If your child was born with a heart defect, it is likely that your questions about maintaining optimal health aren’t all related directly to medical procedures or medications. What kinds of daily choices can contribute to your child’s heart health, as well as overall physical and mental health?
You don’t have to figure out the answers to these questions on your own. Your healthcare team can help you determine which day-to-day choices can benefit your child the most. The care team will evolve over the course of your child’s life. Eventually your care team may include a pediatrician or another primary care physician, pediatric cardiologists, cardiologists who specialize in adult congenital heart disease, nurses, psychologists, social workers and other medical specialists. It is vitally important that patients with congenital heart disease maintain contact with their care team over time.
For information that will help you start and maintain a healthy lifestyle for your child with congenital heart disease and your whole family, please follow these links.
Resources for Support
Children and Teens
Adults
Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Supporting a Healthy, Happy Lifestyle
The following questions can help you talk to your physician. Print out or write down these questions and take them with you to your appointment. Taking notes can help you remember your physician’s response when you get home.
- What other professionals may be of benefit to me (health insurance/financial counselors, social workers, mental health counselors, career counselors)?
- Who can I turn to for support (hospital staff, support groups, etc.)?
- Are there lifestyle changes that I should make to support my heart health or that of my child?
- What are the best ways that I can improve my child’s or my current quality of life?