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Cardiac Rehabilitation
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Cardiac Rehabilitation After Cardiothoracic Surgery |
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Bathing
At first you may be weak, so have someone close by to help you, if needed. Until you feel stronger, it may help to place a stool in the shower. Wash your incisions gently with soap but DO NOT SCRUB. Pat dry. Leave wounds open, unless they are weeping & wet. Taking bath daily is desirable and strongly recommended.
Diet
Eating well-balanced meals will speed your healing and make you less tired after surgery. Your appetite may be down but it will pick up as you start to recover. Try eating small meals more often rather than two or three large ones. If you have diabetes , it is important to keep your blood sugar under control. A healthy heart diet is low in cholesterol, saturated fats, sugar, salt and calories.
The doctor (cardiologist), dietitian or nursing staff will explain how to modify your eating habits. It is wise to reduce coronary risk factors as much as possible by reducing saturated fats, cholesterol and salt in the diet. It is very important to avoid being overweight.Obesity is bad for any heart patient. Generally the same food as the rest of family can be taken, if tolerated. Avoid salty foods such as potato chips. Salt should not be added to your plate but normal cooking salt is all right. Fatty foods are best avoided, so are aerated drinks. Take plenty of fruits, fresh vegetables & roughage in diet. Avoid confectionary and bakery products. Do keep track of invisible fats and calories especially in form of major snacks between meals.
Recommended Food Products after Coronary Artery Surgery
- Skimmed milk and its products
- Lentils
- Low cholesterol butter
- Poultry, fish, white of egg
- Soups
- Butter milk, coconut water, lime juice
- Wheat flour with bran, besan
- Green leafy vegetables
- Fruits - apple, orange, sweet lime, grape, pears, water melon, musk melon
- Grilled, baked, sesamed and roasted foods
- Dryfruits-15-20 gm/day
Cholesterol
Nutrition experts generally agree that keeping blood cholesterol at normal levels reduces the risk of heart complications in persons who have coronary artery disease. It is a good idea to check your blood cholesterol periodically. If it is high you will have to reduce it by proper diet and exercise. If diet and exercise don't do the job, medication may be needed.
Cooking
Use small amounts of vegetable oil in cooking. Corn, Soy, Sunflower, Peanut and olive oils are better to use. Bake, boil, steam or grill. Don't fry and don't add salt at the table. Don't refry food & don't reuse oil after it has been used once as repeated heating of oil leads to production of transfatty acids which are harmful to your heart and lead to cholesterol deposition in the arteries of the heart.
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