Hammond resident Thomas Michna, 63, is very familiar with the cardiac rehabilitation program at Community Hospital; he’s gone through it three times beginning in 1997. His most recent stint in the program took place following a heart transplant in 2017.
“I was very comfortable with the fact that I was monitored,” Michna says. “If you develop an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), they can tell. If your heart beats erratically or too fast, they can have you slow down. They take your blood pressure multiple times. You learn your limits of what you can do and you feel that you are safe to exercise.”
Michna says the rehab staff is not shy about pushing you harder or slowing you down as needed.
“Cardiac rehab is about helping the patients begin a healthier lifestyle and making a commitment to maintain those changes for the future,” says MaryAnn Kolodziej, supervisor cardiac rehab Phase 2, Community Hospital. “Exercise and education are the keys to success!”
For more information about the cardiac rehabilitation programs available through the hospitals of Community Healthcare System, visit COMHS.org/heart.
