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CHAPTER 3. DIET AND WEIGHT

Last time we talked about CHF, or Congestive Heart Failure, which means the heart is not working as well as it should be. When this happens, blood backs up– kind of like a traffic jam. When the blood backs up, this is called congestion, and that’s why the condition is called Congestive Heart Failure. If the fluid backs up in your lungs you’ll have trouble breathing.

If it backs up in other parts of your body rather than returning to the heart, your legs and feet will swell, and your hands and fingers may swell too. Extra fluid may even collect around your abdomen and lower back. The backup of fluid is what causes you to gain weight. Your heart will try to get the traffic moving again, but some parts of the body still may not get the oxygen they need. That’s why you may feel tired and weak.

This information may seem overwhelming, but the most important thing to remember is that even though you have CHF, you can keep it in check as long as you play by the rules.