Living

If you’ve been diagnosed with heart failure, chances are you have heard about the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification. This is a tool used by doctors to assign a...

Once diagnosed, your doctor may suggest or flat out tell you to weigh yourself daily. A lot of questions can go unanswered, especially if you think of them after you...

The holidays can be a challenging time for many people. When facing the coming season while living with heart failure, it may be tempting to focus on what you might...

I am on a ton of medications - medications to keep my heart beating slower and more effectively. Medications to keep my blood from clotting and to dilate my blood vessels. Medications...

The question that always plagues any survivor of a traumatic medical event or someone living with a chronic illness – when should I go to the ER?  Afraid to be...

There is no wrong way to feel after getting the news of a heart failure diagnosis. Many members of the heart failure community had different emotional reactions after first finding...

I recently learned that the vast majority of heart failure patients are managed by their Primary Care Physician (PCP) as opposed to a Cardiologist or Advanced Heart Failure Doctor. Even...

Some people in this community require oxygen therapy. Another term for this is supplemental oxygen therapy. Others in this community wonder if they would benefit from oxygen therapy. So, how...

Everyone reacts differently to the news of a heart failure diagnosis. Whether the news came as a complete shock or as an expected relief, most people immediately want to turn...

We have all heard of the importance of self-care. For people with Heart Failure (HF), self-care is crucial in order to manage the condition. The consequences of neglecting self-care can...

One of the biggest challenges I have had since my diagnosis is increasing my endurance when performing cardio exercise. It is easy to read on the internet and health websites...

Here in our community, we have lots to be thankful for. Here is a list of 7 things to be thankful for. For most of history, all shortness of breath...

Besides blood work, an echocardiogram, commonly called an echo, is one of the most common tests that is performed on a person with congestive heart failure. There is a lot...

Not all heart failure is the same. There are a few different types of heart failure and for this article, I will be focusing on systolic heart failure.  This type...

The crisp cool air and golden, red leaves marks the start of the influenza season for those of us in the northern hemisphere. Vaccination helps prevent serious complications from the...

The signs and symptoms of heart failure are all the reasons that household chores become difficult for many: shortness of breath, increased heart rate, and feeling dizzy when bending over...

Asthma is not heart failure. Heart failure is not asthma. The treatment for both conditions is different. Still, they both share common symptoms of shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing...

Too often, people do not understand the medical symptoms they cannot see. Since most of the symptoms of heart failure are invisible, it is often difficult for others to understand...

On a recent road trip vacation to Utah and Colorado, my wife and I stayed at the country retreat of friends who live on Wright’s Mesa in Southwestern Colorado. At...

It was only during my first-year pharmacy rotation l that I realized the power of building a professional relationship with your pharmacist. Prior to that, I assumed people frequent the...