"Rehabilitation after my unexpected Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest"

In May, I suffered a cardiac arrest. I was extremely fortunate to receive help quickly and had CPR followed by a defibrillator. The ambulance then rushed me to hospital where I remained for four weeks. I thought I was a fit and healthy person in my early 60s, and regularly competing in swimming competitions and taking part in park runs. I was discharged from hospital in June with an implanted defibrillator device.

My family was devastated that this had happened to me. My life was turned upside down, and I had a lot of concern about my future. I wondered if I would ever be able to swim or run again, and how I would cope with general life.

The hospital staff were so good, I cannot praise them enough. This helped to give me some hope for the future. They mentioned I would be offered Cardiac Rehabilitation, but I was not sure what that would be like.

After the procedure to fit my device, I had to wait 6-8 weeks for it to settle in. During that period, the only exercise I was allowed was walking. It takes a little while for the pain of the operation to wear off, so I was unsure how I was progressing .

Prior to commencing my Cardiac Rehabilitation programme, I attempted to do half a park walk. I thought I would be fine, but almost immediately I became nervous and lost my confidence. After that I was uncertain about how I would move forward.

When I attended the New Victoria Cardiac Rehabilitation Clinic for the first time, I was made very welcome. I felt very safe there. The three main cardio physios in the Cardiac Rehabiliation team were William, Hilary and Jagjeet. There were also others involved and helping along the way.

Over the next 2 months the team taught me how to move/exercise safely and gradually built up my fitness and confidence to a level I never thought would have been possible. I also attended gym sessions with the team and gently and gradually they built up what I was capable of doing physically and mentally. As an example, I was encouraged to do very gentle jogging (say for a minute) followed by walking. Over time this was built up, and recently I have been able to complete a full park run without any walking.

I discussed getting back into swimming with the team. I received excellent guidance and I could not be more pleased to say that after two months I was able to enter and complete another swimming race, though I took the race at a very steady pace. I have entered another one.

The team provide you with knowledge on exercising in a safe way , and carefully explain exactly what to do and why it should be done.

The rehabilitation has been instrumental in me getting my life back and finding hope that there is a (safe) way forward for me. I cannot praise this service enough. The team were so supportive and professional. The sessions are serious but fun at the same time. We were all treated as individuals with limits/targets of our own, and an understanding that we were in no way competing with anyone else in the class. I really look forward to the rehab classes each week.

I have my final classes this week. I feel so grateful to the wonderful Cardiac Rehabilitation team. Their teaching/encouragement and help has made a huge impact on me mentally and physically. I can now get on with my life! What a wonderful service. I would encourage anyone who is offered Cardiac Rehabilitaion to take full advantage of it. Thank You.