Heart patients at Mercy St. Francis Hospital are getting and staying healthy post-surgery
Being active and exercising is an essential step in recovering from heart surgery and other heart complications, but it isn’t always as easy as stepping on the treadmill. This is why your doctor might recommend a cardiac rehabilitation program.
When starting your fitness journey, it is common to have questions. Where do I start? Am I pushing myself too far? Is this even helping? Rehab specialists at Mercy understand these concerns and can provide the support you need to succeed. The goal of rehab is to get you back to living your life, while reducing your risks of future heart problems.
For Elizabeth Maybin, the cardiopulmonary rehab program at Mercy St. Francis Hospital was a crucial step in her recovery. Shortly after moving to Mountain View from San Antonio, Texas, Maybin was feeling unwell and went to visit her new primary care physician at Mercy. She was referred to a cardiac specialist, and in four short weeks, she went in for open heart surgery.
“I feel as though moving to Mountain View saved my life,” Maybin said. “I had no idea about the possibility of heart failure. My doctors told me that if I wouldn’t have come in sick that day, I may not have made it.”
Following her surgery, Maybin was assigned to a supervised cardiac rehab program that utilized exercise, education and support to help her recover.
“It is a life-changing experience,” Maybin said. “I have lost about 50 pounds since my heart surgery, and I hope I can keep working to lose more. In the beginning, I went to rehab because my doctors told me to, but now I go because I enjoy it.”
The cardiac rehab program begins with an individual assessment. Throughout the first few weeks the rehab team works to understand how far along each patient is in their heart recovery. The program is then adapted to that patient’s specific needs.
“When I first began rehab, I could bike for about five minutes,” Maybin said. “The rehab team helped me understand my limits and were monitoring my activity, so I was never over working myself. I now go in every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and I bike for an hour and a half.”
Heart issues, whether they’ve recently appeared or have been with you since birth, can often be improved with exercise. While changing lifelong habits may not be easy, Mercy Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation – Mountain View can help. Schedule your appointment now: http://bit.ly/2u2hXak
Understanding your risk of heart disease can increase your chances of living a heart-healthy life. Schedule a heart screening near you and start working towards lowering your risk factors: http://bit.ly/37uhueL
Mercy Springfield Communities is comprised of Mercy Hospital Springfield, an 866-bed referral center; an orthopedic hospital; a rehab hospital; a children’s hospital; four regional hospitals in Lebanon, Aurora, Cassville, and Mountain View, Missouri; and Mercy Clinic, a physician clinic with nearly 700 doctors and locations throughout the region. It is part of Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems for four consecutive years (2016 to 2019) by IBM Watson Health, which serves millions annually. Mercy includes more than 40 acute care, managed and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, 900 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 45,000 co-workers and 2,400 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In addition, Mercy’s IT division, Mercy Technology Services, and Mercy Virtual commercially serve providers and patients from coast to coast.
