My Cardiac Rehab Experience

Have you ever heard of cardiac rehab?

Cardiac rehab is a program for patients diagnosed with certain heart conditions, as well as people recovering from surgeries or major health events (like heart attack or stroke). It can sometimes look like a gym workout supervised by a team of medical staff. It is used as a means to improve your overall heart health and can also include things like diet and nutrition counseling and emotional support.¹

I went to cardiac rehab because I suffered a second stroke and then was diagnosed with advanced heart failure.

Preparing for a heart transplant

I had to go to cardiac rehab to help me get my heart health up to a level where I could gain my independence back. I was in the hospital for 2 months, and my legs felt like jelly when the physical therapists would come to help me walk. I had to have surgery to implant a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), which is a mechanical device that supports the left ventricle when it can’t pump blood efficiently.²

Cardiac rehab is something I had to do in order to get put on the heart transplant list. When I left the hospital, I was in pretty bad shape. I could barely walk or stand for prolonged periods, and I couldn’t even take a shower by myself because the stroke had affected my right side. There is nothing more humbling than having your mom have to give you baths as an adult, but I love her for it.

Gaining back my independence

For me, cardiac rehab was somewhat easy because I was a former athlete and was used to being in a gym. My former profession was a personal trainer, just like the world-renowned host Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser show. Like me, genetics played a role when he suffered a heart attack in 2017. When I was told that I was going to be in cardiac rehab, I was so excited, because being active again would mean that I was becoming independent.

Beginning my cardiac rehab program

My first day of cardiac rehab was interesting. The nurses there were very professional, nice, and encouraging. When I got into the room, I would sign in and get my blood pressure checked. Patients with diabetes had to get their blood sugar levels checked as well as their blood pressure.

Next, they would hook me up to a portable heart monitor that communicated with their computers so that they could watch my heart closely. They didn’t want our hearts working too hard or going past a certain point.

After having our monitors put on, we had to go stretch and do warm-up exercises. Then they had workout plans for us to do.

First, I had to do 8 minutes on the treadmill at a certain speed. It felt great being back in a gym, even though it was cardiac rehab. I did well on the treadmill, so next I went over to the recumbent bike, and they wanted me to do another 8 minutes on the bike. The nurses were just trying to get a baseline of where I was physically; that’s why the time was so short on each machine.

Cardiac rehab gave me my independence back

As the weeks progressed, I was able to complete more at a faster pace, and I was able to lift weights, too. My experience with cardiac rehab was great, and it felt good knowing that my heart was being monitored at the same time.

Cardiac rehab gave me the independence that I wanted back so badly. I was able to drive myself there and back home. I also was able to get stronger and bring my cardio exercise back; this is very important for many people, because cardiologists don’t want us to become cardiac couch potatoes!

Have you done a cardiac rehab program? What was your experience, and how did it affect your life?

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