One week post my Heart Attack

[phurrell]

Hi. I'm a new member to the group having had my heart attack last Monday (I'm 47, and am in pretty good health, so it was very much out of the blue). I'm lucky enough to have a supportive family around me, but keen to connect with people who have had a similar experience so I can both get some support, but also provide a friendly ear where I can. I'm keen to talk about this experience and listen to others also. Am still feeling emotionally a little blank from the attack - not sure it's really dawned on me yet what has happened - I'm determined to be open to any and all emotions I need to go through (I'm not going to pretend or ignore how I feel, when I feel it) but am drawing a bit of a blank at the moment (not scared, angry, upset or emotional). Don't want to "force" feelings, where they don't come naturally, of course. The thing I'm struggling most with in my first week of recovery is being less active / taking it easy and concern about the impact on my wife and three children. I recognise that never actually stopping and taking "down time", and holding on to stress, will both have been significant underlying factors in my MI, so would be really interested in people's experiences of group hobbies that have given them an outlet for relaxation (e.g. yoga?). Take care all.

[080311]

Hello phurrell and welcome to the forum, like a lot of us on the forum our heart issues come out of the blue I know my first reaction was how could my body let me down it never had before and I was a lot older than you 68, I had open heart surgery Aortic valve replaced and bypass. When we go though any form of heart issues we have to let our brain catch up with what our body as been through.

When Cardio rehab is up and running I would urge you to go it will get your stamina back but also help your mental health being around others who have been through similar things as you really helps. Plus you really have a good laugh😂

Again welcome others will be along with more info take it easy.

Best wishes Pauline

[phurrell in reply to 080311]

Thanks Pauline - really appreciate you taking the time to reply.

[Chappychap]

Welcome to the forum.

I had a heart bypass operation without having a heart attack, so I can't speak to your specific experience. However, it's likely that we share the same underlying condition of atherosclerosis.

The problem with atherosclerosis is that there's no permanent cure, once you've got it you can never be totally rid of it. My advice would be try to understand why the disease has developed and what you can do to slow its progress down to an absolute crawl. The root causes can be many and varied, and the healthier your lifestyle the more difficult it can be to pin down a cause.

I was fortunate to have a very pro-active GP who identified that I was slowly but steadily becoming "insulin resistant", the very early stages of type 2 diabetes. This was surprising as on the surface my blood sugar levels seemed pretty low. I only mention this because, even though we're all unique, it's actually a depressingly common root cause for heart disease. The good news is that it's also eminently treatable with life style changes. Losing a bit of weight, regular exercise, a Mediterranean diet, no smoking, avoiding excessive drinking, absolutely no snacking between meals, cutting right back on processed foods, stopping sugary drinks and starchy carbs. Put all that together and the metrics for insulin resistance very quickly returned to the safe zone.

For other people the underlying trigger can be more elusive, ranging from such unlikely candidates as gum disease to sleep apnea.

But there's a good chance that with the right lifestyle changes and the right medication you can bring your risk profile almost back to the level it was before your heart attack. In other words, if you're sensible and committed you really can get your life back.

Good luck!

[NYC-opera]

Hi Phurrell & welcome to the heart 💖 hub 👍🏼

I had my heart attack a year & half now whilst visiting my cousin in NYC🇺🇸 Which was scary being so far from my family in Scotland.

The thing I struggled most with was tiredness & reduced ability to exercise. I had been pretty healthy did yoga 🧘🏻‍♀️ & Pilates etc but yep stress & working as a mental health nurse & counsellor on my days off took its toll.

My advise to you would be ... just be gentle with yourself just now , do the cardiac rehab when it restarts & when you are, check your referral has been made.

The meds really slow you up a bit , I got mine reduced after a while so be patient.

I had a “ STEMI “ which meant I had 100% blockage in my coronary artery & Got a stent .

I feel I’m back on track now , but it did take time.

I also became vegetarian to help with my cholesterol & after watching The game Changers on a Netflix 😮 saw how meat affects our arteries.

Life after a heart attack can be scary at first...

Rest when you feel tired

Do some meditation Andrew Johnson app is wonderful plus in circles app he does live sessions try it out.

Live , laugh & love

Share / reach out when you need to don’t worry alone we’ve all been there ❤️

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

Others have made some really good observations on exercise, hobbies etc, ......so I’ll just concentrate on your comments about stress.

