The heart, a powerful pump, is a specialized muscle. It pumps normally enough blood to fill the needs of the organism. All to alongside the life of a person, the cardiac frequency establishes itself on the rest to about 60 or 70 beats/ minute .

Sometimes a disease (as a heart attac or a virale infection) can damage the heart and reduce his capacity to pump the blood towards tissues and to assure the needs of the organism.

This is what one calls the heart failure.

The blood, coming from lungs where he is charged of oxygen, penetrates in the left side of the heart.

You experience maybe certain of the following symptoms:

• You feel more tired than usually, because your muscles do not receive all the oxygenated blood of which they have need.

• You feel short breathing during effort. Usually, when a person does exercise, the heart pumps stronger than usually to furnish a further blood quantity to the muscles that work. Nevertheless, if this person suffers from heart failure, the heart does not reach to evacuate all the blood of lungs. The lungs become then congested, what makes the difficult breathing.

• It you arrive sometimes to feel oppressed or short breathing on the awakening or when you are put to bed flat. In this position, a portion of the liquid in excesses in tissues pass in the blood and can accumulate in the lungs. You will be more comfortable while using several pillows to sleep.

• Your feet and your ankles are swelled. In fact, if you have a bad circulation, the organism keeps more water than it would have.

• You find maybe that you must raise yourself more often to urinate. That is caused by the liquid surplus that returns in the circulation when you are on the rest.

• You can feel that your heart beats faster than usually or of irregular manner.

One can suffer from heart failure for various reasons. This is the reason your doctor will have to do a meticulous evaluation of your health state. Here is what he will want to know:

If you already felt pains on the chest (angina), if you suffer from diabbetis, hypertension or if you already had cardiac problems.

• If you smoke.

• If you drink alcohol; if yes, in which quantity.

The persons with heart failure almost always can be relieved while bringing changes to their life style and while taking medicines. Your doctor will choose the treatment that suits you the better.

• Elimination of the excess of liquid that is responsible of the inflation of feet and ankles. The breathing will be equally easier. Nevertheless, these medicines will increase the urinary debit.

• Improvement of the sanguine circulation. While taking medicines that dilate the arterys , the blood can circulate more easily, and the work of the heart becomes reduced.

• Improvement of the yield of the cardiac pump.

• Prevention of disturbances in cardiac rhythm or irregularity of the cardiac beats .

You will have maybe to take an or several of these medicines. The doctor can equally prescribe you medicines that prevent the formation of clots in the blood.

• The medicines that you take aim to relieve the heart failure symptoms; nevertheless, they cannot heal the disease. Thus, if you stop taking them, your symptoms probably will reappear.

• It is important that you took your medicines exactly as the doctor you prescribed them.

• Do not omit any doses, even if you feel well.

• If you forget to take your medicine or if you take the bad quantity and that you do not know what to do, communicate with your doctor.

• Require to your doctor or to your pharmacist the undesirable effects that your medicines could produce.

• See your doctor uniformly.

Here are simple suggestions that you will facilitate life:

• Take your medicines according to the directives of your doctor

• Can I continue working?

• Diminish your salt consumption

The salt can induce a water retention. Read well the labels of prepared foods, that contain often salt. Choose foods that contain little or not any salt (sodium or sodium chlorure).

• Do you weigh uniformly

A quick weight gain means a too strong water retention. Speak-in to your doctor.

• Find the time to rest

If the symptoms worsen themselves, you must rest a long time. The rest reduces the request on the heart.

• Do exercise with moderation

walks , swimming and bicycle are activities of choice. Nevertheless, avoid overwork. If you feel stunned or dyspneic when you done certain exercises, avoid them. Discuss with your doctor of a fitting exercise program.

• Avoid the constipation

With the intention of to restrict all effort, adopt a rich nutrition in fibers.

• Limit your alcohol consumption and avoid tobacco

THE ALCOHOL in excessive quantity can have noxious effects on the heart. The nicotine can cause a narrowing of blood vessels, what forces the heart to work stronger. If you have difficulty to stop smoking, require a program from your doctor .

• Adopt a comfortable position to sleep

Use some pillows to raise the head.