Cardiac arrest 49 , fit and healthy , or so l thought !

[Lee917]

Hello , l had a cardiac arrest 2 weeks ago aged 49, was a for health Triathlete. Was riding my bike with 2 nurses and collapsed outside a pub with a recent defib fitted . Feel really lucky , but now terrified !

[Hidden]

That is probably the most frightening experience one could go thru. Im sure as your health improves and your heart behaves, life will eventually settle down. Sure makes one thankful for each day! Best wishes to you for decades of good health.

[Yorkshirehead]

A natural feeling, Lee917. You were very fortunate, as I was when I had my cardiac arrest in 2011. You don’t give a lot of detail but I guess you are still receiving medical support. You are, I imagine, wisely following medical advice. It is still early days for you and it could well take a few months to get your head around what has happened to you but there is life after a cardiac arrest!! 👍😀Stick with it and take each day as it comes. I’m happy to share more of my experience if you think that might be useful.

[Lee917 in reply to Yorkshirehead]

Thank you , had 2 stents fitted . Was oxygen starved for 5 mins, my mind is still a bit slow , but lm ok. Now on 8 different tablets a day , pre cardiac l wouldn't even take a paracetamol. 49 feels young , but reading this website l realise lm not young , lm very lucky

[SpiritoftheFloyd]

Hi Lee917

Welcome to the club.

I had a heart attack/cardiac arrest at the end of December 2018. It was without doubt the most frightening and terrifying event I have ever experienced.

I can fully understand that you are terrified - I was like that for probably 2 months. frightened to go to sleep in case I had another hearth arrest or worse cardiac arrest.

After those 2 months I began to realise that I wasn't going to die in my sleep (which is more or less what the medics had said, but I wasn't convinced). Once I'd satisfied myself of that I began to calm down and instead say to myself, if it happens, it happens, worrying about it won't prevent it.

In March I started going to cardio rehab (you hopefully will be offered an appointment very soon to go to rehab) which made a huge difference both physically and mentally . Then my consultant advised that they thought there was a small risk of me having an arrhythmia at some point in the future, so I had an ICD fitted in August.

I can honestly say that 11 months after the event I feel excellent, stopped smoking, hardly drink, changed diet, lost 40 lbs and got fit. I'm 65, so you have age on your side.

It is scary, and yes, those of us who've had a cardiac arrest and lived to tell the tale are extremely lucky.

You're in the early days, don't worry the fear and anxiety will, day by day, slip away.

Best wishes for your recovery.

[Karenpr]

Hi my husband had a cardiac arrest in July 2017 and despite being roadside survived with minimal after effects. He has no memory of the event whilst I remember it vividly. Like you he went from zero pills to what seems like a mountain of pills every day. All I can say is you survived, live the life you have been given and enjoy it. At 49 life is still in front of you and with sensible eating and the help of pills you will have a long life in front of you.

[Orangepeel60]

Hey Lee, like you I was a 150 mile a week cyclist and lifted weights 4 times a week, alongside my work as a personal trainer. Blood pressure low, normal cholesterol and resting heart rate of 50.

Had my first in June 2018(2 stents) and another this year in July. All out of the blue.

Like you I went into shock. I sat in the cardiology ward and there was not another person like me.

I was scared and from time to time still am. I asked the consultant cardiologist. Why me with all I do to stay fit and healthy. His reply “Why not you”.

I guess what I am saying is it can happen to anyone. It’s going to take a while to get your head around it, but you will. Small steps.

I am back one my bike even though I have bought an electric road bike to keep my maximum heart rate down when climbing. Back in the gym, just keep an eye on my heart rate now. I have gone plant based and to be honest I feel better and have more energy than when I was eating chicken and fish.

Take your time and slowly you can get back to where and who you were.

Look at you cardiac arrest circumstances. It just wasn’t your time, you have a lot more to do.

Take care

All the best.

Neil

[allanrobson]

Two nurses AND outside a pub with defib! Hope you bought a lottery ticket 😁. Of course that's not meant to undermine the whole scary thing. Not sure if 'welcome' is really the right word for joining this club, but the fact you are able to I think makes it appropriate enough. Take care and good luck.

