Cardio Monitoring Healthcare Tips – Monitor Your Heart to Prevent Heart Failure
Heart failure is not something that anyone would wish to experience. But it seems such occurrence is becoming more difficult to prevent these days with the kind of lifestyle most people have. Good thing is there are still concerned people providing places where information on how to prevent this from happening can be found. If you are interested to know some cardio monitoring health care tips, that’s what you can find here!
To start, here’s some basic information that can help you monitor your cardiovascular health and prevent the risk of heart failure. Your medical health is important, especially your cardio health. So, here is a list of things you need to follow to keep your cardio health in good condition and effectively eliminate the risk of heart failure.
Tip Number 1: Make It a Habit to Weigh Yourself Everyday
Weigh yourself every day and do not forget to use the same weighing scale all the time. Also, make it a part of your daily routine, including wearing the same clothing always. It is best to weigh in the same time every day as well. Most of all, do not forget to get your calendar or diary or wherever you record your weight.
More than these things, there is one important aspect you should not forget. That is to call your doctor when you notice that your weight increased by 2 or more pounds in 1 day or about 5 pounds in a single week. If you have health insurance, visiting a doctor would not be much of a worry. When you visit your doctor, you will be provided with some guidelines to follow to keep you on a normal and healthy weight. Part of this guideline is to eliminate about 500 mg consumption of salt for 2 days. Your fluid intake will also be decreased by one and half cups for the same days. If these do not change anything, it will require your doctor to make adjustments on your medication. However, you are not allowed to do this without consulting your doctor first.
Tip Number 2: Fluid Intake Monitoring
Even with insurance, it is still important that you take proper care of your health and keep it stable to prevent any negative impact on your cardio health. Part of how you can do cardio monitoring is to control your fluid intake. In some cases, you might be required to reduce your fluid intake. If you are asked to this, it is important that you take note of the amount of every fluid you consume. There are other cases when you are required to decrease your fluid intake in up to 8 cups. Recording is essential since it helps ensure that you keep to your limit. It would benefit you to learn that there are also some foods that are considered as fluid. Among these are pudding gelatin, soups, popsicles and ice cream.
To ensure that you are only consuming the required amount of fluid, get a 2-quart pitcher of water. Place the pitcher where you can easily access when you need to drink. Once it is empty, it only means that you’ve consumed the amount you are allowed to consume in a day. Remember that feeling thirsty does not necessarily mean you need to consume fluid. Sometimes, what you may be drinking is the fluids that water pills have rid of. Hence, you need to be careful and not replace these purged fluids. To help with your thirst, cover your lips with flavored lip balm or petroleum jelly or chew gum.
Tip Number 3: Handle Your Breathing Problems Properly
It is only normal for people with cardiovascular problems to experience breathing issues. However, it needs to be managed. If you experience it at night, get some more pillows or a supportive cushion. You can also consider sleeping in a recliner chair.
If these do not work, it is advised to consult your health care provider immediately. But there are more ways on how you can effectively manage your breathing problems. One of these is to make it a habit to listen to your body when you experience shortness of breath. Slow down on whatever you are working on immediately. Relaxing can also help. You can do yoga or meditation or simply listen to your favorite songs. Again, decreasing your salt consumption needs to be followed.
Tip Number 4: Visit Your Doctor Regularly
If you do not have yet a health insurance, it is recommended that you start shopping for it now. Owning a Medicare coverage can greatly help in this aspect since it gives you access to the annual screening coverage, which can be conducted by your provider.
It is important to visit your doctor regularly since it is the simplest way of staying on track with the treatment plan you have. Visitations allow you to ask any questions you have regarding your condition. In case you get another doctor, remember to get them notified of your heart failure diet, medications and fluid restrictions. Always have a complete list of the medications you take.
Call your doctor that deals with your heart failure condition before taking any new drugs prescribed to you. And, it is vital that you know how you have to treat yourself in times that you get a fever, flu or virus. Avoid taking over the counter drugs as well and only do so after consulting your doctor.
Tip Number 5: Quit Smoking
Last of the cardio monitoring healthcare tips is the need to quit smoking. Smoking is already harmful. But for a person like you with heart failure, it can mean the chances of developing a heart disease. Aside from eliminating the risk of getting a heart disease, quitting smoking helps in making you healthier too. You are able to avoid several health risks as well, including throat cancer, gum disease, high blood pressure, ulcers and more. Smoking is said to cause dull skin and face wrinkles. But you can avoid these by stopping from smoking altogether. It may be a hard transition, but it can mean your cardio health.
Of course, you do not want to worsen your risk of developing heart failure. Hence, it is just appropriate to follow all the tips mentioned. You need to secure health insurance immediately if you still do not have one to help you in dealing with this condition.