Feeling all at sea

[junik53]

Hi everyone,I am new on here and only had a heart attack 11 days ago,at the moment I feel all at sea and not sure how I am supposed to feel.It was a total shock when it happened and the only pain I had was in both arms,I went to doctors back in Aug 2017 as kept getting pains in my left arm and was concerned that it could be my heart,but doctor just laughed and said I wasn't having a heart attack and that it was definitely muscular and set up appointment with physio.After that I got the pain in both arms and the physio gave me exsersizes,which did seem to help a little.Anyway fast forward to 10th Feb and the pains in both arms just got worse untill I was crying with pain (felt like blood pressure cuff on at end of test,you know the bit where you think if it doesn't stop in a minute I will shout).Husband tried doctors out of hours then 111 and I knew that I needed an ambulance immediately,waited for about 15 mins ,which is pretty good these days from what I heard.They said that I was having a heart attack,was so shocked and still am really.So off to hospital and straight away had angioplasty one stent fitted into one artery that was totally blocked.Well now Im home and I am finding that mentally am not coping too well.Every night I take ages to get off to sleep as I keep replaying all this over in my mind,I am hoping that writing it down may help.Also I have had to decrease my Amitriptyline tabs for pain and depression and eventually stop them as they cant be taken with all the heart meds.Everytime I take the meds I get bad stomach ache even though I take the omeprazole 30 mins before the other meds and with food.All in all I feel like I need to be chucked on the scrap heap,but I know that I need to change my life around but it all seems too hard at the moment.

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star]

The early days are so hard and what you're experiencing will have been felt by so many others here, myself included. It's such a shock to hear your heart has not been doing its job properly and it takes a long time to adjust to that. Medication also takes a while to get right, but hopefully the side effects you're experiencing at the moment will lessen over time. It definitely doesn't sound like you're ready for the scrap heap to me! Keep posting on here, it always helps to hear from others who have been through similar and I'm sure you will get many positive replies. All the best

[junik53 in reply to laura_dropstitch]

Thankyou for your kind words Laura.

[clarehealsworldwide]

Hallo. Hope you feel better very soon. Clare

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

What a difficult time you’ve had. You will, eventually begin to feel a bit better and less vulnerable. Considering what’s happened, youve reacted in a v understandable way. It will get better, there is a good life to be had after a HA.

One ‘small’ thing. I found that Esomeprazole was a much better stomach med than omeprazole. The latter actually upset my stomach, and all I could eat was cake!

Do discuss with your GP, there are alternatives to a lot of the meds you’ve been given. You need to eat, build up your strength again.

Do keep in touch, I love to hear how people manage to get through similar hard times. There’s often some good ideas we can use.

[mandm65]

Really sorry to hear that, it kind of reminded me of something similar i went through. If you have a moment or two have a read through (see below link), you may find it helpful.

I believe you will find the situation really frustrating at times but you really need to look forward with positive attitude, what happened is gone. There are ample posts out here with people documenting what they went through and more importantly how they managing their conditions, don’t think you are alone here. You may find that challenges are similar but we overcome those challenges differently, it’s down to us as individuals to manage our conditions as best fit possible. We have all the tools/knowledge at our disposal and unfortunately there is no one solution fit us all.

It might be too early but eventually you will be offered rehab option, I highly recommend that.

Wish you all the best and speedy recovery.

healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

[Zena166]

Hi Junik53

It’s normal to feel this way. I am 8 months post heart attack and remember feeling exactly the same. It’s such a shock and you will be grieving for your health and previous way of life. You should be referred to the cardiac rehab service and they will help direct you to further support. Your GP may also have access to a counsellor or there is something called Talking Therapies which you could self refer to.

Please remember that you are not alone and although it feels bad at the moment you will gain more confidence following rehab.

Take care

[junik53]

Thankyou everyone for your kind words.I had a much better day today due to getting out in the fresh air and having a gentle walk in my local high street.Feeling much more positive and its good to know my thoughts are "normal"