Swedish Center for Cardiac Wellness and Rehab

There’s nothing like a life-​threatening condition to make one straighten up and fly right or, insert bromide here. So, when my most excellent cardiologist (and his orchestra) recommended I get into the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, I was like, where do I sign up? Well, It’s now been a month and seven days since my attack, I just completed my fourth session in rehab and I’ve got to say, I’m already impressed with the center and the excellent specialists that work there. The goal here is to gradually condition the patient physically and in so doing, build strength and efficiency in the heart muscle as well as other muscles, so that the heart doesn’t have to work so hard and will last longer. After all, the heart is the hardest working muscle in the body. Think about it, there are people (not many) who’s hearts have been pumping blood since color photography, the helicopter (officially), the electric washing machine and the vacuum cleaner were all invented in 1907. Wow!
The Center has classes on nutrition and a gym with state of the art exercise equipment (see business pictures) but with a couple of huge differences: In this gym, you get hooked up to a wireless Bio-​transmitter and are closely monitored by a one of the nurses at a monitoring station while you exercise. There are also monitor screens placed elsewhere around the gym. Knowing this removes all potential stress because if your heart doesn’t like something, the nurse is on it post haste. It also helps that the facility is in a fully equipped hospital. The Center is very clean and has locker rooms with showers and there is hand sanitizer every where. For your entertainment and incase you didn’t bring an MP3 player, there are two big flat screen HD TV’s with close caption going and music playing in the background.
The routine is fairly simple: I have a chart at the center. When I arrive every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I weigh myself and write it on the chart along with my session number. The nurse takes my blood pressure right away and I write that on my chart. Then she places three electrodes on key areas of my chest that are connected to the wireless Bio-​Transmitter and I clip the transmitter to the side of my belt. The exercises are for an hour. I’ve been doing about 15 minute on the stationary cycle doing 5 minutes of easy peddling for warm up and another then another 10 to 15 of higher resistance peddling. Then I usually go to the elliptical and do about 20 minutes of resistance, and then it on to the treadmill for the remainder of macine exercises. After that it’s the weight exercises and finally stretching exercises. By this time, a full the hour has gone by. Now, you don’t want to overdo it. I don’t think I did that but I got reprimanded for upping the resistance from 3 to 12 on the elliptical and was reminded of the «Gradual goal» We settled on a number 4 setting. Once you’re warmed up on one of the machines, the nurse asks you on a scale of one to 20 how hard you feel you are working and then they take your BP again while you are exercising.
The staff here Rock! They are friendly, very knowledgeable and helpful. I’m so glad I’m experiencing the Center and this chapter of my life. It’s better for my health and by my birthday in August, I’ll be lookin’ good… I mean healthy!