Warren's heart story

Warren talks about his heart attack and how cardiac rehabilitation helped him on his journey to recovery.

I was skiing in Thredbo in early August, flying down the hill, and I was deliberately pressing myself. I was going hard, very hard, very fast. I stopped to go across the main trail to get back on the lift and I had just a slight angina. But it was gone in 10 seconds so I did it again. This time when I got to the same position it now lasted for half a minute, and I said that's enough. My wife arrived and she called 000. The Thredbo ambulance arrived and I ended up having a quintuple bypass, so five bypasses were administered during the course of the operation.

The physio was the first who came to me after the operation and she started me on a program which was just walking around the ward. Then she suggested rehab. Because I had concerns about my own well-being, because I wasn't recovering as quickly as I thought I should, going to these classes twice a week was nice as I could go there and have consultations. That was what rehab did for me, it explained to me that "ok this is the process, it's slow and it's tedious, but you don't overdo it, just do what we say and it'll all be good." Which, it’s fair enough to say, is correct.

I would strongly recommend it to anyone, it can certainly do you no harm. I remember when I first emerged from the operation and was in intensive care, and even after, of sometimes feeling stress and concern about certain things which had occurred. It was very nice to be able to, on my next session at rehab, raise these issues.
Now I'm very well versed, thanks in part to the rehab, and know what maintains a good heart. Rehab probably alerted me to, and reminded me of, important issues.So, to that extent it has been very useful.

Learn how cardiac rehabilitation can help you, or find a cardiac rehabilitation service online. You can also call the Heart Foundation Helpline 13 11 12 for help finding a service near you.