Anxiety attacks

[Colin5763]

Hi everyone,I am three days of being out of Basildon Hospital after suffering a heart attack and having two stents put in,this is all very new to me and came right out of the blue and I am so scared and worried that I cannot tell the difference between heart pain and anxiety pain,(I am on Tamazepam,which does help).I am trying to get on and put it out of my mind but then it creeps back and I start thinking about what I've had done and it takes a long time for me to stop worrying and I was just wondering if anyone else has gone through this and could offer any advice.

[080311]

Good morning Colin5763

Welcome to the forum, and to the Hearties family, not somewhere you ever thought you would be joining. Going through a heart event it feels as though our lives have been turned upside down. We have to learn to live with the new normal, taking our medication eating healthy and exercising. Being scared is so normal, for a start our brain is trying to make sense of what as happened to us, and every twinge it thinks here we go again 😩 but as time passes we start to relax and realise that those aches and pains are probably our age😂 you are now a member of the Hearties family and travelling the mended heart road. If you have a question just post and someone will be along to help if they can. We can lend an ear or give you a shoulder to lean on if that’s what you need.

Best wishes Pauline

[Nettekin]

Hi Colin. All the feelings you are having are entirely normal. I had my heart attack and 2 stents in July 2019 and I spent a long time afterwards thinking every little twinge was a repeat heart issue. Stents can take a little while to settle, although of course if you experience severe chest pain you should contact your GP or 999. As in your case, I had no warning signs and the mental impact was huge. I'm not sure if we ever 'get over it' but I now find it is not the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning or the last thing before I go to sleep at night. It is early days for you, so be kind to yourself, take all the medication as prescribed, eat well and exercise as you feel able to. Best wishes xx

[EmmyLaury12]

Hi Colin ,

Welcome to the hearties forum.x😊💕

I had HA in April last year 1 stent .

Took

Me a good few months to come to terms with what had happened to me . All your anxiety issues are normal I so struggled with anxiety when I came out of hospital. I convinced myself I was going to

Have another HA it was an awful

Time in

My life . The only person to help is yourself really I had a big talk to

Myself and sorted it . I had CBT, used breathing / meditation excercises /talkedto family/ Gp and exercised all massively helped me recover . It’s early days for you but I want you to know it will get better for you . My anxiety now is minimal thank goodness and I do have coping strategies if it returns .

Wishing you a good recovery ,

Little steps and you’ll get there I promise . X