After Open Heart Surgery|Heart Valve Replacement

After Open Heart Surgery – Rehab Can Be Hard, Stick With It!

Recovery after heart valve replacement or repair goes a lot faster when you join and regularly participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program. I’m fortunate enough to have access to the New Heart Cardiac Rehabilitation Program here in Albuquerque.

It is a state of the art facility, with all the latest exercise equipment and programs, exercise physiologists, dietitians, therapists, and in-house Doctors. And, it particularly geared toward helping a patient recover after open heart surgery

We cardiac patients are permitted to exercise only on the days a Doctor is scheduled. I feel very safe exercising at New Heart as my heart is monitored constantly while I’m exercising.

So far, there haven’t been any emergencies necessitating a Doctor, but it is comforting to know that one is on the premises.

My after open heart surgery rehab schedule is three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. Up until last Friday, I was restricted to just lower body exercises, but now my exercise physiologist, with the permission of both my surgeon and Dr. McGuire, one of the in-house Doctors at the rehab clinic, has added a couple of light upper body exercises to my program.

I’m very happy to be doing both upper and lower body exercises now. The muscles in my legs are beginning to firm up a little and I’m anxious to see the same improvement in my arms, chest, and back.

While I am excited to be released to do the new upper body exercises, my entire exercise schedule was daunting for me today. I did make it through all of my exercises, but for some reason it was like climbing a mountain. My basic nature is to improve at least a little everyday, so I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to add more minutes or increase the level of difficulty on any machine today.

Everything that I’ve read about open heart surgery recovery says to expect good days and bad days. It’s been almost seven weeks since my heart valve surgery, and I still get exhausted at the drop of a hat. The Doctors say that I’m doing great and to take it easy. It is difficult for me to patient through this recovery phase.