Most people are happy to be able to go home. However, you may feel worried about leaving the carefully monitored environment of the hospital. If possible try to arrange for someone to stay with you for a couple of weeks.
When you get home you or a relative/partner should inform the Doctor that you have returned from hospital. You will also need to give the Doctor the letter the hospital has given you outlining the treatment you received whilst there and the medications you are to take. Your Doctor will be responsible for providing repeat prescriptions of these medications.
It is quite common to feel depressed when you get home. You don’t need to worry too much about this, as it is a natural reaction. If you find that this continues contact your Doctor or talk to the staff at the cardiac rehabilitation programme.
For the first few days take things easy and try to do the same amount of moving around as you did whilst in hospital. The following can be used as a guide:
DO:
- Get up and dressed each day
- Walk around the house
- Walk up/down the stairs at a comfortable pace up to two times daily
- Take a bath or shower
- Shampoo your hair
- Watch TV, play cards, read etc…
- Receive visitors at home (try and limit it to about 4/day)
- Simple household chores – washing dishes, laying the table
- Take at least one rest period during the day
- Aim for 6-10 hours sleep a night
- Do stage one of the walking programme outlined later in this leaflet
DON’T:
- Drive the car for one month
- Play sports or attend sports matches
- Lift, push or drag heavy objects
- Garden
- Vacuum, make the bed, carry loads of washing or hang out clothes on the line
REMEMBER:
- Do not be over cautious. Your heart is already on the mend; do not be frightened of activity
- Partners must be aware of not being too over-protective. In fact, wrapping your partner up in cotton wool may be the worst thing for them. Your task is to help your partner gently return to activity and a normal life
- Follow the outpatient activity guide that is provided later in this leaflet. However, use this as a guide only as everyone progresses at different rates
- Take someone with you when you go out of the house for the first time
- Remember you are alive and getting stronger all the time
After week one at home, if you are beginning to feel better, with no episodes of chest pain and breathlessness, you may increase your activity as follows:
DO:
- Begin your walking programme at stages one and two
- Undertake light housework (one room at a time)
- Prepare meals
- Take short rides in the car with someone else driving
- Light gardening – weeding/planting
- Watch your favourite sport on the TV
- Take at least one rest period during the day
- Resume sexual activity (2-3 weeks)
Gradually increase the amount of activity you can comfortably achieve. If there are activities that are not mentioned here that apply to you please ask about them.
REMEMBER:
- Increase your activity and exercise gradually.
- Maintain physical activity that keeps you comfortably out of breath, but not VERY out of breath. You should still be able to talk in a sentence.
- When you have outgrown your activity programme you may want to start considering other forms of regular exercise. This is usually after about 6-8 weeks. Do not be discouraged if it takes you longer.
- Do not worry about every twinge in your chest that you may feel. Not all pain in the chest is cardiac chest pain. However, you must get help if your chest pain persists for more than 15 minutes following GTN spray.
