Scared and lonely

[Sheesh66]

I am scared...had a cardiac arrest last sunday and my world has been turned upside down

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Anything to do with heart issues is scary. There are a number of people on here who have had an SCA and I imagine some will be along later. It would be useful if you gave a bit more background. Are you still in hospital or recuperating at home? Were you fit and healthy before? Healthy weight or otherwise? Have you been advised on lifestyle changes! Etc...

You can come back from this. Have they proposed any specific treatment? There is a "Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Heart Attack" forum on Health Unlocked which may be useful to you:

healthunlocked.com/sca-hear...

Do keep us updated...

[Hidden in reply to MichaelJH]

FYI just had an email to say that the “Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Heart Attack” forum is closing as of next week.

If you are on Facebook there is a closed group called “Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK”, lots of useful info & very helpful & supportive group.

[andy110519]

As MichaelJH says it would be helpful to know a bit about your background. I had an SCA last May aged 49, no prior history of anything heart related or much else, but it turned out I had a bicuspid aortic valve and had overdone it on a 5k run!

I now have a nice new mechanical valve and have also managed a few 5k's in the last few months although I generally stop at 3k. Whilst I'm not quite back to normal I can do most things I was doing before so hopefully you will be okay too, just take it easy.

Andy

[Hidden]

Hello. I can imagine you feel on a complete emotional rollercoaster. The suddencardiacarrestuk.org support website is very useful,reading other people's stories. Have you been referred to a cardiac rehab team?

[Brandibell]

Bless you, I do hope you have some sort of support. Please don't suffer in silence. I was on the verge of Cardiac arrest last year and it still hasn't sunk in a year later that my heart is not working right i am 46. There are some wonderful knowledgeable people on this site who are always offering support or a kind word. I am glad i found it. Take care.

[Hidden]

I really recommend patients read the British Heart Foundation booklet Heart to Heart and speak to people. Locally to my patients we have a free service called Health in Mind which offers free psychological support and a lot of our patients access this service. I also recommend relatives access this service as a lot of the time both patient and relatives are struggling with dealing with things. Don't be afraid to ask health professionals questions, no question is a silly question. 🙂

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Hidden]

Hello HealthyHeartsMinds, and welcome to the forum! You seem knowledgeable on cardiac issues and mention your patients. I was wondering if you were perhaps a cardiac nurse or similar? Also do you have any heart issues yourself? Best regards, Michael...

[Hidden in reply to MichaelJH]

Hello Michael. Thank you for your kind words. I work full-time in Cardiac Rehabilitation as an Exercise Specialist. I joined this group to hopefully provide some useful advice and reassurance particularly in such unsettling times when I can.

Kind Regards

Laura

[Ianc2]

Hi Sheesh

Give your self an MOT. Measure your height and weight, Measure your waist..

Is it half your height? Have a think about what you eat. Look at your body mass index (BMI) by typing in BMI on google. It will ask for your height and your weight and give you information on where it should be.

How active are you ? How much steady, gentle exercise do you take? Have you considered a daily walk ? Have you thought about getting an activity tracker? How much TV do you watch?

What do eat? Try keeping a food diary for a week and be honest with yourself. Do you like lots of pizza, biscuits, chips and cake and other high energy foods that need a high exercise activity level to burn them up?

You are standing at a cross roads. If you gather as much information as you can , act on it, transform your life and gain a new vitality.

[Ebo50]

I get you. My husband had a heart attack last week. The fear and anxiety we are both feeling is crippling. I’m new here myself but from my limited experience here I’d say keep posting, reach out, stay calm and follow your doctors advice. I’m sure your fear will subside soon, and am sending you lots of love and support for that to happen. Jason