Don, way back in the early 1970s, I helped set up the cardiac rehab program at the John's Hopkins Hospital and also the Pulmonary Rehab program. Both are pretty much the same, usually 12 to 16 weeks, two to three days a week, depending on your insurance company. Medicare will cover part of it, but not all.

The programs are all pretty similar, treadmill, exercycle, light weight lifting, arm cycling machine, and you will be on a cardiac monitor every minute of the hour you are exercising. Essentially, the program doesn't make your heart any stronger - that's not remotely possible. What it does is make you stronger, gives you more stamina, so when you do have to stress your mind and body, your heart doesn't have to work as hard to compensate for the increased metabolic demand. It is very, very effective for about 75 percent of those that go through the program. The other 25 percent usually go back to lazing around and doing nothing but eating fattening foods and getting no exercise whatsoever.

I have a lot of exercise equipment here at home, but not I'm too busted up to use the treadmill and I'm only good for about 10 minutes on the exercycle stationary bicycle. I still do the light weights, just 5 pounds, though, about 100 curling reps with each arm. My arms look great, but the rest of me looks like $hit! Hopefully, when the boat goes back in the water, the constant exercise from sailing will improve some of the other body parts, though some will likely never function like they did in the past.

Good luck, old friend,

Gary