Today was the last session of my 8 week cardiac rehabilitation course. I'm now officially discharged from the care of the hospital, and left to my own devices, so I must say a massive thank you to those cardiac nurses who have worked wonders.
Their support over these 8 weeks has been nothing short of brilliant. If I think back to the first session where I thought I wouldn't be able to do anything strenuous ever again they have shown me - through both the gym work and the weekly lectures on lifestyle changes - that I can get back to how things used to be, and in fact go much further.
Yes, I've had to cut down on my cheese intake, and make sure there is lots of fruit, veg and fish in my diet now - but I'm getting used to it (and to be honest it's not that bad!)
Today I had to repeat my "shuttle run", the assessment I did before I began my final session. On my first attempt they said I did very well, and managed to walk 540m between the cones as the bleeps got faster and faster (until in the end I just couldn't physically keep up any longer). Today I managed 750m before I had to stop. I make that almost a 40% improvement. And not only that, my heartrate and recovery time have both dropped too.
I've got an appointment with my consultant in September to discuss how things are, and I've been referred to a local leisure centre to view an exclusive - not for the public - "outpatient" group to continue improving my heart. After all it is a muscle and needs to be exercised to grow stronger.
Want some info on looking after your own heart? Visit the British Heart Foundation website, or follow them on Twitter.
My next hurdle will be September, and the start of term as I return to work full-time. Something I haven't done now for 5 months...
