In my ten years as a nurse working at a ward specialising in the care of patientswith CHF, thirst, has often been brought up by the patients as an important problem.Several questions arose: What scientific evidence is the 1.5L/day prescription basedon? Is it reasonable for a person weighing 50 kg to have the same fluid intake prescription as a person weighing 80 kg? Is it possible to individualise the fluid prescription? The essence of this thesis originated from these simple and common sensequestions. The overall aim was to describe and evaluate self-care behaviour and todescribe daily life experiences in patients with CHF, with special reference to thirstand fluid intake.