When Kim Sachse was diagnosed with chronic heart failure and pre-diabetes she thought it was nerve-wracking and had a lot of questions. She knew that she needed to add low-sodium and lower carb options to her diet, and she knew she needed to exercise, but didn’t really know how to start making changes.

Then, Kim received a letter inviting her to enroll in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) disease management program for heart failure and high blood pressure, and decided to enroll. Kim shares a little about her experience below.

“My nurse is very easy to talk to and she explains things in a way I understand; it's nice to have someone like that.,” said Kim. “If I'm struggling with anything, she gives suggestions and sends helpful reading materials. She also likes to see if there's anything new the doctor is concerned about and helps me with those items. Initially, we talked monthly, but as I got more confident and my doctor's appointments weren’t as frequent, we started spreading out my calls with her too. Compared to when I started this nightmare about one year ago, I feel 90% better. 

I'm much more comfortable with the diet and the exercise. This is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life, but I think I now have a good foundation to keep myself out of the hospital.

Before I started the program a several-hour visit with my grandkids wore me out. I figured my babysitting days were over. But last week, I stayed with them while their parents were out of town for five days. I kept up with them through activities like hide-n-seek, playing outside, going to the park, doing crafts and more. When our time together was over, I was still exhausted but only for a few hours...not days. I'm getting my mojo back!

I think this program will be extremely helpful for anyone who initially gets diagnosed with something life-changing like heart failure. This program helps you get the right info so the condition is not so frightening.”