Coronary heart disease
After having heart surgery or problems like a heart attack, it is possible to resume a normal life.
If you have heart surgery, a member of the cardiac rehabilitation team may visit you in hospital to give you information about your condition and the procedure you are having.
This care will usually continue after you have left hospital. For the first few weeksafter your surgery, a member of the cardiac rehabilitation team may visit you at home or call you to check on your progress.
What happens in cardiac rehabilitation programmes canvary widely throughout the country, but most will cover the following basic areas:
Once you have completed your rehabilitation programme, it is important you continue to take regular exercise and lead a healthy lifestyle. This will help protect your heart and reduce the risk of further heart-related problems.
Self care is an integral part of daily life, and is all about you taking responsibility for your own health and wellbeing with thesupport of those involved in your care.
Self care includes actions you take for yourself every day so you stay fit and maintain good physical and mental health, and to prevent illness or accidents and care more effectively for minor ailments and long-term conditions.
People living withlong-term conditions can benefit enormously from being supportedso theycan achieveself care. They can live longer, have less pain, anxiety, depression and fatigue, have a better quality of life, and be more active and independent.
If you have or have had a heart condition, or if you are caring for someone with a heart condition, you might find it useful to meet other people in your area who are in a similar situation.
There are a number of heart support groups around your area that organise regular exercise sessions, such as walking groups, as well asother social activities. Your GP or specialist can provide you with details about your nearest group.
Coming to terms with a long-term condition such as heart disease can put a strain on you, your family and your friends. It can be difficult to talkto people about your condition, even if they are close to you.
Be open about how you feel and let your family and friends know what they can do to help. But do not feel shy about telling them you need some time to yourself.
If you have coronary heart disease (CHD)or you have recently had heart surgery, you may be concerned about having sex. Usually, you can resume sexual activity as soon as you feel well enough.
Communicate with your partner and stay open-minded. Explore what you both like sexually. Simply touching, being touched and being close to someone helps a person feel loved and special.
After recovering from heart surgery, you should be able to return to work, but it may be necessary to change the type of work you do. For example, you may not be able to do a job that involves heavy physical exertion.
Your specialist will be able to advise you about when you can return to work and what type of activities you should avoid.
If you are caring for someone who has heart disease, you may also be entitled to financial support.
To find out if you are entitled to financial support, you can contact your local Social Security department. To request a claim form, contact the Disability Benefits Centre.
Find out about coronary heart disease, which is a major cause of death both in the UK and worldwide. It's responsible for more than 73,000 deaths in the UK each year.
The most common symptoms of coronary heart disease (CHD) are chest pain (angina) and a heart attack. You can also experience other symptoms, such as palpitations and unusual breathlessness...
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is usually caused by a build-up of fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries around the heart (coronary arteries). Your risk of developing atherosclerosis is significantly increased if you; smoke, have high blood pressure, etc.
Classification of heart diseases
If your doctor thinks you may be at risk of developing CHD, they may carry out a risk assessment for cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction or stroke . This may be carried out as part of a health check.
Although coronary heart disease (CHD) cannot be cured, treatment can help manage the symptoms and reduce the risk of further problems. If you have been diagnosed with CHD, you can reduce your risk of further episodes by making simple lifestyle changes.
After having heart surgery or problems like a heart attack, it is possible to resume a normal life. If you have heart surgery, a member of the cardiac rehabilitation team may visit you in hospital to give you information about your condition and the procedure you are having.
There are several ways you can help lower your risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD), such as reducing your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. You should limit the amount of salt you eat to no more than 6g (0.2oz) a day, as too much salt will increase your blood pressure.
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