"Cardiac Rehab Whiteabbey"

I feel very privileged and grateful that I was able to attend a Cardiac Rehab course at Whiteabbey Hospital after my recent angioplasty and insertion of two balloons in my cardiac arteries. The series of seven talks were not only informative but also helped boost my confidence and greatly helped in my recovery. The accompanying series of seven exercise classes at Ballyearl Leisure Centre have noticeably improved my fitness, restored my confidence in my body and were also good fun to do. All the staff were friendly, helpful and professional in their delivery of these classes, so that I felt cared for and valued. I should particularly like to thank Roisin, Ann and Alan for their help and support.

The information provided by the course, the physical exercise, the constant monitoring of my wellbeing and the consequent adjustment of my medication were all very beneficial. But I found the psychological support provided by these professionally supervised group sessions reallly helpful. I think one of the worst consequences of a cardiac incident like I experienced is loss of confidence in my body's ability to support me, fear for what the future will bring and a sense of isolation. Being part of a group sharing similar experiences and making progress together I found gave a huge boost to my morale and mental health.

My one reservation was the lack of engagement in the group by many of the men. I wonder if this could be overcome and others encouraged to participate more actively, by some kind of group discussion at the start of the course perhaps led by an NHS psychologist, counsellor or nurse with counselling skills. If we sat in a circle and were each asked to introduce ourself to the group, our cardiac event, our health concerns, perhaps this would help break the ice and encourage more group discussion and mutual support.

Prior to Cardiac Rehab I thought I would not enjoy or benefit from workouts in a gym as this was not 'my kind of thing', and had not planned to continue with the next fitness course. However, I so much enjoyed the 'craic' with Alan and the group, and realised that his exercises and circuits were making me both much fitter physically and more positive mentally, so that I have decided to continue with the next course of gym sessions. I very much appreciate that these are being offered free of charge and hope they will encourage to continue working on my physical fitness in the future.

Many thanks to the NHS for this whole expetience.