Your PH Care Team
Your care team includes health care professionals who care for people with pulmonary hypertension, and most importantly, you.
Managing Your Health
Find tips for medication and treatments, and other ways to manage your health, from questions to ask your pulmonary hypertension care team to focusing on nutrition, exercise and your mental health. We also offer guidance on respiratory health, reproductive health and how to involve palliative care.
Managing health care and medication regimens quickly becomes a major part of life for people living with pulmonary hypertension. PH may raise unique considerations such as catheter care, proper mixing and storage of medication and coping with nausea.
Many individuals with PH have more energy and improve their quality of life when they eat well, get plenty of rest and engage in exercise. A focus on your mental health and engaging in ways to reduce stress may also help.
Managing your symptoms and medications
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- Identifying Urgent PH Symptoms
Knowing which symptoms are common to individuals with pulmonary hypertension and which require immediate attention is important to learn for both patients and caregivers.
- Managing Your Pulmonary Hypertension Medication
Taking charge of your health means getting organized, adhering to your medication regimen and learning what questions to ask your medical team and other patients.
- Managing Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting can be side effects of some pulmonary hypertension drugs. Here’s what you can do. Since these symptoms can also be caused by heart failure common in PH, let your medical team know what you are experiencing.
- Best Practices in Catheter Care
If you are receiving medication through a pump, it’s important to prevent catheter-related infections and what to do in case of an emergency.
Ways to manage your health and wellbeing
- Coping With Pulmonary Hypertension
There is no wrong way to feel about a pulmonary hypertension diagnosis or about your first, second, tenth or twentieth year of living with the disease.
- Recognizing Depression When Living With Pulmonary Hypertension
In families living with PH, more than one family member may be depressed. Here’s what to watch out for.
- Diet and Nutrition
To avoid medication interactions, reduce stress on your heart and improve your energy, it’s critical to monitor what you eat and drink if you have pulmonary hypertension.
- Exercise and Pulmonary Hypertension
Regular exercise can improve exercise capacity, muscle function and quality of life for patients with pulmonary hypertension.
- Reproductive Health: PH, Pregnancy and Contraception
If you are living with pulmonary hypertension, pregnancy requires special consideration due to known health risks, including an increased risk of death, for both mother and child. It is HIGHLY recommended to avoid pregnancy to help ensure the best possible outcomes and maintain quality of life for those with PH.
- Palliative Care for Pulmonary Hypertension
Along with medical care that addresses treatment of PH, individuals can also benefit from palliative care that helps improve quality of life, manage pain and reduce stress for those suffering from a serious disease.