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Heart attack warning signs
Some heart attacks are intense and quite obvious. However, most heart attacks are more subtle, often beginning with only mild pain or discomfort.
What’s important is to recognize the following signs and act quickly by calling your doctor if they are brought on with activity and improve with rest.
- Chest discomfort (pain, squeezing, pressure) that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away but then comes back
- Pain or discomfort in upper body (neck, arms, jaw, back, even stomach)
- Shortness of breath with activity
- Lightheadedness, dizziness
- Cold sweat
- Nausea
Cardiac Rehab departments now offer prevention programs by Angie Gallagher, MS, registered clinical exercise physiologist and manager of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation at Samaritan Albany General Hospital.
At Samaritan’s Albany, Lebanon and Corvallis hospitals, people no longer have to be heart patients to reap the benefits of the hospitals’ Cardiac Rehabilitation departments. Now, anybody in those communities is welcome to join the new “Cardiovascular Health and Prevention Program.”
The prevention program is open to patients who want to improve their cardiovascular health and reduce their risk of CVD, and who would benefit from a structured and medically supervised program. Participants may include people with diabetes, arrhythmias, multiple risk factors for CVD, or those who have had remote MI’s or coronary bypass surgery who are stable and asymptomatic.
The prevention program offers individualized exercise prescription, tracking of blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose and exercise parameters, guidelines for home exercise, dietary advice, monthly heart healthy dinners, ongoing education on cardiovascular health and wellness topics, and camaraderie.
Physicians have told us they appreciate the program because it provides a resource for their patients who are not likely to join a health club or who don’t have the self-discipline to exercise regularly on their own. The CHP program offers accountability and we often hear our patients say that if it weren’t for this program, they would not be nearly as active. It is also reassuring for both physicians and participants that the program is staffed by clinicians who can recognize and respond to signs and symptoms, and who are trained in emergency response. It is also a safe and effective way for physicians to see how a new blood pressure medication is working. Patients will often take a copy of their exercise stats to their physicians to show them their progress or to allow the physician to see what their blood pressure has been running.
Patients appreciate that the exercise programs are developed specifically for their needs. Though they exercise in a group setting, each person has his or her own goals and program designed to meet those goals. Exercise prescription includes multiple modes of aerobic exercise, strength training, stretching, and suggestions for home exercise. Participants may also be given relaxation exercises or check out relaxation audio tapes as needed. We use the philosophy that people are made up of Mind, Body, and Spirit and that all parts need to be nourished to have total wellness. One of the rewarding things to see is the social support that develops within the exercise classes. People make friends and often get together outside of the program for social activities.
For information on the CHP program, call 812-5441 in Albany and 451-7888 in Lebanon. The staff will make sure to send referral forms to your physician.
Cardiac rehab is also available at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport (574-4856). Please call for more information on services in your area.
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