The Trainer Rehab Days

So yes, I did manage to make it back to the rehab clinic, but thankfully, had a few “breather days” inbetween…

The “trainer days” are the two days prior to when the actual cardiac rehab visits start.

During this time, you get acquainted with the warm up and cool down exercises, how the machines work, and the whole routine in general.

I walked in and the same friendly receptionist directed me down to the waiting area where I would sign in, weigh in, and get my blood pressure taken.

I grabbed one of the heart monitors as instructed, and headed to the women’s bathroom to put it on.

Placing each one of the four sticky electrodes on their designated spots, two on the chest area and the other two on my sides, I felt a little bit better already about this whole situation. So far, so good, even good enough for a little “cardiac rehab selfie” to shoot to my husband. This was to prove to him (and deep down, myself) that I wasn’t in the middle of yet another mental breakdown… Although, looking back at this picture makes me wonder…

The nurse then showed me the “heart” of the mothership- The monitors.

This is where they keep a close eye on each patient’s heart rate during their exercise regimen.

But… she couldn’t find mine.

I had my heart monitor on and hooked up, but was non-existent on the monitor screens.

I felt like this was maybe a sign… perhaps a sign I shouldn’t be here…

Nope! I couldn’t get off that easy!

I had put the blasted heart monitor on all wrong! (Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!)

You would think after wearing these little beauties multiple times, I would be able to put them on in my sleep-

Apparently not!

With the nurse’s assistance, I was hooked back up, the correct way, and was then ready to roll.

I was finally able to do my six-minute walk test, but needed to get another blood pressure reading before I began.

Upon arrival, my blood pressure registered 100/62, now it had dropped to 80/50. I didn’t really feel any different but was told I needed to drink some water in hopes of it going back up, which it did. I was then back on track and rocked the six-minute walk. The nurse threw some numbers out which meant nothing to me, but according to her, were good!

I was shown the warm-up and cool-down stretches and then was on the treadmill for a bit before it was time to leave.

I felt a little more confident than I did on Tuesday. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all?

The second day of training went just as well, aside from another drop in blood pressure. Because of this, they were concerned that they may not be getting an accurate reading as the regular sized blood pressure cuff was a bit big for my arm. They then, rolled out one of the familiar blue portable vital sign / blood pressure apparatuses from the back. I remember these contraptions well, as I saw many during my hospital stays.

At any rate, the cuff on wheels did seem to fit and work better.

Training days down, and cardiac rehab left to go! Let the fun begin…

 

First Day of Rehab

Arriving that morning, I approached the same waiting area. This once empty semi-circle seating arrangement, was now filled with about twelve other patients who all seemed to be very well acquainted with each other.

And here I was. The “new kid.”

I awkwardly took a seat and waited on the nurse to make her way back around the u-shaped formation to take my blood pressure. I was surprised at the different age ranges of the patients. True, I may have been the youngest one, but if so, not by much.

An older gentleman who seemed to be the most boisterous of the bunch, looked at me and asked, “So what are YOU here for?”

(How’s that for an ice-breaker?!)

He took me by surprise, but I was actually grateful for it.

It allowed me a way to get into their discussion, something I might not otherwise would have attempted to do on my own.

I told the tale of my defective heart and how all was now fixed.

Three other patients in the group also had valve surgeries!

We began comparing surgeries, symptoms and success stories.

My once-knotted stomach that formed upon arriving, was now beginning to relax.

And just when I was starting to fit in… out comes the nurse wheeling “Ol’ Blue” the big, blue blood pressure contraption…

Ya know how you felt when your mom dropped you off right in front of the middle school, with God and everybody standing there present, and then lays a huge mom KISS on you??!

Yea, it was kinda like that…

Like I wanted, or needed, any more attention drawn to myself…

It was then that the same boisterous gentleman asked in a joking manner, “So why does VALERIE get all the special equipment?!” To which the nurse just laughed and told me that this bunch would soon have me “broken-in” before the morning was over.

They were a great group of people! And all of them having in common the one most relevant thing in my life at the time: a recovering heart.

