Monthly Health Articles Archive

Matters of the heart: Cardiac Rehab

With Valentine’s Day during the month of February, we often associate this time of year with heart-shaped cards and treats. February is also National Heart Month, which recognizes the true function of the heart: to keep your body going!

Cardiac Rehabilitation at Kossuth Regional Health Center is a program of education, exercise, and cardiac monitoring. It can benefit anyone who has experienced angina, heart attacks, bypass surgery, valve replacement, congestive heart failure, balloon angioplasty or stent placement. Participants meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the physical therapy department of KRHC.

We can monitor up to four people at a time through our program, and the group members tend to serve as a support network for one another. Every person entering the program is different – some may have never done much exercise before, others may be accustomed to a lot of activity. Some may adapt easily to the lifestyle changes necessary, others may struggle with certain aspects of the changes. The group becomes a great source of information sharing and support. They can discuss what is going well and what complications they are having. The Cardiac Rehab program usually lasts for 12 to 24 sessions, depending on the individual. These sessions are covered by most insurance plans.

Physicians usually make referrals for participants in the program, but you don’t need to wait for a medical emergency to occur before working on your heart health. It’s important to know your numbers, like LDL and HDL cholesterol, fasting glucose, blood pressure, triglycerides, body mass index, and being aware of your fitness level.

One of the biggest – and unavoidable – risk factors for heart trouble is family history. The genes that you inherit from your parents and grandparents may involve a high risk of heart problems. Fortunately, many risk factors are within your control. Stress, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and diabetes can all have an affect on your heart.

It’s important to be aware of signs that may indicate heart problems, other than the traditional “elephant on the chest.” For women it can be just a shortness of breath or feeling very tired. Perhaps you have pain in your elbow, jaw or scapula, or don’t tolerate exercise well. It’s easy to associate these things with something other than heart trouble, especially if the pain is a “delayed pain.” Delayed pain doesn’t happen while you’re doing an activity. It may hit you several hours later, or in the middle of the night.

National Heart Month is a good time to examine your personal heart-healthy behavior. For more information about the Cardiac Rehab program at Kossuth Regional Health Center, call 515-295-2451 or 1-800-603-8433.

Sheila Ingalls, R.N., works in Cardiac Rehabilitation and Diabetic Education at Kossuth Regional Health Center