Heart Attack

[Selwin2000]

Hi, I’m new to this group so thank you for allowing me to join. I’m a 47 yr old woman with two young children 9&4 and unfortunately I had an MI last week 26th March followed by an Angiogram which didn’t show any disease thank goodness. My question is what happens now? I’m terrified every time I get any chest pain and I feel so guilty that I can’t run around as usual for my children, but mainly I’m so fed up of my husband and my mother telling me I should be doing things now they wouldn’t have let me out of the hoof I wasn’t ok - I’m comply exhausted mentally and physically. How long does it take to feel like a human again please? Thank you x

[stillaboveground]

Hi Selwin2000, I am much older than you and don't have small children to see to, but I was too frightened to do anything at first. Maybe your husband and mother don't realize there is an emotional side to heart problems but they are probably trying to jig you along a bit and mean well, unfortunately with lock down all the cardiac rehab classes are shut down for the duration. You could try a bit of gentle walking with one of them with you for moral support, and try doing a few light jobs about the house. One step at a time and listen to your body, you will know if you are doing too much. I don't know why your legs are marked, I think you should talk to your doctor about this. Hope you and your family keep well, take care.

[Ianc2]

Welcome to Health unlocked - the BHF site has lots of suggestions for dealing with the after effects of a heart attack. Good to hear about your angiogram.

Now is the time to look hard at your lifestyle, what you eat, how much you weigh and give yourself an MOT. Start a folder to record your readings for blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol, weight, Body mass index and waist size/height measurement in inches (should be about half - 5 feet tall leads to a 30" waist, etc

Your heart is a muscle that needs to be maintained and muscle tone is vital. If you have small kids they will place sudden demands on you that you have to respond to, so keeping yourself fit is vital

Get some time for a regular brisk daily walk for about half an hour to get you started and measure how long it takes you. As you get going you will find that the time you take improves as you start to get fitter. You will probably start to enjoy it a bit more as it gives you time to think about how you can pick up your fitness and enjoy life.

[Selwin2000 in reply to Ianc2]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me. I think I’m still in shock. I know that I need to get my act together to get fitter and healthier my problem right now is I’m literally exhausted tatt - what would be the best exercise for me to start with? X

[Ianc2 in reply to Selwin2000]

Contact your local surgery and ask if they have any heart rehab classes. Some hospitals are running on line sessions. The aim is to see how fit you are now and the enrol you on a series of gentle exercises to get you moving again. The rehab classes used to be run on 4 different levels and you would gradually move up from one to another. The exercises were simple and straightforward and you would move around a circuit while music (popsicles and petticoats) was playing in the background. If you wanted to rest - no problem.

Typical exercises were to stand up a step and back down -15 times and then rest, the one that sticks in my mind was the 'stand up from a chair and sit down again'. Not as easy as it sounds after a few goes.

After my valve fix I was pleased just to walk around the house. Then I could climb up my steps outside, then I could walk from one drive to the next, then one lamppost to the next, then half way up he road and so on. Just steady gentle regular exercise and your progress will re-assure you. Life will become more enjoyable and you will gain confidence and happiness. Take it easy but no cheating, you have got to go for it, in the sure and certain knowledge that you will improve your chances of staying alive dramatically.

[Petosmum]

I had a heart attack in January, I'm only 46 so not much younger than you though without children. First of all, you need to come to terms with what has happened, it's a big ball of worry. I was terrified the first couple of days out of hospital as I live alone and had loads of "what if" thoughts.

Just try a bit of gentle walking, I was told 20 minutes a day to start with. Speak to your GP about getting some cardiac rehab unless the hospital has referred you. For the first few weeks, I found even showering was exhausting and was told that my body was working overtime to accept my stent and all the medication so I stopped worrying about that. I'm no expert but I do know that until you are mentally OK with everything, you are not going to have the energy to do what you need to get yourself well again. I'm still not sleeping properly, some nights I crash out early (before 9) and others, like last night I don't sleep at all. If you ever want to talk, drop me a line, like I say, I'm no expert but I can chat for England and won't judge xx