Living with Heart Failure

Maintaining a strong support network

Keeping an eye on their mental health.
It is important to keep a close and strong support network around you when you or someone you love is living with heart failure. For some people, the change in lifestyle and usual ways of going about day to day activities can have a large impact on their mental health. It is perfectly natural to feel down or struggle when dealing with heart failure. However, it is important to try and maintain a positive mental attitude and not let the disease define your lifestyle. Make sure you have someone close, a friend or loved one, that you can talk to. If the condition is impacting your mental health heavily, you could consider seeing a therapist⁵.

Another consideration would be finding and joining a support group for heart failure in your area. These groups can be a great source of strength, aid and encouragement for those with heart failure and caregivers alike. Hearing from people in the same situation as you can bring hope and, with time, allow you to possibly bring hope to others, too. Ask your doctor or local health service for any information on support groups in your area.

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Continuing to work

For most people, unless their job is particularly physically demanding, there should be little reason to stop working⁵. In fact, continuing to work can boost a person’s mood and morale overall while reducing stress around threats to financial stability. Encourage them to talk openly to their employer and HR representative about finding a solution that works best. In some forms of employment, it may mean a shift in usual tasks, or perhaps cutting down the amount of days or time they work each day, where possible.

Travelling

Unless someone has a very severe case of heart failure, there should be little to no impact on their ability to travel; however, they should always check in with their doctor first and confirm it with them, and only ever travel if they feel physically well and able⁵.

If flying, always first inform the airline of their condition. Depending on the severity of their disease they may need assistance getting around the airport, or from the gate to the aircraft. On long haul flights it is important to move about in order to reduce the risk of blood clots, ensure they ask a doctor for information on what small exercises would suit them best. They may also consider wearing compression socks⁵.

It is also a good practice/habit to take extra medication and keep it with you, should baggage be lost, stolen or any items misplaced. Keep in mind that most heart failure medication will be prescription based and you may struggle to purchase any more in your country of destination without the prescription of a local doctor⁵.

References

1. Symptoms of heart failure. Available online at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-failure/symptoms/. Last accessed August 25 2020
2. Mayo Clinic. Symptoms of Heart Failure. Available online at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-failure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373142. Last accessed August 25 2020
3. Routine self-tracking of health. Available online at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5977566/. Last accessed 16 September 2020.
4. Tips for caring for someone with heart failure. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-failure/caregiving-tips. Last accessed 16 September 2020.
5. Living with heart failure. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-failure/living-with/. Last accessed 16 September 2020.