Only 1/3 get rehab after heart attack



Brad Sheppard declared:

> Lead story today - and shocking: "Officials with Centers for Disease
> Control and Prevention (news - web sites) in Atlanta are concerned
> that few of the more than 650,000 Americans who experience a first
> heart attack each year participate in cardiac rehabilitation, even
> though a majority of them can benefit from these services. "
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...&u=/nm/20031106/hl_nm/heart_rehabilitation_dc

> This is not acceptable.

Whats "cardiac rehab" ??
- I suffered 3 heart attacks in 2003, yet the only follow up for rehab was
a physiotherapy appointment ( 4 months afterwards ) that was subsequently
cancelled. The U.K. is abysmally poor in this area...
--
You can't have it all -
Where would you put it ?
 
On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 23:46:35 GMT, Bigjon <[email protected]> wrote:

> Brad Sheppard declared:
>
>> Lead story today - and shocking: "Officials with Centers for Disease
>> Control and Prevention (news - web sites) in Atlanta are concerned
>> that few of the more than 650,000 Americans who experience a first
>> heart attack each year participate in cardiac rehabilitation, even
>> though a majority of them can benefit from these services. "
>> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...&u=/nm/20031106/hl_nm/heart_rehabilitation_dc
>
>> This is not acceptable.
>
> Whats "cardiac rehab" ??
> - I suffered 3 heart attacks in 2003, yet the only follow up for rehab
> was
> a physiotherapy appointment ( 4 months afterwards ) that was subsequently
> cancelled. The U.K. is abysmally poor in this area...

How severe were your heart attacks?

--
~~~
Patrick Blanchard, M.D., A.B.F.P.
Board Certified in Family Practice
http://www.familydoctor.org/blanchard
 
Patrick Blanchard, M.D. declared:

> On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 23:46:35 GMT, Bigjon <[email protected]> wrote:

>> Brad Sheppard declared:
>>
<snip>
>>> few of the more than 650,000 Americans who experience a first
>>> heart attack each year participate in cardiac rehabilitation, even
>>> though a majority of them can benefit from these services. "

>>> This is not acceptable.
>>
>> Whats "cardiac rehab" ??
>> - I suffered 3 heart attacks in 2003, yet the only follow up for rehab
>> was
>> a physiotherapy appointment ( 4 months afterwards ) that was subsequently
>> cancelled. The U.K. is abysmally poor in this area...

> How severe were your heart attacks?

Reasonably severe I guess - during third M.I. (all in same week) I was
ambulanced 30 miles to surgery (Wythenshaw - great service!) for
angioplasty and 4 stents were inserted, one replacement (?) inserted 3
weeks later..
Then discharged a week later with medication to stabalise unstable angina,
since then I'm basically ignored unless I hound the G.P. for attention.
B.P. now stable, but high at a reasonably constant resting 155/95...
I'm sure BP medication is wrong, but B.P. in G.P.'s surgery is always said
to be "OK, nothing to worry about"...
( subsequent constant pain, a few panic attacks and several admissions for
bad angina )

Actually visiting this group for first time in a month or so, I've been
ignoring it due to the constant trolling, but now looking for links to
diabetic groups as I've just miserably failed a Glucose Tolerance test
:-((

Perhaps I'm paranoid, but....
--
You can't have it all -
Where would you put it ?
 
What a shame that so few get cardiac rehab. This is a monitored exercise
program combined with education about heart risk factors. The exercise is
primarily aerobic on machines like treadmill, eliptical, rower, airbike, etc.
There can also be a weight/resistance component also. Generally, insurance
will cover 36 visits if your cardiologist has given the right diagnosis. Post
acute MI, post CABG (but not valve surgery), stable angina. The visits take
about 1-1.5 hr each, 3x/week, so that is about 3 months of organized exercise
training.

Lee RN
Cardiac Rehab Nurse
 
Bigjon <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Whats "cardiac rehab" ??
> - I suffered 3 heart attacks in 2003, yet the only follow up for rehab was
> a physiotherapy appointment ( 4 months afterwards ) that was subsequently
> cancelled. The U.K. is abysmally poor in this area...

I think this might depend on which part of the UK you live in. My husband
had his CABG op in Middlesbrough and six weeks of cardiac rehab seemed
to be available to most people who had surgery there and the catchment area
covered most of the north east / north. There is also what they call "Stage
4 cardiac rehab" which seems to be run at sports centres but they like you
to have done "Stage 3" at the hospital first. [It might be worth ringing a
few of your local sports centres and asking if they do it.]

I was also under the impression that a treadmill test was standard for
people six weeks after a heart attack.

I agree that there is no follow up from cardiologists etc. and very little
from GPs.

Anna


---------------------------------
Reply to chatelaine at lineone dot net
 
On Fri, 07 Nov 2003 02:12:09 GMT, Bigjon <[email protected]> wrote:

> Patrick Blanchard, M.D. declared:
>
>> On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 23:46:35 GMT, Bigjon <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>
>>> Brad Sheppard declared:
>>>
> <snip>
>>>> few of the more than 650,000 Americans who experience a first
>>>> heart attack each year participate in cardiac rehabilitation, even
>>>> though a majority of them can benefit from these services. "
>
>>>> This is not acceptable.
>>>
>>> Whats "cardiac rehab" ??
>>> - I suffered 3 heart attacks in 2003, yet the only follow up for rehab
>>> was
>>> a physiotherapy appointment ( 4 months afterwards ) that was
>>> subsequently
>>> cancelled. The U.K. is abysmally poor in this area...
>
>> How severe were your heart attacks?
>
> Reasonably severe I guess - during third M.I. (all in same week) I was
> ambulanced 30 miles to surgery (Wythenshaw - great service!) for
> angioplasty and 4 stents were inserted, one replacement (?) inserted 3
> weeks later..
> Then discharged a week later with medication to stabalise unstable
> angina,

what was the medication?

> since then I'm basically ignored unless I hound the G.P. for attention.

what are you wanting to discuss with them?

> B.P. now stable, but high at a reasonably constant resting 155/95...
> I'm sure BP medication is wrong, but B.P. in G.P.'s surgery is always
> said
> to be "OK, nothing to worry about"...
> ( subsequent constant pain, a few panic attacks and several admissions
> for
> bad angina )

It is too high for you.

>
> Actually visiting this group for first time in a month or so, I've been
> ignoring it due to the constant trolling, but now looking for links to
> diabetic groups as I've just miserably failed a Glucose Tolerance test :-
> ((



--
~~~
Patrick Blanchard, M.D., A.B.F.P.
Board Certified in Family Practice
http://www.familydoctor.org/blanchard
 
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