Well we kept our appointment with cardiac rehab I was stunned when they told me it would be 36 sessions, lasting about three months. Three months? That would be a long time to walk on a treadmill.
The initial interview was very thorough. Of course they went over all my meds, my medical history and things about my family's medical experiences. They weighed me, measured me and talked about our diet. They discussed my exercise plans. They asked me psychological questions - it is common for heart surgery patients to develop depression. They went over the rehab plans and then showed me the facilities.
What I found out was that the first two weeks I would be scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday for an hour seminar and then an hour of exercise. Following that I would be scheduled for every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for an hour of exercise until my 36 sessions were completed. At that point it seemed almost overwhelming.
Now when I reported for an exercise session the first thing I had to do was put on a heart monitor. They would track my heart rate for the entire hour and if they noticed anything irregular they would stop your exercise and report it to your heart doctor. In a few cases they would call an ambulance and send you right to the hospital. You could see your heart waves on big screens hanging from the ceiling. The nurses could follow you on their ipads and one nurse would take pictures of the waves at various times during the hour. These would become part of your permanent record.
As a diabetic, I had to have my blood checked before I began. If it was too high they would send you home. If it was too low they would give you food until you reached a proper level. You were checked again at the end of the session and if you were too low they would hold you there until it improved. They had big trays of fruit that you could snack on if you felt you were getting a low. Water coolers were all around the facility and you were told to have a drink every time you completed a particular activity. Hydration was stressed.
Every session began with about 5 minutes of group stretching or warm-up exercises. Then you would be given your clipboard with all your previous exercise session summaries and your instructions for the present session. At the end of each session each person was to complete a series of cool down exercises before having your blood pressure taken and getting the approval to take off your monitor. Blood pressures were always also taken at the beginning of the session and sometimes at various times throughout the session.
Now it turns out that the session was not just using the treadmill. For me it was generally 11 minutes with speeds increased throughout my months there. Then there was a machine called the Newstep which exercised your legs and arms. I spent 14 minutes on that with increasing levels and I actually enjoyed that. Then there were wall pulleys and I spent 6 minutes with those and again the weights increased as the weeks went on. Then finally I had strength training which included more exercises, using weights in a variety of ways and strengthening my legs with two special pieces of equipment. Because of my surgery I wasn't allowed to do this part until a set number of weeks after my surgery. But I think that was the part that I enjoyed the most.
There was a big emphasis on cleanliness. We were told to use hand cleaner after every exercise. We had to wear gloves and clean our monitors when we took them off. That was interesting since I read that more people pick up harmful germs in gyms that they do in public bathrooms.
The nurses were so kind and helpful. They kept their attention on you throughout the session. One of them, Carla, was assigned to me throughout the three months. She checked on my progress and made regular reports to my doctors.
In my final sessions they had me review my eating, my emotions, and my plans for follow-up. They strongly suggested that you join a gym and keep up this program and that is good advice.
When I started I did not look forward to three months of it. But the time went by so fast and it was so beneficial. I actually looked forward to each session and was very sad to see the sessions come to end. It is a great program and the nurses and aids are so professional. I miss our times together. I feel so much stronger and healthy after completing the 36 sessions. Unfortunately, I was hindered a little by my back problems. And since I never was able to have my physical therapy following my back surgery, that is the next step in recovery.
Now I would never wish for anyone to have heart surgery. But the one good thing is there is a great rehab program following your surgery, especially if you go to the LGH Health Campus.
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