Heart Failure Symptoms - When to Call the Doctor

The key to managing heart failure is to take your medications, make diet changes, live a healthy lifestyle and keep your doctor's appointments. Your heart doctor will tell you how often to visit.

If you are having any of the heart failure symptoms described in this handout, don't wait for your next appointment to call your doctor. If your symptoms are discovered early, your doctor may change your medications to relieve your heart failure symptoms. (Never change or stop taking your medications without first talking to your heart doctor).

When should I call my doctor?
Call your heart doctor if you have any of these heart failure symptoms:

• Unexplained weight gain -- 2 pounds in one day or 5 pounds in one week
• Swelling in your ankles, feet, legs or abdomen that has become worse
• Shortness of breath that has become worse or occurs more often, especially if you wake up short of breath
• A feeling of fullness (bloating) in your stomach with a loss of appetite or nausea
• Extreme fatigue or decreased ability to complete daily activities
• A respiratory infection or a cough that has become worse
• Fast heart rate around 120 beats per minute
• New irregular heart beat
• Chest pain or discomfort during activity that is relieved with rest
• Difficulty breathing during regular activities or at rest
• Changes in sleep patterns, including difficulty sleeping or feeling the need to sleep a lot more than usual
• Decreased urination
• Restlessness, confusion
• Constant dizziness or lightheadedness
• Nausea or poor appetite