Heart failure is a term often misunderstood. Many people think heart failure means the heart is no longer working and there is nothing that can be done to help a person with heart failure. In fact, heart failure means the heart is weak and not pumping as well as it should be. Heart failure is a serious condition but not necessarily a fatal one. In fact, many people with heart failure lead a full, enjoyable life when the condition is managed with medications and healthy lifestyle changes.
Your heart's job is to pump blood filled with oxygen and nutrients to all of your body's cells. The blood nourishes your body and helps it function. When you have heart failure, the heart is too weak to supply all the blood that your body needs. This results in fatigue, shortness of breath, and difficulty doing everyday tasks such as walking to your car, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries.
Learn more about heart failure from the American Heart Association >>
Heart failure is a progressive condition, and symptoms may not appear for some time. At first, the body and heart are able to make up for decreased heart functions and there may not be any symptoms. Over time, the heart failure worsens. The decreasing heart function can make it difficult to move fluid and oxygen throughout the body, which can cause:
If you are experiencing the above symptoms, make an appointment with your primary care physician or cardiologist. While these issues may seem to be mild annoyances at first, untreated heart failure will continue to weaken your heart and can lead to other complications such as cardiomyopathy, heart arrhythmia, liver and kidney failure, or even a stroke.
At your annual check-up, talk to your doctor about your risks for developing heart failure. Make sure your doctor has a complete family history to best assess those risks. And ask if there are lifestyle changes you can make to help prevent or reduce your risk of developing heart failure.
If you have been diagnosed with heart failure, the American Heart Association suggests the following questions to help you learn the most about your diagnosis. If possible, bring a friend or family member to your appointment to take notes and ask additional questions.
About medication
About lifestyle changes
About outlook
You and your primary care physician are part of a team at LMH. If you are diagnosed with heart failure, you will most likely also need to begin seeing a cardiologist. Care coordination services can help make sure all of your questions are answered from each doctor that you see, both old and new. Call to talk with one of our care coordinators if you need help navigating your health care: 574.753.1317.