Articles

I am a 42 year old women with congestive heart failure (CHF), who really tries to stay on top of my fluid levels. I am very aware of my fluid...

It’s October, which means it is spooky season. While some people may be getting ready to get a good scare from costumes and haunted houses, some people are dealing with...

In my most humble opinion (and it really is just that- my opinion) gut health is one of the most underrated ways to take care of our bodies. I wish...

"You can’t go into any water," are the words I heard when Sharon was explaining how the LVAD works. An LVAD is a battery-operated mechanical device that pumps the left...

I celebrated my 3rd Heartiversary on February 2nd. I cannot believe it has actually been 3 years since I was given my gift. On or close to my anniversary the heart...

For other people with heart failure, who, like myself, follow a low-sodium diet, I have found in order to maintain consistent adherence planning is key. It becomes challenging when you...

When I was 25 years old, I suffered my first stroke. My family and I were shocked to hear this news and we didn’t know what was going to happen...

I have found that a key component of staying sane, while acknowledging the amount of home cooking required when adhering to a low sodium diet for heart failure, is the...

It is imperative for heart failure patients to learn how to eat a low-sodium diet. I wanted to share what I have learned over the past several years. If you...

Whether you are around family or friends the topic of work will inevitably become one of the topics of conversation. If you’re like me you dread these conversations because you...

Maybe you came into the emergency room because you’ve just been feeling a little bit short of breath. It has gotten a bit worse the last day or so, and...

Patients and doctors agree that when you have a heart transplant you can experience transplant guilt. Transplant guilt is when the heart transplant patient feels guilty about benefitting from someone's...

As a heart failure patient, I have found that staying compliant with the sodium restrictions helps manage my symptoms. Also, as someone with 6 stents, my interventional cardiologist told me...

If you are like me and the many other people in the world, you love to travel. Traveling with heart failure is something that can be nerve-wracking, but with the...

Living with heart failure can be overwhelming and all-consuming on a good day. Isolating, too. Finding the balance between life, work, family, and doctor appointments can be challenging. I think humans...

I think that, as heart failure patients, we can all relate to experiencing tough situations that are out of our control. For me, I came into this with a STEMI...

In my role as a respiratory therapist, I often conduct EKGs at the hospital. During a recent session with a kind gentleman in his 70s, the computer interpretation revealed an...

Many people do not really know the trauma a heart patient has to go through. Long hospital stays, doctor appointments, and many disappointments. It also begins to take a toll...

I was at cardiac rehab today and had an interesting conversation with the exercise physiologist. In fact, in case anyone is approved for cardiac rehab and is on the fence...

In my years as a moderator for this site I have read a lot of comments from patients who are frustrated because their partners are not embracing the changes required...