Heart Failure: Taking Medicines

I have heart failure, and I have to tell  you, I am not a fan of taking pills.

I take quite a few every day. I  have a list, a pillbox organizer, this plastic container full of bottles,  and alarms on my phone to prove it.

I know myself well, so I made a plan  to talk to my doctor about how I felt— which was mostly annoyed and a little stressed.

Yes, when I was first  diagnosed with heart failure, my doctor explained the purpose of each pill.

But I was so nervous when I heard I had  heart failure and got my prescriptions that I kinda forgot what each pill was for.

What I do remember is that when  I first started taking the meds, my doctor let me know what I might  expect—like the side effects— and that I would have follow-up appointments.

For example, because of one of  the medicines that I'm taking, I need to get regular blood  tests to check for any problems.

So at my last appointment, I  asked my doctor to remind me how each medicine that I take is helping me.

This time I took notes.

He explained why my medicines are important, what they do for me, and how  they can help me feel better.

What really helped me is that he said that  the medicines may be helping slow the disease and may keep me out of the hospital.

On the other hand, and this is  kind of hard to think about, I realize that my medicines aren't a cure.

I still don't like taking pills, but I really do  feel better than when I first started taking them.

So they must be working.

And lately I've noticed that I have  more energy and more good days.

That means more time with my grandkids  and more walks with my partner.

With that in mind, when I take my medicines, I know that I'm staying as healthy as I can.

And that feels good.