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 healthcare provider tells you. This will help keep you healthier for longer.

Talk about treatment goals

Your healthcare provider will talk with you about the goals of treatment. The goals may include:

• To help you feel better

• To improve your daily function

• To keep you as healthy as possible

• To keep your heart working as well as possible

• To help keep you mobile

• To keep 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

Understand your treatment plan

You and your healthcare provider will talk about your treatment plan. It’s important that you learn and know each part of the plan. Ask questions if you don’t know why some things are part of your plan.

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 healthcare provider as advised

Your healthcare provider may give you sheets with specific instructions for each part of your treatment plan.

Keep track of your symptoms

It’s important to 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 healthcare provider. Don’t ignore symptoms that get worse.

Organize your medicines

Set up a way to make that 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.

Talk about an advance directive

Over time your condition can change. Planning ahead may help make these changes easier. You may be advised to create an advance directive. This is a document that 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.

Keeping active in your life

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.