When Do You Get Concerned?

[Superbob]

I was Mr. Excitement in my cardiac rehab session today. Near the end of exercise session, I felt a tightness in the middle of my chest.They had stressed that we should report anything like that right away -- so I did. Soon I was on a table having an EKG done and the results faxed to my cardio. The numbers were okay and the tightness pretty much subsided, so they let me go home.

What I am wondering is when to take something like this seriously. I don't want to be crying wolf or running to the emergency room constantly. This felt more like a mild strain going on (and still does to some extent). Is it when the pain is crushing and severe that it is a symptom to be taken seriously? Seems to me it's hard to know. I do like the fact of monitoring in rehab so you can be checked without having to call an ambulance.

Anyone have any thoughts or experiences to share?

Bob

 

[geebee]

You need to take anything like that symptom seriously. Some people NEVER get crushing pain, only tightness.

Forget the "wolf" worry - you need to make sure all bases are covered. You will come to learn just what is normal for you.

 

[Yaps]

I have to agree, after my original surgery, I kept having the pain in the chest, no sob.. just chest pain.. it took a while for them to realise I wasnt 'fixed', speak up always..love Yaps

 

[Granbonny]

Bob

Bob

REMEMBER..you are only 3 months post-op...Takes the sternum 6 months to heal.. At 3 months..I'm sure I would have had pain lifting wet clothes out of the washer and putting them into dryer. ..Sounds like you pulled a muscle ..Where you in Rehab ..when they did the EKG? ..I never went to Rehab..Never heard of it until I joined VR.Com..Asked my Cardio about a year later..by the way..Why didn't I have rehab after my surgery? He laughed and told me..he didn't think I needed it. but..said..I can still write it for you.. ..Of course..by then I was fine. Bonnie(Please don't flame me for all of you that did rehab)..I found just walking a lot helped me to recover ..Bonnie

 

[Superbob]

Gina, Yaps, Bonnie,

Thanks for the good advice. One of the reasons I decided to rehab (and walking is a fine way in itself to get in shape) is that I liked the idea of being closely monitored while I pushed myself. Just hope I don't drive the nurses crazy with any more episodes like today. But no doubt it is wise to err on the side of caution.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Granbonny]

Bob

Bob

I don't understand..why are you pushing yourself? Do you think that your body will recover quicker?When it has not even healed?... Bonnie

 

[gadgetman]

Bob,

I haven't had any problems (knock on wood) while I've been doing my rehab, but it sure is nice to know they are monitoring me so closely. We had one lady that had sudden shortness of breath after the treadmill and they recorded her stats and sent her back to her Cardio. They had put a stent in and after a Cath they discovered that one had reblocked. She is find now but don't know what she would have done had she not been monitored. I'm coming up on 4 months post-op (WOW!!!!) and still get tender in my chest area if I overdo.

As some have already said, don't be afraid of contacting your Cardio. Mine told me to call the office anytime I felt "weird" or had a pain that didn't want to go away. Usually I get the nurse right away (have called a couple of times) and she talks to the Cardio on my behalf.

Hang in there and,

May God Bless,

Danny

 

[ALCapshaw2]

It's always a good idea to check out chest pain.

Our rehab nurses required everyone to do a prescribed course of STRETCHES - BEFORE and AFTER each session which usually took 3 to 5 minutes to warmup and cooldown.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Superbob]

I don't understand..why are you pushing yourself? Do you think that your body will recover quicker?When it has not even healed?... Bonnie

Bonnie,

I gave the wrong impression if I said I was pushing. They have me at a very low level and aren't increasing fast. After the scare I just gave them, they'll probably be cutting back. I really do appreciate your concern, believe me. You've given me a good reminder NOT to push hard.

Bob

 

[Superbob]

Stretches

Stretches

It's always a good idea to check out chest pain.

Our rehab nurses required everyone to do a prescribed course of STRETCHES - BEFORE and AFTER each session which usually took 3 to 5 minutes to warmup and cooldown.

'AL Capshaw'

Thanks, Al. We do some stretches at the end but not at the beginning. Probably would be a good idea for me to do some gentle stretching extra on my own.

Best wishes,

Bob

 

[Superbob]

Monitoring

Monitoring

Danny,

I really agree with the value of monitoring at this stage. Most of the time it's going to show that everything is fine, but as you pointed out, it can pick up an unsuspected problem that can be corrected in time.

Glad your rehab is going well. I'll do my best to hang in there.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Harpoon]

Another, "When I did rehab..." story:


We always had to get hooked up to a monitor first then one of the nurses took a "baseline" strip to measure our heart rhythm, then we did a few minutes of stretching then hit one of the many stations we had to go through during the session.

Periodically the nurse would take another EKG strip while we were exercizing and one would be taken after we were done, before going off the monitor (they were all wireless units with a transmitter small enough to fit into a breast pocket on any shirt.) The nurse would also check BP a few times and we got weighed when we came in (rapid weight gain=fluid retention.)

Every rehab clinic is different though (unfortunately) and some places aren't as thourough it seems with monitoring patients while they're exercising.

If you feel something isn't right, speak up about it, doesn't matter how serious that "something" might actually be. Better off throwing false alarms and learning how your body reacts to being used after surgery than clamming up and falling dead off the treadmill because of a heart attack that you didn't think was happening.

When I first walked in, the two rehab nurses were quite scared about my condition and prognosis because they had NEVER had the experience of a cardiologist contacting them to personally set up the rehab program and get everything in order for a patient. I gather it's just not done that way. They thought that because they were speaking directly to my cardiologist, that I'd be in really rough shape. My medical records and recent medical history had backed that supposition up. It wasn't until after maybe the first or second week of sessions that they began to breathe easier, knowing I wasn't going to die on their watch.


Bonnie brings up a good point too. If for some reason you can't do rehab, or it's just not thought of for your case, WALK. The first thing they did as soon as I could get out of bed was to make me walk. I walked a LOT while I was in the hospital after surgery and I walked a lot MORE when I got home, in addition to the rehab routine. Walking gets your body moving, it gets the blood flowing and the heart working and it's low-stress. Start out slowly, maybe only a few houses away from yours and back (assuming the houses are close to gether and you don't live out in the country...)

One piece of advice, walk with a friend and if you can't do that, carry a cellphone with you or at least let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back.

 

[Superbob]

Harpoon,

Some great cardiac rehab stories and even better advice -- thanks!

I take daily wallks in addition to the rehab and my golden retriever/yellow lab is my faithful companion. I like to think she's a wonder dog that would alert someone if I was in trouble -- but just in case, I carry a cellphone, too.

Best wishes,

Bob