{"id":3238,"date":"2018-05-19T06:58:12","date_gmt":"2018-05-19T11:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=3231"},"modified":"2019-03-24T12:48:04","modified_gmt":"2019-03-24T17:48:04","slug":"heart-failure-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/heart-failure-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart failure education provides renewed lifestyle for patient"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gary Kukuk, who lives 25 miles outside of Galesburg, wasn\u2019t feeling quite himself. He started having trouble breathing, had no energy and had swelling in his ankles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was kind of scared to be honest,\u201d Gary said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what to think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gary made an appointment with his primary care doctor for an evaluation. It\u2019s a good thing he did because his doctor sent him straight to the emergency room.<\/p>\n

Finding the answers<\/h2>\n

Upon arrival to OSF HealthCare St. Mary Medical Center<\/a> in Galesburg, Gary underwent a variety of tests. The results showed he had heart failure<\/a> due to fluid retention. Fluid had started pooling around Gary\u2019s heart and lungs, causing him to have trouble breathing and swelling in his ankles.<\/p>\n

Gary was admitted to the hospital. \u201cAfter I was given medication, it was instant relief,\u201d Gary said.<\/p>\n

Taking control back<\/h2>\n

OSF HealthCare believes in not only healing patients but also providing the education to help them live healthier lives.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Coleen Martinson comes in. She has been a registered nurse at OSF St. Mary for 11 years and is an educator for a variety of illnesses and diseases, including heart failure.<\/p>\n

Coleen provides education to every heart failure patient admitted to an inpatient unit at OSF St. Mary.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing diagnosed with heart failure shocks many patients, and they aren\u2019t sure where to go from there,\u201d Coleen said. \u201cI tell them we are going to learn this together and that having heart failure is not necessarily a death sentence. It helps them realize they can gain some control back to help improve their health. I try to help them understand the consequences of some of the choices they make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knowledge is power<\/h2>\n

Once a patient is referred, Coleen introduces herself and asks if she can speak to them about their heart failure diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost patients are receptive to it,\u201d Coleen said. \u201cI generally start by talking to them about what heart failure is because many people confuse it with a heart attack. We also discuss the causes and what happens to their body when they have heart failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other topics Coleen discusses with the patients are:<\/p>\n