Cardio Rehab

How many have done cardio rehab ?
Did it help ?
Do you still go ?
Do any of your meds slow you down ?

I am considering taking cardio rehab really soon ..... Who wants to join me lol :)


17 Comments

Very Interesting Inga

by IAN MC - 2013-08-14 01:08:08

I bet you're the only country in Europe which has such a high commitment to cardio rehab ! I must emigrate to Germany if ever I become ill !

Ian

Sorry - Typo

by Marie12 - 2013-08-14 01:08:09

Grateful Heart - sorry - what I meant to say was that those who go through Cardio Rehab have a 50% better chance of survivial than those who do not.

Ian

by golden_snitch - 2013-08-14 01:08:10

Oh yes, there are some really nice rehab clinics, almost like hotels :) They specialize in all kinds of issues. Hip replacement is a typical reason for inpatient rehab, too, for instance. I don't know, if we're the only ones with this system, though. Would be interesting to find out. Does NHS have cardiac rehab at all? I mean, on an outpatient basis or with what we call something like "cardiac exercise groups" that meet once or twice per week for an hour or two to do some moderate endurance training etc.? After inpatient cardiac rehab, you are often suggested to join such a group; again either pension fund or insurance pays for it. You can have up to 90 sessions within 18 months, I believe.

Inga

Rehab

by Baz - 2013-08-14 04:08:35

In my area of Southeast England I was not offered rehab and was not available when requested after my Bi-vent (three lead pacemaker). I was given a small booklet that was as much good as a chocolate coffee pot.

So my success in rehab is entirely down to the wonderful people in this group..........Thank you all so very much.

My meds, Bisoprolol on 10mg daily and they nearly wiped me out, changed my whole person turned my into a near vegetable and gave me depression.

I'm now on 2.5mg and life is starting to return to normal.

Best wishes
Baz

WOW

by Duke Heart Patient - 2013-08-14 05:08:14

Thanks for all the responses. I really need to try it !!!

reply

by Fiki - 2013-08-14 06:08:40

After my surgery i felt really tired for some time and fatigued.. So a few months after my surgery I started at first light jogging and light cardio pracitce.. I can tell you that after a few months of both i was feeling much better but then i had 3 shocks in a small time period so it came to a halt.. And know im starting over again with it beacuse i feel ive lost all of the condition i had before the shocks.. About the meds... Sotalolum seemed to make me tired at first at some time id feel bloated and i wouldnt have the energy or the will to do something it really seemed at times that i was depressed and tired of life..The best solution is a calm state of mind if you tell yourself that you can do it then you can..There is no way that a betablocker or bloodthinner or anything related to the heart can stop you if you have a strong state of mind..In the beggining it will be tough but after a while youll feel stronger and happier belive me :)

Cardio Rehab

by Acin - 2013-08-14 08:08:06

I have not done cardio rehab but my cardiologist mentioned to me several months ago that she wanted me to do it. I see her later this month and will find out if she still wants me to. A few people on this site have done it and they said that it really helped them and that it was fun.

Cardio Rehab

by Marie12 - 2013-08-14 08:08:19

I just started cardio rehab yesteray. Runs 2 days a week, 2 hours per day for 12 weeks. During the orientation session yesterday, they provided alot of statistics and it appears the mortality rate is higher for those who participate in the rehab. I am mostly interested in the exercise portion of the rehab. I figure if I get even one or two pointers out of the sessions, it will be worth it. Education can never hurt or be a waste of time.

The only medication that appears to be slowing me down is is Carvedilol.

Cardiac Rehab

by Grateful Heart - 2013-08-14 10:08:19

I think Cardiac Rehab should be mandatory for heart patients who can exercise. It helps teach us we can get back to exercise without fear. You start off slow at your own pace and the Nurses monitor you while you exercise. It is very comforting knowing they are there.

The Nurses I had were the BEST and they made the program a lot of fun!

You will meet others with similar conditions too.

It's the basis of an exercise program and you can branch out on your own when you have enough confidence in your PM/ ICD. Like any exercise, it is good for your heart and your head.

Marie: Are you sure the mortality rate is higher for those in Cardiac Rehab? That's the first I heard of that. It supposed to improve your heart and conditioning, like regular exercise.

I take Carvedilol too. Just go at your own pace, it will pick up.

I'm sure Sparrow will weigh in on this one too!

Grateful Heart

Wanted to Add

by Grateful Heart - 2013-08-14 10:08:29

I went 3 times a week for 12 weeks. I looked at it as a Doctors appt. so I only missed one but rescheduled it and made up for it. I felt it was that important....and it was!

