Make a
Heart failure
1
Heart failure doesn’t
mean your heart is
about to stop.
The term simply means your heart
isn’t pumping like it should. If the
right side of your heart is affected, it
can be hard for blood to get to your
lungs to pick up oxygen. Fluid may
then build up in your body, and you
may feel fatigued or short of breath.
If the problem is with your heart’s
left side, it’s difficult for oxygenated
Could you be experiencing
congestive heart failure?
Symptoms of congestive heart
failure include shortness of
breath, fatigue, swollen legs and
a rapid heartbeat. Learn more
about the signs of congestive
heart failure. Visit
frhs.org .blood to reach the rest of your body.
Chances are, both sides of your
heart are affected.
2
You may be the most
important member of
your health care team.
Taking medications and making life-
style changes—such as cutting back
on salt, exercising with your doc-
tor’s guidance, avoiding alcohol and
tobacco, and maintaining a healthy
weight—are cornerstones of treat-
ment. In addition, you need to see
IF YOU HAVE
just been diag-
nosed with heart failure, you can take
comfort in the fact that you’re not
alone. More than 5 million Americans
are living with the disease—with the
emphasis on the word
living
.
Even though heart failure is serious
and there is no cure, it is treatable.
And the more you learn about it, the
more you can do to have an active and
healthy life.
“There is a misconception that pa-
tients with heart failure only come to a
heart failure specialist when they either
get a LVAD/heart transplant or they
go on hospice care,” says Eric Rome,
DO, a heart failure specialist with Faith
Regional CardioVascular Institute. “With
the advancements in heart failure care,
I can get involved much earlier and
have much more to offer. This is one
of the reasons why I chose a career in
advanced heart failure.”
4 FAITH REGIONAL
HEALTH SERVICES