or, realistically 3 THINGS EVERY CAREGIVER FOR A COPD PATIENT SHOULD MAKE SURE GETS DONE
Folks, it boils down to this:
THREE THINGS EVERY CHF PATIENT SHOULD DO
Take your pills
- There are three main types of pills for heart failure
- Vasodilators (Enalapril Lisinopril amlodipine Norvasc Diltiazem Cardezem Procardia Nifedipine Verapimel and many more!)
- Vasodilators open up the constricted blood vessels making the Blood Stream Traffic Circle ready for clear and eazy traveling again
- Beta Blockers (Metoprolol Toprol atenolol and a few more)
- Slow down your heartbeat and let your heart beat a little less hard
- In other words, beta blockers give your heart a rest
- Diuretics or “Water Pills” (Lasix furosemide hydrochlorothiazide spironolactone Aldactone)
- Most of blood, even though it’s red, is water.
- How do we get rid of water in our bodies? We pee!
- And, for somebody with CHF, that means
- My legs are thinner!
- I got more energy!
- And I can breathe!
- TWO!
- Recognize the problems and call the doctor
- Difficulty breathing
- Could be water in the lungs. Call the doctor right away!
- Feet and legs that are even more swollen than usual
- Could be a heart problem. Call the doctor.
- Lower legs that have a new wound or are red and hot
- Could be an infection or, by tomorrow, a really bad Call the doctor right away.
- Trouble sleeping, needs more pillows to sleep, or starts sleeping in a chair.
- Could be a new heart problem. Call the doctor right away.
- THREE!
- Don’t let them lower legs dangle. This can cause all kinds of problems like infected wounds that never heal.
- No sleeping in the chair.
- While you’re watching TV, put your feet on an Ottoman. Be a king! (This is harder to get people to do than it sounds. But try to make it work. Our patients watch a lot of TV. That’s a long time to let your feet dangle, collecting water.)