So I had my first cardio rehab sesh yesterday and found it really good. Realise how unfit I really am after a ‘gentle’ work out, I was knackered! Good thing is I didn’t have to take my spray, no pains etc.
It is well worth taking up the option if offered!
So I’m taking my meds as prescribed, excercising and have drastically changed my diet for the better I hope!
The only niggle is the 50-74% blocked LAD still causes me sleepless nights! I get up everyday with the what if this gets blocked rushing into my head!
Someone tell me I’m just being stupid please 😳
Anyway, go to rehab is overwhelming message from this post
All the best
Dave
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DaveyG71
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Ha Ha - I know what you mean. I was the same after the first session. I'm going again this afternoon to the second session of the week, at the end of week 11. You'll see how they move you along week by week, I started off at week 1 gently on a bike and treadmill - they've now got me on every machine in the gym at quite intense exercise levels. I'm amazed at how they've taken me through this so effortlessly.
While the main purpose is to get you moving and get your heart pumping, as well as getting you going physically, I think the rehab does wonders for your head, it gives you back your confidence to get on with your life.
I was youngest there but enjoyed it. It does get you breathing and your heart beating but the nurses won’t let you over do it. The gently push you to up your heart rate to its level when it does you good but no higher!
It has already give me confidence to push myself a bit more!
I have 2 further blockages 1 = 100% and one 50-74-% which plays with your mind but at least I know I can do excercise that is safe and very beneficial.
Yes I can recommend the rehab sessions. It’s good to meet others and talk. They check on you all the time to make sure you’re doing enough but not too much. The time flew by and I had finished the course before I knew it. On my last day I noticed a few newbies with their heads down avoiding looking at anyone and could relate immediately. On my first day I’m sure I was the same. I’m so relieved to be back at my own gym. I feel I’m getting back to normal. I used to wake up at night frightened but I’m more positive now I think. This site helps too.
I appreciate that it's easy to feel anxious about exercise when you have a heart condition. But I've been digging deeper into this issue recently because I want to layer both High Intensity Interval Training, and resistance training (ie weights), on top of my current 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise.
I discussed this with my GP, with the cardio nurses on the cardiac rehab course, and also did my own research. All gave me the green light, intense exercise is beneficial for heart patients, in fact the general view was that by far the biggest risk is that we under exercise rather than over exercise. The one caveat is that during weight training we absolutely must keep breathing throughout, holding our breath while doing a big lift is a complete no-no.
If you want to learn more you may find this interesting,
Interesting to read of different experiences of cardiac rehab. Our rehab sessions were a simple circuit round of exercises using some equipment such as steps and small weights and a combination of other exercises, eg half jacks and lunges. Not a treadmill or exercise bike in sight. But well worth it in my opinion and I think I might have been daunted at the sight of 'gym equipment'.
I have just joined the next phase and we still do much the same. I must admit I feel I might 'outgrow' this phase at some point, as I am younger than most that attend, but it suits me at the moment.
I don’t know if where you live is anything to go by but I was the oldest on the course (age 68). One of the reasons they gave for recognising I was having a heart attack was because I was so old. It seems to be a young man’s disease up ‘ere in t’north tha knows.
Two important things - if during rehab you feel unwell in any way or if during the days prior to a session you felt unwell, tell the trainers/nurses. The other point is when rehab is over keep up the exercising. Our local rehab produced a DVD of warm up and cool down exercises plus a page of exercises for people without access to equipment. At home I use that or for a change a DVD from Gena B called 'Dance that Walk - Cardio.' She uses the warm up exercises and adds dance steps. It can be an energetic session. My only criticism is that the cool down is much shorter than the recommended 10 minutes for cardio, but one can improvise!
Same worry I have every day since my HA. I was told I had two more quite large blockages but when they did a pressure angiogram, they decided there was a good enough blood flow to not stent them. It's left me panic stricken. I just can't get it out of my head despite being on all the preventative meds. I'm sure it's a normal reaction but if anyone has any ideas how to get over it, I'd love to hear.
It is indeed a massive worry and my doc said I maybe suffering a little bit of PTSD! My coping now has to be forget about it head up in move on! Get fit as I can and ensure I stick to eating plans (maybe with the odd treat which I haven’t done yet) and hopefully it will not get any worse!
I guess the other thing to be positive about is we are here! We survived and now we know we have potential issues! Lots out there don’t know and may never know u til too late! I need to really start believing in this for my own sanity 😌.
Yes, PTSD is common in people who've had sudden heart attacks; especially younger people. IT just makes you ultra aware of what your heart is doing. I'm now getting attacks of fluttering instead of a regular rhythm but they are random and can last anything from 5 minutes to 90 minutes but getting an ECG to catch an attack is impossible. BY eh time you've waited 3 hours in Urgent care, they've stopped. I'm due a holter monitor but there's no guarantee it will happen while I have the monitor. I can go 4 or 5 days without an attack. IT has, however left me having panic attacks too.
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