Back in the saddle after Cardiac Rehab
February 9, 2022
Categories: Patient story
Betty Fairchild is back in the saddle at age 97, and Community HealthCare System’s Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program helped her get there.
After an aortic valve replacement, fatigue and shortness of breath kept Fairchild, who lives four miles outside of Frankfort, from the active lifestyle she had always enjoyed. She was referred to CHCS Cardiopulmonary Rehab by her cardiac surgeon, Dr. Muehlebach, from the University of Kansas Health System. Fairchild...
CHCS offers Heart to Heart Therapy
August 9, 2021
Categories: Community health news, General, News
If you have a heart attack or a heart procedure, you can participate in Cardiac Rehab to help regain your health. But Community HealthCare System wants to do more to help people prevent heart problems in the first place. A new program, Heart to Heart Therapy, can do just that.
The friendly, highly customizable program is designed to help people set goals, learn about heart health risk factors, and start exercising with help from a team of wellness experts.
Meranda...
How to boost your heart health
August 9, 2021
Categories: Community health news, News
By Meranda Schmitz, RN and Cardiac Rehab nurse
We recently posted about cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. So what can you do decrease your risk factors and increase your heart’s health?
Make a few changes to your diet Exercise for the recommended amount of time at the recommended effort level Keep your blood sugar levels under control Take the medications prescribed by your doctor or cardiologist Join Cardiac Rehab!After a...
What is cardiovascular disease?
August 9, 2021
Categories: Community health news, General
By Meranda Schmitz, RN and Cardiac Rehab nurse
Your heart is the most important muscle in your body. Just like any muscle, it can get damaged or worn out. Cardiac Rehab is designed to strengthen and recover your heart so that you may go on to live a happier, healthier life. If you have cardiovascular disease, Cardiac Rehab may be for you. But first, it’s important to understand cardiovascular disease, its risk factors, and how it affects the body.
So...
Cardiac Rehab spurs lifestyle changes for Keith Figge
February 17, 2021
Categories: News, Patient story
As he was recovering from COVID-19 last fall, Keith Figge heard some strange news at a follow-up checkup at CHCS: He had a heart murmur. An appointment with a cardiologist revealed that he had a prolapsed mitral valve.
Figge, who was born and raised in Onaga and has served as Onaga High School’s agricultural education teacher and FFA advisor for 27 years, smiles easily and enjoys a good laugh. But that day, he was scared. He was referred to a surgeon, who convinced him that surgery...
Catch up on heart health at CHCS
February 11, 2021
Categories: Catch Up On Care
We’ve all been worried about our health as we put on our masks to run errands, sanitize our hands, and avoid gatherings, but we probably haven’t been thinking about our hearts very often. Our hearts beat 2.5 billion times over the average lifetime and push millions of gallons of blood to every part of the body, so we need to care for these lifeāgiving organs. If you need to take time to catch up on caring for your heart, CHCS is here to help.
Diet and exercise both play...
Taking the stress out of cardiac stress tests
June 10, 2020
Categories: Community health news, Patient story
If you have chest pain, shortness of breath, or heart rhythm problems, your doctor may order a cardiac stress test to find out how well your heart pumps.
The test takes several hours and involves injecting a tracer and collecting images of the heart at rest, then collecting another image of the heart while it’s pumping vigorously. The images help a doctor determine whether blockages are causing problems and what treatments patients need.
Patients must fast for 12 hours...
What is cardiac rehab?
February 10, 2020
Categories: News, Provider story
Cardiac rehab is an outpatient program that combines both exercise and education to modify a participant’s lifestyle. The customized and medically supervised program helps participants improve their cardiac health. Cardiac rehab is crucial for those who have had a recent heart attack, had heart surgery, had valve surgery, or a have had a heart catheterization with or without stents. It can also help people with chronic congestive heart failure. The program...
Help your heart: Avoid high blood pressure with small changes
February 3, 2020
Categories: Community health news
Doing the right things to stay healthy isn’t easy. At least that’s what we tell ourselves when we become overwhelmed with information about what to eat, how much to exercise, and what is and isn’t good for us.
But if you are making a few small changes, it can make a big difference in avoiding or decreasing high blood pressure, and thus protecting your heart. Holly Schmitz, registered dietitian at Community HealthCare System, said you should pause to consider what you...