My daughter Ann, brought to my attention, that perhaps I need to back up some for those just starting to read this blog. Those who are very recently beginning recovery from heart attack and surgery. It got me to thinking and I have sort of progressed the blog along with my level of rehab and have gotten away from those first initial days home from the hospital and thinking "what now?"
Well, you're going to be somewhat thinking more of how not to have another heart attack now that you're home from the hospital. Adjusting to being responsible for tending to and taking of all your prescribed medications. Going to the cardiologist for check ups the first few weeks. During that time, one of the most reoccurring themes from my doctor was, be active, get up and move around, do all you can do without straining your incision area or tiring yourself. You do not want to stay in bed most of the day, or in your favorite recliner in front of the TV. You know, in reality maybe the first week you owe it to yourself to be overly cautious as far as sleeping and resting a lot. After that, it is time to go to work in getting back to normal. And let me guarantee you, that is not going to happen without your full participation. And I don't mean that to be humorous. You are going to have to be serious and responsible for making the best of this "special another chance" you were given. Talk to your cardiologist and get a good sense of the activity and level at which he tells you is safe for you and your specific condition. With that being said and understood, for the rest of this posting, concerning exercise and activity. You will have to follow your cardiologist's instructions. We all had different levels of stamina, strength, and heart damage. Those first few weeks of recovery, following doctors orders is absolute.
I started walking the first few days home. Not a great distance. After about 3 days home my wife says "why don't you try walking out to the street and get our newspaper". It was only like maybe a hundred yards out there and I stopped to rest, but those were my first real steps in beginning an exercise recovery program. You get the idea. Become active as soon as possible, as feeble and insignificant that activity may be. Doing something other than sleeping or resting all day is important. Next is I didn't spend much time watching TV. I read books about healthy foods and healthy lifestyles. And for you new beginners, believe me when I say I was worse, or as bad as any of you when it came to living an unhealthy lifestyle. As my daughter Michelle said I was a heart attack that was going to happen. Rather than TV, I would spend time on the internet getting an idea of the things I needed to do to become healthy and enjoy my life. My initial goal was pretty simple. I am not going to have another heart attack or heart surgery because I continued to live an unhealthy life. I am going to change all my bad habits to become healthy. You can do that, it is not difficult once you decide your going to do it. Eating health foods is important in the initial stage of recovery. Losing weight is not a big issue right now, getting your strength is the priority. However, don't lay around thinking it is okay to eat fatty foods that are going to create cholesterol problem levels, or start putting on weight. What is the first thing they do when you go in to your cardiologist? Check your weight and blood pressure. If you're standing up there with your eyes closed, not wanting to hear the nurse say, " well, look at this, you've been home 2 weeks and gained 10 pounds...aren't you special". You do not have to lose weight yet, but don't add to the problem, and above all think of the cholesterol. Are you doing what you need to do to lower it?
For me, when you first come home from the hospital, you are going to experience two stages. Recovery in which you are being attentive to your physical surgical healing. Internally and the incision itself. You're also taking those few and careful, and short walks. Beginning to do things for yourself. Getting in and out of the shower. Making yourself do as many of the things that were part of your normal daily routine. Rehabbing will come later, once your healing is completely over, and you are strong enough to begin to do things other than walking a few hundred yards. Cautiously of course. You know, maybe taking the trash out, helping your wife bring in the groceries, getting out of the house with her, going to the store. I know... little baby steps now, the bigger ones aren't too far away. More on that later.
Probably if you are wondering what to do starting your recovery or rehab you should go back and read the first ten postings of this blog.
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