Heart failure - home monitoring

Knowing your body and the symptoms that tell you your heart failure is getting worse will help you stay healthier and out of the hospital. At home, you should watch for changes in your:

• Heart rate
• Pulse
• Blood pressure
• Weight

When you are watching out for warning signs, you can catch problems before they get too serious. Sometimes these simple checks will remind you that you forgot to take a pill, or that you have been drinking too much fluid or eating too much salt.
Be sure to write down the results of your home self-checks so that you can share them with your doctor. Your doctor’s office may have a "telemonitor," a device you can use to send your information automatically. A nurse will go over your self-check results with you in a weekly phone call.
Throughout the day, ask yourself:

• Is my energy level normal?
• Am I getting more short of breath when I am doing my everyday activities?
• Are my clothes or shoes feeling tight?
• Are my ankles or legs swelling?
• Am I coughing more often? Does my cough sound wet?
• Do I get short of breath at night?

These are signs that there is too much fluid building up in your body. You will need to learn how to limit your fluids and salt intake to prevent these things from happening.