Shannon Medical Center | Health Beat | Summer 2019

Summer 2019 5 If you are experiencing symptoms of heart failure, contact your physician or our specialists at the Shannon Regional Heart Center at 325-481-2281 . 3 5 4 The bathroom scale will become a valuable health tool. It’s important for people with heart failure to weigh themselves daily. Weight gain can be a sign that your body is retaining fluid and that you may need an adjustment in your medications or diet. Your doctor will explain when weight changes need attention and how to handle them. Heart failure isn’t just a physical condition. Fear, anxiety, depression, stress. It’s perfectly normal to have feelings like these when diagnosed with a serious illness. If you have any of them, it’s essential to tell your doctor because they can affect the quality of your life. And they can keep you from taking good care of yourself. Often, it’s helpful to talk about these feelings—perhaps with a counselor. Joining a support group for people with heart fail- ure may be useful as well. You can hear how other people with the disease have learned to cope with it. Sources: American Heart Association; Heart Failure Society of America; National Institutes of Health The good news: Doctors now know even more about heart failure and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. That is helping to extend the lives of the millions of Americans who are currently living with the disease. Source: Heart Failure Society of America You can do this! Remember, for many people, heart failure is highly manageable. Taking charge of the disease begins with educating yourself and staying active in your care. If you have trouble sticking with your treatment plan, there are solutions. Managing heart failure can be challenging. For example, you may need to take sev- eral medicines, which can be expensive—and confusing to remember. You may discover that a lot of the foods you normally eat are loaded with salt, and you may not know how to cook more healthful meals. If you have challenges, let your doctor know. He or she can help you with them. There may be less expensive medicines you can take, for instance. Or tools—such as medicine charts or pillboxes—might make it easier to keep track of which medicines to take and when. If cooking or eating well is a problem, your doctor can refer you to a registered dietitian who can help you plan tasty and healthy meals. The important thing to know is that you don’t have to figure things out on your own.