Come to find out, the first lady I met had an aortic valve replacement and an aortic aneurysm repair at (guess where?!) the Cleveland Clinic, by (get this!) my same master surgeon! And just five days prior to my surgery!

If that wasn’t God….

The second fella I met was another mitral valve repair, and there was also another lady who had had valve replacement surgery.

According to one of the nurses, most of the participates are by-pass patients. She said that this was very rare to have so many valve patients, especially in one group!

I’m thinking this was no accident that I was placed amongst these people! Thank you God!

We all had a lot to talk about and all the patients there were a huge inspiration to me!  I was actually excited to come back!

I felt as if I wasn’t alone in this whole vortex of heart surgery recovery.

Class Time

The last half hour of each cardiac rehab session was class time.

There, we learned about healthy cooking and eating habits, as well as portion control. There was even an opportunity to meet with a dietician.

We learned about physical exertion and how to moderate our activities while not overworking our healing hearts.

We learned about medications, about stress and a wealth of knowledge to help us live a healthier life.

Perhaps the most popular class among all the patients was that one where we learned about cholesterol.

We learned about both our “good cholesterol” or HDL,  and our “bad cholesterol” or LDL. We talked about saturated fats and trans fats, and it was in these little jars that the “bad stuff” was represented as the amount of  “gunk” that can, over time, build up and clog our arteries!

These two jars represent the fat intake of just one serving of a small fast food order of biscuits and gravy.

And this jar represents one small sized chicken nugget fast food kids meal

 

This class, among the others, was a huge eye-opener for me!

I quickly became a cardiac rehab fan!

Aside from the small challenges of battling the PVCs, the occasional drop in blood pressure, and the sporadic dizzy spells that would sometimes set me back two steps each time I would move forward one, I was progressing-even if it wasn’t at my desired rate.

And right alongside, came the nurses on this joyride of my own personal turmoil and aggravation… and God bless ‘em.

 

They were with me when I cried, and joined in when I laughed.

I remember during one of my “dizzy days” I had stayed past rehab hours waiting for that spell and an impeding migraine to pass. One particular nurse that took me under her wing, so-to-speak, kept checking in on me. She made me promise to call once I had made it home.

Of course, I forgot.

Given the exact allotted amount of time it took for my drive home, my phone rang. It was that same nurse calling to make sure I had arrived safely.

These ladies are God-sends, and I can imagine it takes a very special person to become one, as they all were very exceptional individuals.

Throughout cardiac rehab I had two more trips to Cleveland, which ended up extending my rehab stay.

I pronounced myself as the “cardiac rehab flunky” as I was there to participate with three different rehab groups over a span of almost three months, but feeling blessed by each person I had the privilege to meet along the way!

I finally “graduated” on October 2^nd, 2017.

Now on graduation day, the “graduate” is to pick out a song that the rehab nurses play over the sound system during your last rehab walk. This can be anything from your favorite song, to a song that you feel represents your experience at cardiac rehab.

Concluding the last of my cardiac survey paperwork, my favorite nurse then asked me,

“Ok Miss Valerie, what’s your song gonna be?”

I told her.

She looked up at me, shocked.

“Really?” She asked and laughed.

“We’ve never had a request like…like…that, here before!” And she laughed again.

I explained that back “in the day,” that yes, I was indeed a “metal-head.”

“Really?!” She walked away laughing stopping short and turning back around to ask me a third time,

“Really??”

The prelude to the walk with my rehab group went something like this:

“Ok guys, so here’s Miss Valerie’s last walk song request. Brace yourselves.”

She made this introduction as the electrifying and gear-shifting simulation of Mick Mars’ guitar intro of “Kickstart My Heart” began to pierce through the silence and vibrate the walls of the cardiac rehab exercise room…

 I might add, though, that I do believe all who were present had an extra spring in their steps during that walk…

pictured here is the cover to Martin Popoff’s chronology book, “Kickstart My Heart, A Motley Crue Day-By-Day” a collaboration of the author’s accounts with the band members of the Motley Crue.