T in YVR
Well-known member
Hey all,
I have seen mixed feedback on cardiac rehab programs here and what value can be gained out of it. I got the sense many people don't bother with it and do their own exercising etc. Just thought I would share my experience - I LOVE it so far. What a huge value add...I would have been crazy not to take this. I originally had visions of being in large training sessions/classes with alot of people of mixed age, health, fitness levels, etc., with perhaps some basic level of personalization of the program and some recommendations on what exercises I can do. That's maybe naive, I don't know. And its going to differ significantly by hospital etc. My experience is in Vancouver/St. Paul's Hospital, where they have their 'Healthy Heart' Cardiac Rehab Program - and its definitely far better than what I had originally assumed would be the case.
I was really impressed by all of the specialized/tailored treatment you get (in addition to the standard follow up with your cardiologist and surgeon).
First off, they did a full slate of standard blood work incl. cholesterol, glucose, etc. I had not had this done in a long time. 1 week later I met with another cardiologist (not my regular one) and he sees everyone that comes into the program. They ran a couple more standard tests (EKG etc), and he ordered up another echo for me (booked for 1 week from now) to see how things look (I have some pericardial effusion/(fluid build up) around my heart that does not appear to be going away too quickly. I also have a moderately enlarged LV @ 66mm. If the fluid does not go down based on the next echo, they will stick a needle through the side of my rib cage and into the pericardium to drain it - what fun....apparently this is all fairly common post surgery. The LV can take up to a year to go down in size).
The next day, I was back at the hospital for a stress test which was great to have. That was the hardest I have pushed myself physically since the surgery (and highest HR I have been at in months - peaked at 166 bpm) - @ 7 weeks post op. They followed that up right away with a review by the technologist and doctor, and a meeting with a rehab trainer/consultant to go over the detailed results of it and discuss my current fitness level post surgery, along with a set of personal exercise guidelines (target heart rate zone, intensity, duration, types of exercises to do/not do at the moment, etc). My heart functioned perfectly - no blips, or irregular heart beats/patterns etc.
Next week they get me into the gym, hook up a HR monitor and take me through some exercises 2x per week. I'll probably do this for a while and then branch off and do my own thing as I regain my fitness levels. At the end of the cardiac rehab (I think it runs for 3 months), they rerun a stress test on you.
My point is that you get a ton of monitoring and feedback (and additional tests) post surgery that you might not otherwise get. If I didn't do this, my next echo and app't with my cardiologist would not be until next Feb. And this program is great because I have been uneasy about how hard to push it post surgery when it comes to exercise. This gave the entire situation alot more clarity, and gave me the opportunity to ask alot more questions (and will also speed up the monitoring/treatment of certain issues such as the fluid build up).
Anyways, for anyone unsure about whether they will participate in their formal cardiac rehab program, I would highly recommend you check into it. And if you're really into fitness/exercise, the info and data you get can be really beneficial. Its been awesome. They also told me that all of the exercise and my level of fitness pre surgery has clearly helped me post surgery, since the stress test results were well above average for someone @ 7 weeks post op - more proof that its important to be as strong and fit as you can heading into your OHS...it helps you on the other side.
I am now up to about 8+ kms of walking daily (incl hills) with no breaks/stops (feel like I could actually do alot more) and am lifting light weights, riding the exercise bike etc. My back/shoulder pain is steadily subsiding thanks to physio/strengthening exercises. Onwards and upwards....I find things start to feel much more like normal as you near 2 months post op.
Cheers,
Tony
I have seen mixed feedback on cardiac rehab programs here and what value can be gained out of it. I got the sense many people don't bother with it and do their own exercising etc. Just thought I would share my experience - I LOVE it so far. What a huge value add...I would have been crazy not to take this. I originally had visions of being in large training sessions/classes with alot of people of mixed age, health, fitness levels, etc., with perhaps some basic level of personalization of the program and some recommendations on what exercises I can do. That's maybe naive, I don't know. And its going to differ significantly by hospital etc. My experience is in Vancouver/St. Paul's Hospital, where they have their 'Healthy Heart' Cardiac Rehab Program - and its definitely far better than what I had originally assumed would be the case.
I was really impressed by all of the specialized/tailored treatment you get (in addition to the standard follow up with your cardiologist and surgeon).
First off, they did a full slate of standard blood work incl. cholesterol, glucose, etc. I had not had this done in a long time. 1 week later I met with another cardiologist (not my regular one) and he sees everyone that comes into the program. They ran a couple more standard tests (EKG etc), and he ordered up another echo for me (booked for 1 week from now) to see how things look (I have some pericardial effusion/(fluid build up) around my heart that does not appear to be going away too quickly. I also have a moderately enlarged LV @ 66mm. If the fluid does not go down based on the next echo, they will stick a needle through the side of my rib cage and into the pericardium to drain it - what fun....apparently this is all fairly common post surgery. The LV can take up to a year to go down in size).
The next day, I was back at the hospital for a stress test which was great to have. That was the hardest I have pushed myself physically since the surgery (and highest HR I have been at in months - peaked at 166 bpm) - @ 7 weeks post op. They followed that up right away with a review by the technologist and doctor, and a meeting with a rehab trainer/consultant to go over the detailed results of it and discuss my current fitness level post surgery, along with a set of personal exercise guidelines (target heart rate zone, intensity, duration, types of exercises to do/not do at the moment, etc). My heart functioned perfectly - no blips, or irregular heart beats/patterns etc.
Next week they get me into the gym, hook up a HR monitor and take me through some exercises 2x per week. I'll probably do this for a while and then branch off and do my own thing as I regain my fitness levels. At the end of the cardiac rehab (I think it runs for 3 months), they rerun a stress test on you.
My point is that you get a ton of monitoring and feedback (and additional tests) post surgery that you might not otherwise get. If I didn't do this, my next echo and app't with my cardiologist would not be until next Feb. And this program is great because I have been uneasy about how hard to push it post surgery when it comes to exercise. This gave the entire situation alot more clarity, and gave me the opportunity to ask alot more questions (and will also speed up the monitoring/treatment of certain issues such as the fluid build up).
Anyways, for anyone unsure about whether they will participate in their formal cardiac rehab program, I would highly recommend you check into it. And if you're really into fitness/exercise, the info and data you get can be really beneficial. Its been awesome. They also told me that all of the exercise and my level of fitness pre surgery has clearly helped me post surgery, since the stress test results were well above average for someone @ 7 weeks post op - more proof that its important to be as strong and fit as you can heading into your OHS...it helps you on the other side.
I am now up to about 8+ kms of walking daily (incl hills) with no breaks/stops (feel like I could actually do alot more) and am lifting light weights, riding the exercise bike etc. My back/shoulder pain is steadily subsiding thanks to physio/strengthening exercises. Onwards and upwards....I find things start to feel much more like normal as you near 2 months post op.
Cheers,
Tony