[Dickydon]

Most of the people I’ve known from the past had not an ounce of fat; no alcohol; vegetarian; no smoke etc... keep fit freaks they were, yet, they were the ones having heart probs and most of them who had cardiac arrests didn’t make it. But the other ones I know are the fatty beer belly 50yr old plus, balding, whose diets are too disgusting to write here, seem to be the happiest, def not fittest, but have no heart probs and live on to keep up with their dreaded lifestyle. Good luck with things!

[Lezzers]

Hi Lee, my husband had a heart attack & cardiac arrest when he was 42, my neighbour & myself did the CPR. His HA started on boxing day so I'm always a bit nervous around the festive period. He thought his life was over and was just waiting for the next big one to finish him off. Re-hab was the making of him, made him realise that life does go on, a few adjustments maybe but still a very good life, I'm sure you'll be offered re-hab & when you do embrace & enjoy it, it was the making of my husband. He is now 64yo & since this all happened his followed the BHF guidelines for diet, exercise etc and he's never had another HA. He does now have heart failure but that's because of damage to his heart and like spiritofthefloyd he also has an ICD fitted as a precaution. Very early days for you, it does get easier to deal with but do listen to your medical team, they're the experts. Wishing you all the best

[Lezzers in reply to Lezzers]

There is a support group called sudden Cardiac Arrest UK that you may be interested in joining. They're an amazing group for support, advice, counselling, etc

[IgottaStent]

Close call and glad its gone well. Raise some money for more defib machines in pubs or for more nurses to be in pubs !! Go to Cardiac Rehab and meet all those with life changing stories. Yours will be a top 5 for sure. Its now a mind game and you are obviously a strong character and detemined. Determine to be positive and happy and appreciate your luck. Don't push too hard both physically but also mentally and work wise. Good luck going forward and now you under more close medical attention you will be OK. Statins were bad for me in the long run so maybe one of those 20% that can't do it but do watch out how long you need to be on all the meds for . I was on Bisoperol for ages and the Cardiologists was surprised I had been left on them for so long. Good luck and welcome to the club no one wanted to join but its good to be here once in .

[Handel]

Hi Lee. Everything has already been said so I have no more to add! All the very best. You'll be fine xxx

[Lee917]

Thank you for all your kind messages, it helps to know your not alone, because l was so focused on Triathlon , it's like what now !!!! . Like you say it's reshaping your mind and not being so stubborn .Thank you all x

[Henry20]

Hi Lee

Sorry to hear of your problems and I wish you well for the future.

My blocked arteries were found before I had a heart attack and stented. Back then (16 months ago, but I knew I had a problem 6 months before they actually did anything other than give me medication), I was naive, and thought that I would return to normal. Mostly, physically, I have returned, but being 72, old age overlays everything.

However, it has been the effect on my mind that has really surprised me. I see everything in life through a different lens now. I have found I now absolutely need to keep active (go on cardiac rehab classes if you can), and I need to find ways to stop thinking about what has happened. Another way of putting it, is that I realise I just need to get on with my life, but not to do anything blooming silly like continuing to eat the wrong food etc; also alcohol went too. For me I saw it as a risk I wasn't prepared to take. Never regretted it, I'm just the duty driver now.

Reading here is very useful to see what others have experienced and how things are working out for them. But talking is, for me, essential. I want there to be no doubt in anyone's mind about what is wrong if I did collapse. So I tell people, sometimes in half a sentence that I've had a problem and then move the conversation on to something else. It just explains things.

Good luck, and hope we will see more posts from you

Henry

[siouxbee19]

Natural to feel that way, but I second what others have written!

Concentrate on the positive, keep a good sense of humor, and take care of yourself as it sounds like you do!

Not sure what caused your cardiac arrest (cardiomyopathy, especially in athletes, is one main cause), but thankfully you had a defib and it happened near a pub! And the nurses!

Best regards...🙏😀