For nearly all of his life, 31-year-old Edward Gonzales worked hard to deal with the muscular conditions posed by his inherited muscle disorder, Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy (EDMD). Mainly, he kept active working as a car mechanic, in addition to kayaking, mountain biking and riding his motorcycle.
But when he turned 30, he started experiencing heart issues, another symptom of his particular type of muscular dystrophy, which can cause irregular heartbeat, fainting and even sudden cardiac death. Edward went from being able to walk a mile with no trouble to one day needing to rest multiple times while crossing a parking lot. He felt dizzy and his left arm was numb. When he entered the Emergency Department at St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center, he was immediately told that he was in heart failure – his heart was only beating about 30 times a minute, less than half of an adult’s normal resting heart rate.
“They worked hard and told me they’ve never lost anyone my age to heart failure and they didn’t want to lose me,” Edward said. “After days in the hospital, they gave me medications and prescribed cardiac rehabilitation. That has given me back my life.”
Cardiac Rehabilitation at St. Joseph’s Health is a nationally certified outpatient program that includes medically supervised lifestyle and exercise treatment plans for patients who have cardiovascular disease or who are recovering from a heart surgery, procedure, or issue.
“Cardiac rehab is critical to our heart patients’ long-term health,” says Evonne Greenwood, BSN, RN, manager of the Cardiopulmonary Rehab Department for St. Joseph’s Health. “Because of his young age, Edward was not our typical patient. But, no matter what else our patients have going on in their bodies, their age, or their situation, we individualize their rehabilitation so they can live their best life.”
Edward said he agreed to go to cardiac rehab because he does all he can to fight the symptoms of his condition. But he admitted he was a bit depressed and didn’t expect to see much improvement when he first started. Instead, he was surprised at how comprehensive and valuable the 3-day-a-week program has been to his life.
Members of his cardiac rehab team worked with Edward to make sure he was following his doctors’ orders and taking his medications. But they also taught him to eat a more nutritious diet. Above all, Edward said, the support they provided at each session was key to his wellbeing.
“Every member of the team found ways to always motivate me,” Edward said. “They give you exercises and adjust them to your strengths and challenges. I would go forever if I could.”
Edward participated in cardiac rehab for four months and has regained much of his strength. He acknowledges that heart failure is not something that is cured, but he is once again more self-reliant – a quality he attributes to his cardiac rehab team and the lessons they have taught him about diet and exercise.
With his girlfriend’s support, he switched his standard menu of rice, beans and pork to more salads and chicken. He avoids salt, replacing it with his favorite hot sauce, limits his outings to restaurants and orders a 4-ounce steak instead of a10-ounce when he indulges in beef.
Edward said that he knows other people his age with EDMD, and some are close to relying on a wheelchair. He’s grateful that he can still actively participate in hobbies he enjoys, including kayaking and mountain biking.
“The last couple of years I’ve been more worried about my heart than anything else, but cardiac rehab gave me my independence,” Edward said. “That team let me feel normal again.”
