Heart Disease Management in Point Cook
Heart disease is usually lifelong, and most of the work of staying well happens after the diagnosis or the hospital stay. Regular GP care keeps medicines, risk factors and new symptoms in view.
If you have chest pain, pressure or discomfort that is severe, getting worse or lasts longer than 10 minutes, call 000 straight away.
Conditions under the heart disease umbrella
- Coronary artery disease and angina
- Recovery after a heart attack, stent or bypass surgery
- Heart failure, where pumping is less effective
- Atrial fibrillation and other rhythm problems
- Valve disease
Services offered here for heart conditions
Juniper Avenue Medical Centre provides heart disease management along with heart health checks, ECGs, 24-hour ECG (Holter) monitoring, blood pressure checks and cholesterol management. Referrals to a cardiologist or a cardiac rehabilitation program are arranged through your GP when care goes beyond general practice.
The clinic also offers MyMedicare registration. Registering links you with a regular practice, which makes it simpler for one GP to follow your results and specialist letters over time.
Leaving hospital after a heart event
Book in with a GP soon after discharge. Take your discharge summary and every medicine you now use, including any bought over the counter, so the list can be checked against what the hospital intended.
Cardiac rehabilitation combines supervised exercise, education and emotional support. It usually begins within weeks of leaving hospital and helps many people regain fitness and confidence. If nobody has mentioned it yet, ask for a referral.
Understanding your heart medicines
People with heart disease often take several medicines at once: some reduce clotting, some lower cholesterol, and others ease the heart’s workload or steady its rhythm. Each one has its own purpose, even on days when you feel well.
Never stop one without medical advice. If cost, side effects or remembering doses makes them hard to keep up, say so, because there is often a practical fix.
Driving, work and travel
National fitness-to-drive standards set periods of no driving once someone has had a heart attack, some heart procedures and certain rhythm problems, and commercial drivers face longer restrictions. Check what applies to your licence and vehicle type before getting behind the wheel. Returning to work and planning flights are also worth discussing, especially in the first months of recovery.
Everyday choices that protect your heart
- Stop smoking and steer clear of second-hand smoke
- Build up activity gradually at a level that is safe for you
- Eat mostly vegetables, fruit, wholegrains and fish, with less salt
- Keep alcohol low and aim for a healthy weight
- Stay up to date with the flu vaccine each year
Spotting fluid build-up in heart failure
Weighing yourself every morning, after using the toilet and before breakfast, is a simple way to notice fluid collecting. Contact a doctor promptly if your weight climbs quickly over two or three days, you get breathless doing less, you need extra pillows to sleep, or new swelling appears in your ankles or legs. A written log of daily weights is useful to bring to reviews.
Mood after a heart diagnosis
Feeling anxious, flat or tearful is common following a heart attack or a new diagnosis, and depression can make recovery harder. GP mental health care is also part of what the clinic offers; read more on our mental health services page. Raising how you feel is as important as reporting physical symptoms.
Fees and bulk billing
GP care plans are bulk billed with all our doctors. Other consultations may have an out-of-pocket fee, and each practitioner sets their own fees. See our fees page for details.