Surviving heart attack

[Bella-16]

Hi I’m 41 just had a heart attack had 1 stent put in just wondering if anyone had any recovery advice ? How long you off work etc xxx

[kizza67]

Everyone is different no 2 people recover the same physically or mentally I went back after 3 months but reduced my hours cardiac rehab will help with any questions you have

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

I would say a typical time off work is about a month if there were no other issues; e.g. you remained fully conscious, there was no heart muscle damage, etc. If it was more severe then it could be three to six months. Hopefully you will be offered rehab where they can guide you. Try for a phased return so you can recover both physically and emotionally. Good luck!

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to MichaelJH]

You should find this page useful:

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[Bella-16]

Thanks guys going to do cardio rehab soon ... they said recovery can vary at the moment I just feel tired x got sick note for a month gonna see how I go I work in a stressful place at times so not gonna rush back

Echocardiogram showed minimal damage which was good news

[Lee180]

Hi. I went back part time after 3 months and built back up to full time... Rehab will be very helpful with recovery so ask about that 👍🏻 Good luck 😉

[Hidden]

Take your time and avoid stress as much as possible

[Khonkaen]

I had my HA 6 months ago and have made some progress both physically and mantally, but it is slow, so you need patience and determination.

I would also suggest you need a plan, change your diet and exercise regime, based on why you think you had your HA. Try to cut out stress from your life and focus on this second chance that you have been given, so you never have to go back for more invasionary treatment. Think positive and when you are down in the dumps, get back up asap.

I can't comment on work as I am semi-retired.

[MountainGoat52]

Be aware of how you are feeling. I was told that my body would let me know if I was doing too much and that proved to be the case. A phased return to work is a very good idea - no problem for me as I am self-employed. I was able to control the amount of work I took on and thankfully all my clients were very considerate. This most likely won't be the case where you are an employee, so do resist being rail-roaded into going back into work, particularly in a stressful environment.

[tunybgur]

OK, at 41 you're still young and have many years ahead of you.

In order to enjoy those years you must ask yourself 'how did I get here?'

Talk to the cardios, go to rehab and look at your lifestyle and make the necessary changes to make sure you don't return here.....doing this will reduce your physical and mental stress and make you feel better.

Look at diet, exercise, weight, stress, cholesterol, smoking, alcohol etc etc, genetics is unfortunately something we cannot change but no point in making things worse by ignoring lifestyle changes.

Easier said than done I know....I've been there myself, but the longest journey starts with a single step.

Good luck

[The_Voice]

I had 4 MI's (NSTEMI - left coronary was 99% blocked) over 3 days last June (38 years old). Had one stent popped in, and went home the next day. Strangely, my cardiologist only booked me off for 2 weeks - everyone I told was a bit shocked, as standard for a single MI is usually a month at least.

Regardless, I went back to work after 2 weeks, and understood why everyone said I should've taken more time: I could barely walk down the road to the bus stop. It was an absolute slog! But, with time, a slight phased return to work (which they weren't happy about - even ended up referring me to OH!), and going to all rehab classes, I felt much better.

[Dave83gateshead]

Hi Bella I had my HA 3 months ago 2 stents at 36. I suppose work wise you have to go withvthe advice of tour doc and cardiac team. Please do cardiac rehab and maybe the therpy they offer . Having a HA at our age is daunting and plays with your head for a while.

I have been very lucky I have no heart damage and went back to work after 5 weeks in now at the gym 5 days a week have lost 2 stone and really have never felt better!

Just remember to look after yourself this has been a warning so many others dont get and run with it you are gonna be fine😊

[Birdsong100]

Hi I had a stemi HA in January 2017 and 1 stent fitted no heart damage from this ... i was a runner and real outdoor person ( thought I was in peak fitness) so really a shock to me and all my friends who knew me .. I so desperately want to get fit again, as I feel I have lost all my fitness as every time I try to train I have a overwhelming fear of another heart attack... I am 54 slim and eat healthy, but family genetics are bad ... have you struggled emotionally? Interested in how you sound so positive? Did you seek emotional support? I feel that all the docs say is train / run but don’t push it so really not helping with anxiety...