I needed to take a radical look at the way I did things (I used to be always in a rush, busy, busy, busy....lots on the ‘go’.)

So I found myself doing rehab exercise the same way, after my heart attacks. Rushing at it, setting mad challenges goals etc. It is hard to change a style you’ve always had!

Therapy really helped. A slightly different attitude now, pacing things more steadily, but still I fall back into the old ways occasionally.......and I pay for it.

I’d recommend it, but probably after you’ve made all the changes you can, on your own.

[The_Voice]

You need to remember to take it easy for a while until your heart is fully healed. It's not like a broken leg you can just stick in a cast and forget about for 6 weeks. So don't overdo it!

[laser189]

Hi phurrell

I was 74 when I had my heart attack last December. I was very fit, not overweight, non smoker etc so I was very surprised when I had my attack. I was going every week to the gym for circuit training as I had done for the last 40 years. Fortunately for me I had my attack at home where my wife knew what was happening and rushed me into hospital in 7 minutes where after assessment I had an emergency angioplasty to clear two arteries which were 100% blocked and two stents fitted.

One of my friends is an ex GP. Once I had been discharged he came to see me. He knew that I would want to get back to fitness asap and told me NO. The heart has to heal first and to stress it before it has healed will cause more damage. So the advice is to take it very easy. Use the advice given by BHF and try to walk a little and steadily increase the distance each day. When available go to cardiac rehab. The nurses there will tell you what you can do. It seems an impossible and long time especially if you were active before but have patience. Tonight I am going back for my first circuits training session. I will be with a group of friends of similar age and they will look after me. I will let you know how I get on.

Take care and do not rush things

[Outforawalk]

Hi there and sorry to hear you’ve joined the club. It’s a proper bolt from the blue, I had a HA at the start of March at the age of 42, being relatively fit and healthy. Drank to much and diet has been markedly improved, but I was also in the gym on the Monday morning and had a HA in the afternoon.

I was fortunate to be in and out of hospital before Covid really kicked in and, ironically, lockdown enforced rest and left me with time to do physio as well as rest and recover.

Emotionally and now that I’m 5, nearly 6 months down the line, I’m not really sure where I am with it. Every day I wake up and wonder how it happened, how can I be the guy that had the heart attack at 42. I am lucky to be back in good shape, exercising regularly and there is nothing I would have been doing pre heart attack that I can’t do now, nothing at all. The daily twinges and niggles are still there and that’s a mind game to remind yourself they are just that, twinges and not the start of another HA. I try to look forward by embracing the science and medical likelihood’s. Yes I have heart disease. But equally the issues in my heart were stented and repaired, and luckily my main arteries were clear (Doc’s words while doing angiogram “You must be pretty fit, everything other than this little problem area looks to be in really good shape”). I am medicated properly for my condition and long term health and have been lucky to have no side effects other than having to change Ramipril to Losartan within the first couple of weeks. Embracing the wider lifestyle change has been tough and remains a challenge, simply put I like pizza and beer! But it’s hopefully a long journey and adjustments have taken place and continue to do so... I’ve never eaten so much porridge and fruit in my life, and so few bacon rolls but therein lay part of the problem. Day to day I feel the same as I did before my HA, just with a little character on my shoulder reminding me to be a little better behaved than I used to be. I’ve tried to choose not to dwell on what happened because worrying will only rob me of enjoyment, and I do find the improved diet and exercise regime coupled with less alcohol leads to a more positive mind set.

In the short term take your time, especially over the first 6 weeks. Build up your walking and look up the BHF Cardiac Rehab Workouts Level 1 - 5 on YouTube. I tried to “prove” to myself that I was fine after about 6 weeks and made myself sore for a couple of days just by pushing myself exercise wise. Now I can do it and not experience any pain, but my mindset has changed to one where a much lower intensity of exercise is where I spend my time for long term gain. Good luck in your recovery 👍

[Whatamug1]

Just Breathe and potter around. Learn to say NO ! It's too early and hot for exercise and accept the offer for rehab. Stay with HealthUnlocked. Experience has made some peeps into lay consultants and you'll get the best answers, even if you're told to consult your Dr/Consultant. Listen ! There's lots you can learn but there's no rush. Don't be afraid to reach out on this site. Stay Safe and allow it to happen. All the best