Commitment to a Healthier Life: Scott Herman’s Story

On December 25, 2021, Scott Herman and his wife had to cancel their Christmas plans due to testing positive for COVID-19. What seemed to be a quick recovery left Scott with breathing issues. He was assured by relatives who have had COVID-19 before that his breathing issues would go away within a week or two. Unfortunately for Scott, this was not the case. His breathing problems worsened, and he decided to seek medical attention at ProHealth, his primary provider.

After several doctor visits, tests, and cardiac Intervention, Scott was encouraged to follow up with cardiac rehabilitation due to the balloon angioplasty and stent procedures he had done at his primary provider. Since his primary provider was located over 40 minutes away, he decided to seek rehab at Fort Memorial Hospital, to be closer to home. The first thing he noticed was how closely the staff monitored the patients and how happy and comfortable the patients seemed to be. What started off as an economical decision turned into a preferred destination for Scott. He states, “I get such good treatment here that I prefer to stay here.” Scott quickly developed a close relationship with Lisa Michaels-Bilgrien, Coordinator, Colleen Voll, Clinical Exercise Physiologist, and Leah Rebout, Certified Cardiac Rehab Professional/Exercise Physiologist (pictured left to right).

Fort HealthCare’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is divided into three phases. Phase I begins in the hospital as an inpatient and concentrates on recovery, providing a slow progression into more exercise and activity to help the patient with daily life activities. Phase II is an outpatient program and is specifically designed to help the patient increase their exercise tolerance and learn what it takes to live a heart healthy lifestyle. The Phase III or Wellness program, also known as the conditioning phase of recovery, is made to maintain regular exercise and the healthy heart changes made in phase II. Phase III is also open to the public and available to anyone with a provider approval.

Since Scott started the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Fort Memorial Hospital, he has graduated into Phase III. His breathing, blood sugar levels, and heart rate have improved. He has even lost 30 pounds and is able to lift more weight and push himself on the stationary machines. Scott continues, “Everything that rehab has set out to do is basically accomplished, and everything I have set out to do is better.” When asked about his motivation to achieve and go beyond his goals in rehab, Scott said it was coming to Fort Memorial and seeing the people, “What keeps me going is my family, the doctors, and these three. Whether they know it or not, they have become part of my extended family. I’m glad I made the decision, and I’m glad I’m here. It’s been a great experience; it continues to be a great experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

If you or someone you know need Cardiac Rehabilitation or want to exercise with the appropriate supervision, we encourage you to check out the Fort HealthCare Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.

To learn more about the program, visit www.FortHealthCare.com/Cardio-Pulmonary or call (920) 568 – 5349.