[Awilson8823]

Hello.. I’m going to follow this post... my boyfriend of 8yrs had a massive heart attack 1.5yrs ago at 35yrs old. His LAD was 100% occluded and he ended up with two stents and a defibrillator three months later. It’s been a long year and half. He went back to work two weeks after the initial event and he works for a town water Dept so fairly strenuous work. Then he had to take 6weeks off for the device placement. He has had a difficult time recovery wise. He had no prior negative health history before all this. I’m a nurse for cripes sake and when he called me and said he was having chest pain and it worse when he laid flat I was at work and assumed it was indigestion. Told him to take some tums. He did and continued suffering for 12hrs until I got home and then we went to urgi care and they sent him rescue to the main ER and his Troponin level was 19 and they rush him into the cath lab where he started going into shock. I came so close to losing him. Unfortunately because his left ventricle wasn’t functioning for 16hours it formed a huge clot inside also. He left the hospital with a LVEF of 25-30%. We changed everything. He stopped smoking and stopped drinking immediately. We follow a strict low fat 1200mg sodium diet. We were praying for improvement but the 3month follow up show still a LVEF of 27%. He is on tons of diuretics. Gets winded so easily and fatigued like you wouldn’t believe. He is so depressed it scares the hell out of me and we have a 6yr old to boot. I’ve been following and looking into cardiac Contractility modulation and talking with a rep from the company and I’m hopeful it might work out for him. But the moral of my saga here is everyone’s story, circumstances, follow up, genetics, etc is different. Don’t base your recovery on anyone else’s or what medical statistics tell you you should be doing. Trust your body to tell you when you are ready. I wish we had listened to my boyfriends body and not assumed his chest pain was wasn’t something out of the ordinary.

[Birdsong100]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply .. I have a good polar watch with HR monitor and I will try monitoring HR

I have a GTN spray and I will take with me along with some aspirin and start slowly again and see how I go ...

I am going to go to GP and see if I can get some counselling too.

I never attended rehab so would like to go now if I can get in as I have read all the posts and it seems to help people so much.

I am normally such a positive person so to be feeling so negative is so out of character for me.

I know I should be grateful to still be here !

Thanks again it helps so much not feeling alone in this 😊

[Bella-16]

Thanks for all your reply’s ... I’ve got a date for rehab 23rd October ... not gonna rush back to work and go see how I go

[IMAGES]

Hi TWUE,

I applaud your fitness routine but I have a few questions if you can answer them. you never said what your age is, I'm 65 its will become relevant as you read further.

If you are not getting any symptoms when pushing it but stop to recover because of the Heart rate level achieved, why do you stop?

While I have been fit and active all my life, I was out on blood thinners whilst awaiting the angiogram, during this time I never let up on my pretty hectic fitness program, 6 x 30sec warm up exercises Running on the spot, Star Jumps, Body Squats, Mountain Climbers, Lunges, Press Ups. Followed by 8-10 double exercises with dumbbell's of different weight total body workout. I did all of this with no symptoms at all, HR never checked. The only time I got symptoms was walking up steep inclines.

I had my angiogram and shortly after I had two stents fitted, 18th Aug 19 my left artery was 75% blocked, and another was minimal but a stent fitted at the same time.

Now comes the question, I was told to take it easy for a couple of weeks, therefore I have not been in the gym, I know I have put on weight because of the inactivity, But when is a safe time to start rigorous training again, If I was ok doing it before the stents were fitted surely I should be ok after so long as I ease myself back into it?

I am waiting for the follow up appointment which could take up to 2-4 months! one of the reasons I have been reluctant to start off my own bat.

Any Logical advice would be appreciated.

[IMAGES]

Thanks for the prompt reply, I totally agree with what you warn against(info on Blog sites) and fully understand the concept between the two types of exercise (Cardio & weights) and agree that Cardio has a longer/high HR in comparison to the Short/High spike HR that weights produce, and is more beneficial in burning fat.

But did you know that weight exercises in older age is good for the retaining muscle structure and bone density, as with all exercise to be productive a sensible diet is also to be followed.

Thanks for the input appreciated. hope our post benefits others.

[ANDYT1976]

Hi Bella I’m andy 44 years old . Had a stemi heart attack 4 months ago been struggling with anxiety quite bad any suggestions on what’s a good way out of this hole Thanks