better their lives .”
“ And being able to relate to other people who are going through the same thing really helps the patients ,” Robertson said .
Another reason some people are reluctant to start the rehab program is due to fears about how their heart will react to the exercise , they said .
“ They don ’ t know what they can actually do , because they ’ re always scared of having another heart event , whether it be a heart attack or so on . They don ’ t know how hard to push themselves ,” Robertson said .
Being on site at the rehab gives them piece of mind , they said , because the nurses are there to monitor their vital signs and their heart rhythm as often as needed .
“ We offer heart monitoring . [ The patient ] will put the heart monitor on as soon as they get here , and they ’ ll wear it the entire time they ’ re exercising . We can see their heart rate and their heat rhythm . We can see if we ’ re pushing them too hard , or we can see if they have a heart rhythm change , that we know we need to be letting one of the doctors know ,” Robertson said .
Pitman said that a typical day for her started with coming into the rehab and having her vitals checked . She also had her blood sugar levels checked , because she was diagnosed as being diabetic around the same time as her heart attacks .
Pitman would then go through a warm-up period , then the nurses would show her how to work one of the exercise machines . There are several in the rehab center , from treadmills to ellipticals to two types of stationary bikes .
She said she only started with five to seven minutes on each machine , and – at least in the beginning – and the nurses would check her vitals again after every machine .
She would work on four different machines and do a session of strength training with arm weights and leg weights . Eventually , Pitman was able to get a full 10-minute work out on each machine .
At the end , patients do cool-down exercises , then have their vitals checked one last time before they are done .
“ The nice thing about here is that you ’ re kind of scared at first – after you ’ ve had a heart attack – thinking that you don ’ t know if this is going to cause stress or cause you to have another heart attack . With having them here , it ’ s a lot of piece of mind ,” Pitman said .
There are three “ phases ” to the rehab , but not everyone needs to go through all three phases . Phase one is in-patient , phase two is out-patient therapy , and phase three is for those who want to continue exercising at the center after completing phase two .
Phase two takes place Monday , Wednesday and Friday . It is covered by insurance , but a patient must be referred by a physician . It doesn ’ t have to be a cardiologist – it can be from any doctor , and the nurses said they have taken patients from family doctors and OBGYNs . To qualify for phase two , the patients must have had a major heart event : heart transplant , lung transplant , heart failure , stents or ballooning , have valve repair or replacement , bypass surgery or having had a heart attack within the last year .
Phase three , while not covered by insurance , is also open to anyone with any minor heart-related issue , with no further qualifications . It is similar to having a gym membership . Patients can go in on Tuesdays and Thursdays and use any of the equipment there . The only difference is that the nurses will still be on hand to monitor the patient if they need it .
Also as part of phase two , the patients receive educational sessions , such as diet and nutrition courses or smoking and vaping cessation .
However , it isn ’ t just sitting and listening to a lecture .
Lane said , “ We try really hard to make the education fun .” They will host games like Jeopardy , Cardiac Feud ( instead of Family Feud ) or Bingo .
Becky Pitman , a patient in the LCRH Cardiac Rehab program , said exercising on the center ’ s machines have helped her heart health .
Photo by Carla Slavey
February 2023 SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky • 27