RECOVERING FROM A HEART ATTACK

About three weeks ago Fred just had the shock of his life. While in the
emergency room the doctor told him the chest pain he had felt was a heart
attack! All of the sudden Fred found himself in the coronary care unit a
little scared and depressed. A lot of things have changed in the short time
since then. Fred is no longer smoking or eating unhealthy foods. He is
exercising on a regular basis, has lost quite a bit of weight and he feels
wonderful. Why? Because soon after his heart attack was diagnosed, he
began participating in a cardiac rehabilitation program. Cardiac
rehabilitation is a wonderful way to begin life after a heart attack or
other heart ailment. You will gain much more than just a healthy heart by
participating. Just like our pal Fred, you will gain self confidence, the
camaraderie of others who also have heart disease and a strategy for
living that will improve the quality of your life.

Once enrolled, prepare yourself to make lifestyle changes. Cardiac
rehabilitation professionals will help you identify the risk factors that
have contributed to your heart disease and will help you to make the
necessary adjustments. Exercise physiologists will show you how to
exercise and they will create an exercise prescription especially for you
that is both safe and effective. You will also meet with a dietician that
will help you identify the unhealthy foods in your diet. Once identified, you
can then take action against these destructive foods. For example ,
substituting a cinnamon and raisin bagel for that glazed doughnut in the
morning. The cardiac rehabilitation professionals will help you in many
other ways as well.

The following is a list of more specific goals that
they have in mind.

• To educate about disease and recovery.
• To improve cardiovascular fitness, strength and flexibility.
• Detect arrhythmias and ischemia (lack of oxygen to the heart).
• Teach patient how to exercise.
• Manage risk factors and encourage lifestyle change.
• To help the patient adjust emotionally; and to improve quality of life.
• To reduce the likelihood of death.

Most any heart ailment and a referral from your doctor is all that is
required for participation in a cardiac rehabilitation program. Heart
attacks, bypass surgery, angioplasty (the balloon), and transplants are
many of the problems dealt with in cardiac rehabilitation.
So if you should have the misfortune of experiencing a heart attack
remember that cardiac rehabilitation is there for you. Tell your doctor
that you would like to participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program and
he or she will refer you to the nearest program available. Until then--eat
right and exercise daily!