After the 12 weeks my insurance wouldn't cover it any further, which is common, so I paid for it myself on a monthly basis because I wanted to continue the program. It turned out the monthly fee was less than my co-pays equaled for the month. So if your insurance doesn't cover it....don't give up. Ask questions and.....Good luck!

Grateful Heart

I see....

by Grateful Heart - 2013-08-14 10:08:37

Sparrow weighed in as I was typing. :o)

Rehab in Germany

by golden_snitch - 2013-08-14 11:08:13

Hi!

In Germany you (can) get cardiac rehab after every big heart surgery, for instance valve replacement, bypass etc. But also after a heart attacks, myocarditis, ICD implant, sometimes pacemaker implant, sometimes catheter ablations (not if you only had one and have/had no other issues going on). If you have some kind of heart issue, you can always apply and see, if it gets approved (we have that system for other diseases, too). I'd say more than 90% of those rehabs are inpatient rehabs. You spend three - four weeks at a rehab clinic, sometimes even more. As to where you go, you are allowed to express a wish, and usually you get what you want. So, last year I spent three weeks at Starnberger See, a lake located south of Munich; in 2009 I spent four weeks at Timmendorfer Strand, which is a rather small city located at the German Baltic Sea coast. Who pays for it? Social pension fund as long as the rehab is supposed to make you fit for your job. Everyone who works pays into it this pension fund, and when you receive unemployment benefits the national agency in charge for that continue to pay for you. In case you are already retired, but need rehab, the normal health insurance covers it.

I have done four cardiac rehabs so far. All four have helped me tremendously on my road to full recovery. Sometimes they were quite exhausting I must say, because you get so many different exercises, seminars and other treatments each day, but it really pays off. You not only exercise, they also teach you about making healthy lifestyle changes - often important for the average, overweight heart attack patient who smokes *lol* -, and you have the chance to learn things like yoga.

The German rehab system has been critized often, because as you can imagine it is expensive. But on the other hand, many, many patients would not be able to get back to their job as quickly as they do, if it wasn't for those rehab programs.

Inga

My Experience

by donr - 2013-08-14 11:08:17

My cardio managed to justify a cardio rehab through US Medicare (Covers all over 65) following a long period of inactivity following a foot surgery that went bad. I had deteriorated that much after 6 months of the recovery. My PM implant was almost 3 yrs previous.

Don't know what he said, but it worked the first try. He wrote a letter to the hosp that had the Physical Therapy clinic & it was approved first try.

Worked wonders for me getting back on my feet (Pun intended)

Don

Ian

by Grateful Heart - 2013-08-14 11:08:18

I dunno about the UK, but I do not have any plumbing issues. SSS, LBBB, cardiomyopathy, EF was 24%, then 30% after meds. I am very lucky, it is now 50%.

Maybe I was approved due to the combination of all of the above?? Dunno, just glad I was. I wouldn't have known I could pay for it on my own if I wasn't already in the program.

It's a great program if, like Sparrow said, you find a good one!

Grateful Heart

Who should have cardio rehab ?

by IAN MC - 2013-08-14 11:08:32

I know nothing about Cardio Rehab so I've looked it up. It seems that , in the UK, it is only recommended for people who have survived a heart attack i.e. for patients surviving plumbing problems rather than electrical ones.

I'm curious , presumably PM patients are not offered it anywhere simply because they have a PM ?

Ian

hi Duke...

by lubro - 2013-08-14 11:08:49

I went thru cardio rehab, and the best thing it did for me was to restore my confidence. My insurance did not cover it..said they cover " mechanical" issues, but not "electric". (afib ).. I did it anyway...paid out of pocket, but well worth it. I only did it for 1 month, but that was enough to get me up and going again. I was afraid to try different things, but the rehab allowed me to try the exercises while being monitored and watched over...
I would strongly recommend it... give it a try... if it doesn't work for you ( although I don't see that happening ) you can always quit. However, I think it will help you... seeing others with heart conditions... meeting others in person who are experiencing similar heart issues... all good things to help you along...
I actually went into major afib while riding one of the bikes, and didn't even know it until I tried to find my pulse afterwards... it was racing along & jumping all around...... one of the nurses called my cardio, and they did an ekg... just to see what was going on...made me realize that I could actually workout... experience afib at the same time and come out without any repercussions...hey... I'm still here with a heartbeat...
I say go for it... yah got nothing to lose...

Lubro

I was told that....

by KAG - 2013-08-14 12:08:20

....because I had an electrical problem and not a mechanical or plumbing problem that insurance (in US) doesn't cover cardio rehab. The insurance companies' view is that the PM fixed the electrical problem so there is nothing else that needs fixing.

Not that I agree. I think anything that helps people get back to normal activities as quickly as possible is way cheaper in the long run. But who am I.

Kathy

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