Healthy Living with Heart Failure

Healthy Living with Heart Failure

Heart failure means your heart is weaker than usual, and it doesn't pump as strongly as it should.

Signs of heart failure:

being short of breath when you're resting or lying flat sudden weight gain from fluid swelling in your feet, ankles, and legs bloating, or feeling full around your stomach needing to urinate (pee) during the night

cold hands and feet feeling very tired or weak coughing more unable to exercise

Keep a record of your weight. Follow these steps:

1. Weigh yourself every morning before breakfast after you urinate.

2. Wear the same kind of clothes every time you weigh yourself.

3. Record your weight on paper, on your computer, or in an app.

What to do with your weight record:

If you're at a healthy weight, try to stay there. If you have lost weight without trying, or if you want to lose some weight, talk to your healthcare team. If you have fast or sudden weight gain, your heart failure could be getting worse.

Talk to your healthcare team about a plan for sudden weight gain. Write your plan here: ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Phone number for your healthcare team: ________________________________________

Developed by Registered Dietitians Nutrition Services 404164-NFS

The healthy choices below can help you feel better and manage your heart failure.

Limit salt and foods higher in salt (sodium)

Limiting fluids may help you feel better

Ask your healthcare team if limiting fluids every day is right for you. If you need to limit fluid, here are tips to help with thirst and dry mouth:

Rinse your mouth with water. Don't swallow it.

Suck on sugar-free hard sour candies or chew sugar-free gum.

Suck on a few ice chips or a sugar-free frozen ice pop.

Eat frozen fruits like grapes, berries, melon, or pineapple chunks.

Eat crunchy vegetables and fruit like carrots, peppers, celery, cucumber, or apples.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for products that help with dry mouth.

Eating fish at least 2 times a week can help your heart

Healthy Living with Heart Failure

Page 2 of 2

404164-NFS

This is general information and should not replace the advice of your health professional. Alberta Health Services is not liable in any way for

actions based on the use of this information. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International

License. Contact NutritionResources@ahs.ca. Alberta Health Services (Dec 2018)

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download