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Feb 12

Cardiac rehab helps those with heart disease feel like ‘they’re not on the brink of death’ – Fredericksburg.com

Exercise Programs Comments Off on Cardiac rehab helps those with heart disease feel like ‘they’re not on the brink of death’ – Fredericksburg.com

The first time Denise Kash came to classes to improve her damaged heart, she flat out cried.

Shed had a heart attack 10 days earlier, then a procedure to place two stents in clogged arteries to keep the blood flowing. Between the pain of the attack and the follow-up measures, Kash felt like everything was crashing around her.

When her doctor recommended a cardiovascular rehabilitation programcommonly called cardiac rehabshe agreed to go. The Spotsylvania County woman entered the room filled with exercise machines and heart monitors, where patients ride bikes or work on step machines, walk on treadmills or on the oval-shaped track around the perimeter of the class, all while being monitored by medical officials.

Kash sat down to be evaluated.

Oh, my God, I cried the whole first time, she said.

She later realized she was grieving for the life she lost when the heart attack hit. Seeing others get back on their feet inspired her.

You dont just sit around and sulk in this program, the 64-year-old said. The heart has a chance to repair itself.

Kash became such a believer in cardiac rehab that after she finished her 36 classes, she came back as a volunteer to Mary Washington Hospitals outpatient Cardiopulmonary Health and Fitness program. For at least three hours a day three days a week, Kash assembles paperwork for new patients so the medical team can focus on its mission. She believes in what they do.

Oh, absolutely, they helped me, Kash said. I got my life back.

Nationwide, cardiac rehab programs reduce the risk of dying from a second heart-related problem and slow, or even reverse, the progression of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.

The programs are designed for those who have had heart attacks or bypass surgery, suffer from some sort of heart failure or need heart transplants.

Yet despite its clear benefits, cardiac rehabilitation remains underutilized, particularly among women and minorities, stated the American Heart Association.

Nationwide, about a third of people eligible for rehab participate. Numbers are slightly higher at Mary Washington, the only cardiac rehab program in the Fredericksburg area. In 2016, about 38 percent, or 270 of the 708 patients referred to the program, took advantage of it.

Fauquier Hospital in Warrenton also has a cardiac rehab program, which served about 250 patients last year.

Both programs offer sessions from early morning to after sundown to accommodate residents busy schedules. Patients typically go to rehab two or three times a week for a total of 36 sessions. Theyre evaluated before they start the program, halfway through and at the end.

Linda Costello, a registered nurse at Fauquier, likes watching the changes to a patients self-esteem.

Theyre so scared when they come in. Theyve had a heart attack, and theyre afraid to do anything, not knowing what every little twinge and pain is, Costello said. They get the confidence back that theyre not on the brink of death.

Cardiac rehab programs focus on exercise and education. As soon as patients sign in for their workout, theyre strapped to a telemetry machine that displays their heart rate on a nearby computer. Nurses also regularly check their blood pressure or oxygen level, as well as simply ask how patients feel.

At any one time, there may be an exercise physiologist and respiratory therapist, registered nurse and program coordinator on the floor. Doctors are a phone call away.

Patients start with a few minutes of aerobics and may build to a maximum of 55 minutes by the time they end the program.

Weekly classeswhich are open to anyone in the communityare as much a part of the program as regular exercise. During the sessions, medical officials explain various conditions, the impact of medications and the danger of stress. They also encourage patients to make lifestyle changes with everything from their diet to their daily activities, said Nicole HinkleKlaus, cardiac rehab coordinator at Mary Washington.

Its a refocus on healthy and clean living, said Nora JenkinsDepeiza, 62, of Stafford County, who has lost 17 pounds since her heart attack in late August. Shes reduced her intake of sugar and cut down on bread while attending regular exercise sessions.

Tom Coron, 76, also of Stafford, has worked to get his body back in shape after issues that led to quadruple heart bypass last summer. In addition to exercising regularly, hes said goodbye to sausage and egg McMuffins.

I dont eat anything that comes out of a window, he said.

Hes also passed on the glop, Alfredo-type sauces and rich gravies that once covered his plate. He said its worth the sacrifice to feel healthierand to avoid another surgery.

I dont want to do this again, Coron said. Ive been given a second chance.

When Costello started working in the cardiac rehab program 18 years ago, the average patient was an elderly gentleman whod had a heart attack or bypass surgery. These days, patients at Fauquier are getting younger and younger, she said, as stress from commuting and fast-paced lifestyles contribute to heart disease as much as high blood pressure or cholesterol.

Theyre people in their 40s and 50s, non-active, they have stress from their jobs, and theyre not eating correctly, Costello said. Theyre getting whatever they can at 7-Eleven as they grab their coffee and rush to work.

Its the same at Mary Washington.

We have a lot of young men and women come in here, and they dont have any of the risk factors except stress, said Shari Denecke, exercise physiologist. She wonders if being a bedroom community is to blame or if the problem is the rushrush nature of todays society. Or maybe its a combination of both.

Men still outnumber women in the program, but females are catching up, HinkleKlaus said.

While federal healthcare laws look at programs such as cardiac rehab, in an effort to cut down on the number of patients returning to the hospital for the same condition, HinkleKlaus and Denecke said there are a variety of reasons people eligible for the program opt out of it.

Some have multiple health problems and physically cannot do the workouts.

Some cant afford the co-pays.

Others say they dont need it, or simply dont want to be involved.

Some little old ladies say, Im not going to exercise, I dont like to sweat, Denecke said.

Transportation can be an obstacle, given the programs serve such a large geographic area.

If somebody lives in Colonial Beach, thats a lot of time and money out of their pocket before they even get here, Denecke said, considering its almost an hour drive, or more, from parts of the Northern Neck to Fredericksburg.

Then, there are patients who could benefit from rehab, but dont know about it and therefore dont ask for a doctors referraland no one gets into the program without one. Their primary care doctors or cardiologists may believe the patients problem has been fixed by surgery and nothing more is needed.

Those who work in the cardiac lab and see the way exercises and better eating habits improve stamina and endurance, confidence and mental health, would say otherwise.

Everybody should have the option for cardiac rehab, Denecke said.

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Cardiac rehab helps those with heart disease feel like 'they're not on the brink of death' - Fredericksburg.com

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