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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