Congestive Heart Failure
Heart Failure Do's and Don't's
DO:
- Get plenty of rest
- Avoid salt in your diet, at the table and in your canned or processed
food
- Keep as active as you can
- Take all your medicines as directed
- Weigh yourself frequently and keep a weight diary-increasing weight
can be an early sign of worsening heart failure.
- Report any change in symptoms to your doctor
- Drink alcohol only in moderation or not at all if your doctor directs
- Learn about your condition
- Obtain yearly flu shots
- Control other cardiac risk factors and conditions
DO NOT:
- Eat a lot of salt (salt leads to fluid retention)
- Drink excessive fluids - in general no more than 6-8 cups of fluid
per day
- Smoke
- Drink excessive alcohol
- Skip your medications or adjust them without the direction of your
physician
- Take over the counter medications, particularly anti-inflammatory
agents, without alerting your physician
|
