Step 1 : Introduction to the question "4. Now that you have seen in general terms what congestive heart failure is, what do you think is the most important thing to do to help prevent this chronic and life-threatening illness?"
...1. read all you can about it without changing your lifestyle 2. avoid eating all sodium 3. keep living your life exactly the way you always have--be happy 4. be aware of what you eat and keep active The future course of a patient with congestive heart failure (CHF) depends on the severity of prior damage to the heart, the degree of atherosclerosis present, and the conditioning of the patient. Equally as important are the direct steps a person takes to change diet, sodium consumption and to remain linked positively to others. People live a long time with CHF as long as they take proper medical steps to address this condition, to modify their life styles, and to maintain personal connections with others.