Julia's Posts

My doctor told me to stay away from cardiac rehab in New Jersey. I was operated on March 25th, 2020. The virus was ripping thru NJ at the time. I did the 10 exercises CC gave me in the book 3x a day and I walked 3 times a day in snow, hail, rain, and ice. It worked out well for me. My wife was with me the whole time for the first 2 months which made it more comfortable. Remember every couple of days you get stronger, don't look back. Good luck

I'm currently doing cardiac rehab at the heart hospital that I had my procedure at. I wouldn't trade it for the world. While I'm exercising, you're hooked up to a portable EKG so that they can see your heart rate and rhythm while you exercise. While I was somewhat comfortable walking at home on my own, there was great piece of mind knowing that if I felt something, I could ask them what they see. I can ramp up my activity and know if I'm pushing it too hard too fast. If anything looked funny, they would send my EKG strip to my cardiologist. There's been a couple of times when some of the other people who were in cardiac rehab with me were sat down and consulted a doctor for further testing. I highly recommend cardiac rehab where I'm at. We have to wear masks while working out and wipe down the equipment after every use. We have our temperature checked before entering the hospital and the number of people working out at a scheduled time is limited. It might be different at other clinics though.

I did 2 weeks of " official" cardiac rehab where I was hooked up to the ekg. Then I switched over to a cheaper option of a cardiac program at the hospital where there were nurses present, but no ekg hookups. My copay on cardiac rehab was high, so it was simply a money saving thing, but yeah, cardiac rehab is great, helps you feel more more secure, was a tremendous benefit for me.

I did not do Cardiac Rehab, at the time I started the virus started up again and I didn't want to take a chance. I have been exercising at home, I'm now including weights (5 lbs) I walk outside weather permitting and I'm doing well, Praise God. No regrets about missing Cardiac Rehab.

I was in Cardio Therapy for 12 weeks, 3 times a week. It was 30 minutes on a treadmill and 20 minutes of weight machines. This was in the middle of the pandemic, so the staff kept a close watch on spacing, and the patient count was reduced 50%. Besides the positive comments above, being around other patients and comparing stories was good therapy. I continue at home doing about 90 minutes daily.

I did five sessions. My surgery was March 4 and rehab was closed for my first 3 months home. By the time it restarted I was back to my old exercise schedule, and then some and feeling great and strong. I felt the monitoring at rehab would be worth the time. But after five sessions, I felt there were better uses of my time. My cardiologist had no issue with me stopping. I think I would have genuinely benefited, and enjoyed it more, if I had started at week 4. What is clear: There is no right or wrong to this.

Julia - My surgeon didn't think I needed to go to cardiac rehab, but I asked for the prescription anyway. Unfortunately, there was such a backlog at my facility, I didn't get to start until four months after my surgery. I ended up loving it and went to the extended class for almost two years until they closed for COVID. As valuable as it is, you have to weigh the pros and cons of attending during a pandemic. I know that all these facilities are being very vigilant about cleaning and other safety protocols, but it is possible to exercise on your own and maybe consider enrolling a little further down the road. Good luck!

Julia - Thanks for the update! It sounds like you're making progress. Your strength and stamina will increase with each passing day. There's no substitute for time - just keep your spirits up and keep looking ahead! You'll be surprised how much better you'll feel in a few weeks. Please keep us posted - we're cheering for you!

So glad to see your update, didn't realise you had such a long hospital stay! Things can definitely be a little trickier with us radiation people, so I'm very happy to hear you are on the mend. Cardiac rehab will help you feel more confident in pushing yourself a bit...keep using the walker, that will help to get rid of the fluid. Take care Julia & keep us posted on your progress:).