no try to medicate yourself by taking an extra water pill. In some cases, this may not be enough and could cause serious side effects. Make sure to get instructions from your doctor!

Take notice of your symptoms:

Experiencing new or increased symptoms could mean that your heart failure is not under control. But if the changes are caught early, your treatment can be adjusted and severe symptoms and hospitalization can be prevented. If you have symptoms, contact your doctor. Your heart failure is less likely to get worse if you pay attention to how your feel and know when to call your doctor. Call you doctor if your experience any of the following symptoms, or if they worsen.

**Sudden weight gain
**shortness of breath
**swelling of the feet, ankles, and legs
**coughing
**tiredness
**nuases or swelling in the abdomen

Monitoring your condition every day is very important! JUST DO IT!