ContinuCare Home Health Inc. in San Antonio Texas will cover everything a patient can expect when returning home after a heart attack. We will talk about early recovery, activity, rehabilitation programs and many more in our four-part blog post

Cardiac rehabilitation is important after a heart attack in order to help patients recover, learn about the disease and learn strategies to prevent further progression. Rehabilitation programs are done under a medical supervised setting. This includes regularly checking up with the doctor in order for him to check the progress of the patient’s recovery. A doctor’s appointment is usually scheduled four to six weeks after the patient left the hospital. Diagnostic tests such as exercise or pharmacological stress tests or cardiac catheterization may be advised at regular intervals. These tests help the doctor diagnose the presence or progression of any coronary artery blockages and plan treatment to avoid this.

It is important for the patient to call the doctor as soon as possible when they experience any of these symptoms:
• Angina (chest pain) is becoming more frequent, increasing in intensity, lasting longer or spreading to other areas
• There is shortness of breath even if at rest
• Patient feels dizzy
• Patient observes heart is beating irregularly

More on Angina
Angina is discomfort, pressure, heaviness or pain the chest, back, jaw, throat arm. It is also like a fullness, indigestion or choking feeling. Angina symptoms vary from person to person but are usually consistent for each patient. If angina occurs, the first thing to do is to stop any activity, have a sit and rest. Those with angina are often prescribed nitroglycerin. A patient who’s experiencing angina must place 1 nitrogylcerin pill or spray it under the tongue and let it dissolve. If after five minutes symptoms are not getting any better, it is time to call emergency help. Patients must never attempt to drive themselves to the hospital. Emergency personnel may let the patient chew on an aspirin for its possible benefits during a heart attack. They may even begin to give the patient heart-saving care right away.