Cardiac Rehab: My Journey

I participated in Cardiac Rehab for the first time after having my ICD implanted. Most Cardiac Rehab programs are in a hospital setting, so I chose the hospital near my home for convenience. In Cardiac Rehab, trained clinicians monitor your heart while you exercise. Each session, you place five patches on your chest, which are connected to a monitor that reads your heart activity and sends the data to a clinician’s computer. If anything irregular is detected, the computer beeps, and the color-coded system alerts the clinician whose monitor needs attention. They monitor you for 40 to 50 minutes during each session.

At my first Cardiac Rehab session, I met with a clinician to discuss my condition and set goals. They also offer optional heart-healthy classes for additional support. The first few sessions went well, but as expected in a hospital setting, most people there are recovering from some form of heart surgery or condition, which made the atmosphere a bit somber and even depressing at times. I continued going to rehab. The clinicians, however, brought some fun to the experience. Cardiac Rehab also helped me feel more comfortable with my implanted ICD.

Round 2. After my face plant, my doctor recommended I return to Cardiac Rehab to rebuild my confidence. Ugh! But this time, I approached rehab with a better attitude, recognizing its importance. During each session, the computer would always beep because of my low blood pressure, which is a side effect of the medication I take daily. So there I was, attending rehab for three months, two to three times a week. Most patients stay in rehab for 3 to 6 weeks, depending on their insurance or doctor’s orders.

Through this experience, I realized I’m not alone. The statistic that 1 in 5 women have heart disease became very real to me. However, I noticed that there were always more men than women participating in rehab. I hope that more women will recognize the importance of participating in Cardiac Rehab over time.