Cardiac rehabilitation helps Beacon patient reclaim his life after heart failure

Last July, J.J. Rivera went to the hospital for what he feared might be pneumonia. He had been stuck in bed for two days, coughing and feeling short of breath. He could barely drag himself out of bed to get to the hospital, but he was afraid to wait too long for treatment.

It wasn’t pneumonia. Blood clots and COVID were ruled out, yet his blood oxygen level was alarmingly 82, far below the normal range of 95 to 100.

The next morning, a doctor did an ultrasound and showed J.J. his chest images. One side of his heart was “lit up” with activity, while the other side was ominously dark and still.

At 58, with no prior heart issues — not even high blood pressure., J.J.’s diagnosis came as a shock: He had heart failure.

J.J. learned the artery that delivers blood to his heart was 90% blocked, so half his heart could not pump properly. This is what led to heart failure and caused fluid to build up in his lungs. Newly diagnosed diabetes may have been contributed.

“That was when I really realized, ‘OK, this is bad. This could actually end everything’,” he said. “The only thing that gave me some hope was not being wheeled into an operation right then.”

He didn’t have to wait long, however. Dr. M. Shakil Aslam, Beacon Medical Group Advanced Cardiology Specialists South Bend, swiftly performed a minimally invasive procedure to place a stent in his blocked artery. Once the blood flow was improved, his heart began pumping properly again and his blood oxygen levels steadily improved.

Dr. M. Shakil Aslam, Beacon Medical Group Advanced Cardiology Specialists South Bend

A Journey of Recovery

J.J. may have been feeling better when he left the hospital, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

After a severe cardiac event, patients have a higher chance of another event. The care team is committed to preventing a recurrence, and medications are an important part of follow-up care. Diet and exercise also have a huge effect on heart health, making cardiac rehabilitation, where patients learn to care for their hearts, an essential step.

J.J.’s experience, so far, felt nearly overwhelming. He had to wear a special vest with a cardiac defibrillator and a 3-pound battery pack, just in case of a heart attack. But he found inspiration in an unexpected place.

His sister shared a story of a military sergeant that helped him put the idea of rehab in perspective.

“My sister is in the military, and she had a sergeant who had a similar [heart] problem. He had one of the greatest recoveries ever,” J.J. said. All the sergeant did was follow the doctors’ instructions to the letter.

“My frame of mind wasn’t super positive at that point,” he said. “But I thought if I do what they tell me to do, I’ll probably recover. I had to tell myself, ‘If you don’t do this thing right, it’s not going to work. And the alternative is not good’.”

The cardiac rehab program turned out be just what he needed. Each class included an hour of education followed by an hour of supervised exercise, such as walking on a treadmill. Not only did he learn how to follow a heart-healthy diet, he thrived on the compassionate support he received from the staff.

“The cardiac rehab experience was phenomenal for me. I can’t say enough about the nurses who helped me there,” he said. “Their information during that time, getting me to exercise more and having an enjoyable experience made all the difference in the world.”

Many of J.J.’s go-to foods, such as canned soup, turned out to be far too high in salt and/or sugar. His first trip back to a grocery store took two and a half hours due to reading food labels. Now he knows the healthier alternatives to choose, and he even makes his own low-sodium meat stew.

The positive changes he has embraced are working: J.J. no longer has to wear the portable defibrillator, and his heart is working more efficiently. His scores from an ejection fraction test, which measures the percent of blood pumped out of the heart, increased by 20% is just nine weeks.

Dr. Scott Hurley, Beacon Medical Group Advanced Cardiology Specialists

Although his initial cardiac rehabilitation has ended, he continues to attend maintenance classes. A year after walking out of the hospital, he reflects on the difficulty of making big lifestyle changes.

“The habits people form over years and years are hard to change. You have to wean yourself off the bad stuff,” he explained. He used to eat fast food multiple times a week, but today he indulges less than once a month. “I’m not going to say I’m Mr. Perfect. But each time I’ve had fast food, it’s been less satisfying, so I don’t even crave it anymore.”

He attributes much of his success to the support he received in rehab at Beacon.

“They understand you’re not going to be some monk in a cloistered situation eating bread for the rest of your life,” he explained. “I consider them family now. I converse with them a lot, I keep them updated.”

He particularly wants to thank his cardiac rehab team (Anna, Katie, Corey and Amanda) and his cardiologist, Dr. Scott Hurley, Beacon Medical Group Advanced Cardiology Specialists.

“They’re here to help you,” J.J. said. “It’s a journey. This isn’t a death sentence if you do the right things.”

Beacon Heart, Vascular and Stroke care

Why choose Beacon for your heart and vascular care? Beacon is the first in the region for performing the most heart procedures annually. We were the first thrombectomy-capable stroke center in Indiana — the only one within 90 miles. And, ours is the only regional program with specially trained structural heart therapy specialists. Learn more about the care provided by our entire Beacon cardiovascular team.