moving on

[cakesandbakes]

Well its now 16 days since my heart attack and 4 stents. I guess i was expecting to feel better by now but still light headed and weak. Maybe tablets i am on amongst others Ramipril and Bisoprol both known to lower blood pressure. Although i take it and it is around 120/57 pulse 58 if the monitor is correct it is a new one but no substitute for the old stethoscope. No follow up with cardiology for 3 months. I have been staying at my sisters to recuperate and now its time to go home. I live alone but am fortunate to have family nearby. Before this event i had never suffered from anxiety but i do now. I read a post by a chap (sorry i have forgotten his name) who said he had to move his son back in with him as he was so anxious to go back to where the event happened. I recognise that feeling. Eventually he sold up and went to live on a barge boat and never looked back. What a lovely idea! Unfortunately that is impossible for me. However what i can do is to realise no man can swim ashore and carry his baggage with him. I will have to put one foot in front of the other, put the negative thoughts on the thought buss that will turn up to collect them and press on as each of you on this site has had to do.

Thankyou for your words off support.

[Buscaglia]

I felt exactly the same after my heart attack one one stent only. You have to heal. You really have to get used to those meds. You have to rest. I had such anxiety that I walked a half block from my house back and forth for fear of going too far. The beta blocker made me breathless at times and the anxiety made me tired. This will all pass in a bit. Give yourself a few weeks. I went to cardiac rehab and that gave me a feeling of wellness again. Exercising with others in the same boat gave me my confidence back. I wish you a speedy recovery and a complete one. Give yourself some time and a big hug. Take good care and God bless you

[cakesandbakes in reply to Buscaglia]

Thank you buscaglia for your encouraging reply

[shopman]

If you are really concerned then by all means chat to your GP or Practice Nurse. A good point of call would be to call the BHF Heart Helpline and chat to one of the nurses who hopefully can give you some further help/information.

[CarlGreen]

I know exactly how you are feeling, i was feeling the same 7 weeks ago (HA and 3 Stents) , I thought every slight twinge was it all happening again. Rest assured, it will all settle down, i am now 7 weeks in, no cardio rehab classes in sight but did 7 miles on my bike yesterday and feel great!

Just give it a bit more time, some days will be better than others but in 3 months time you’ll look back and wonder what you were worrying about. Good Luck

[cakesandbakes in reply to CarlGreen]

Thank you for your reply it means alot

[Robbie38]

Hi , It’s the guy who lives on the barge , I honestly thought I would never get over my HA , And some days I feel down , depressed , cheated, The physical symptoms will subside it’s a lot of meds all at once and time is needed to get into a routine, However it will and does get better, People say your life is never the same after a heart attack but it is , In many cases it’s better, It’s early days in your recovery so go easy on yourself , Just remember there are 1.4 million people in the UK today working , exercising , and planning futures who’ve had a heart attack , I had quite a bad one , stemi , Cardiac arrest , Blood clot all sorts of problems, It’s 3 years this last week , And I feel great worked 12 hour shifts till covid came and can honestly say feel much better now than before, Just take one day at a time it will get better. Robbie

[cakesandbakes in reply to Robbie38]

Hello robbie38 sorry I forgot the name.It was your post that got my attention I thought thats it,that's how I feel.Thank you for taking time to reply.

[Outforawalk]

I’m 5 months post HA and 4 stents and have for the most part recovered pretty well.

It certainly does get better and you are at the very early stages, take it slowly and build up your fitness and your confidence. The meds have a range of side effects, I’ve been fortunate to not have suffered too many but when the beta blockers can make you light headed and breathless and the blood thinner can make your chest tight it’s a lottery at times and a recipe for worry. I have to keep reminding myself I have had an angiogram, the doctors saw everything they needed to see, fixed the problems, confirmed everything else was in good order and I’m medicated appropriately now so I am fine!!! But it’s tough.

I’m also struggling to get over the fact the lifestyle change is not a diet or a fad, it’s for life. I’m 42 and I don’t deny myself the odd treat but I liked more than the odd treat before and, frankly, I drank too much too regularly. Not rolling home drunk but a few beers and couple of glasses of wine 3 or 4 nights a week was the norm. I miss that and eating in a carefree manner. Somebody described it as grieving for your pre HA life, feels a bit like I’m there now. Probably enough time has passed and I’ve done enough “normal” things that the fear of lying in hospital being told you’ve have a HA has dulled in the memory a bit. But this is another phase I was told about where the battle becomes mental rather than physical, like you it is one day at a time.

Take your time, I wish you well. We are still here to talk about it and have had the running repairs done so onward and upward.

[cakesandbakes in reply to Outforawalk]

Thank you for your kind encouragement

[Rolypoly12 in reply to Outforawalk]

Thanks for the reassuring message. I keep thinking they missed something and it’s gonna happen again. I’m worrying about every mouth full of food, but thank you anyway x