"My Recovery from Heart Surgery"

As a result of catching Bacterial Meningitis I required to have my aortic valve replaced. This was carried out in the Golden Jubilee Hospital.

I then attended the New Stobhill Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme.

The sessions not only provided a variety of physical exercises but also a range of informative talks on the importance of body weight, diet and alcohol intake in maintaining healthy heart functioning. A talk on Stress Management was particularly helpful in this regard.

A number of sessions ended with a beneficial muscle relaxation exercise. This provided a model that could be carried out at home.

The team of Specialist Nurses and Physiotherapists conducted the above in a sensitive and caring manner, ensuring that each person was treated as an individual. Staff created a friendly, welcoming atmosphere without compromising their professionalism. They readily made themselves available should anyone feel they were struggling.

A baseline heart rate was established and revisited during and at the end of each session. Patients were invited to self assess the level of difficulty of the session using a provided sliding scale. This was carefully logged in a booklet containing other relevant patient information.

The sessions not only increased my level of fitness and stamina but also (arguably more importantly) gave me the confidence and awareness to assess and monitor at home my own exercise programme; e.g. in how to use to best effect the British Heart Foundation videos, the link to which was supplied by the team.

I would like to express here my gratitude to the team for bringing me so far on the road to recovery. While I feel very unlucky to have required surgical cardiac intervention, I feel extremely fortunate to have had the follow up support of the dedicated Stobhill team. I wish each member every success in their careers.