I had my heart attack last week. I am 49 with no underlying health conditions other than carrying an extra couple of stone. I eat healthy, exercise when I can.
It's still early days for me. I am waiting on Cardiac rehab, I have heard mixed reviews about this. Will be 3 weeks post HA until I speak to them. I had 1 stent and my question is what can I/should I be doing until then. I am trying to rest, go for short walks etc but don't know how far I can go doing things around the house. I have cut out adding salt to my diet, this was a downfall of mine. Should I be cutting out all sweet things? Don't have much fat but do like biscuits 😏
Any advice during early stages would be well received.
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Cooper1410
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Welcome to the club you didn't want to join, as another member would say. I am not too sure about the early days but the guys at hospital should have told you really, I guess it is just rest and recover until you can start Rehab (If it is actually running yet). Not sure why you say you have had mixed reviews?? If you can access it, do it, it will help you massively. You have to get into the mindset that your former life got you into this pickle, and that things will probably need to change, as in diet and also exercise. I hope you don't take my next two statements the wrong way - "I exercise when I can" sounds like you probably don't do much? Also, for someone who says I eat healthily, a few of your other comments sort of suggest you don't?Yes you should most definitely be cutting out biscuits and sweet things! If you have been given the go ahead to exercise, you need to do as much, gently, as you feel comfortable with. Are you getting any Angina or other symptoms? If not you may be one of the lucky one's who can take their second chance of life, but this will probably mean things will have to change. There is loads of diet advice both generally and on here, and the benefit of regular exercise cannot be over emphasised. So the very best of luck to you and go and chuck those packets of biscuits in the bin, they are dreadful things!
Hi Cooper. Sorry to hear about your recent heart event. In these early days you should be kind to yourself, take all medication as prescribed, eat well and exercise gently. If you have no other health issues, gentle exercise should be fine. If in doubt about what you can and can't do, the BHF helpline may be a useful starting point. With regard to cardio rehab, grab it with both hands. Many people have missed out during the pandemic and it is a big shame. Most of our members wholeheartedly endorse it.
You obviously know your diet needs to change, so no lectures needed! Look at the Mediterranean diet, or read up on other alternatives that suit you.
Life after heart events may be different, but not necessarily worse. Many of us have made changes that have led to being healthier than ever. Good luck with your recovery. X
Thank you. I've heard about Mediterranean diet, I'll take a look x
Hi Cooper ! How are you feeling today ? I’m 6 weeks post stemi ha which means a big one. 2 stents fitted . Cardiac will call you within the three weeks period so don’t worry about that . You had your heart attack a week ago. , if you look at your paperwork you received from the hospital you will see that the walking starts 10 days after the heart attack and tiny amounts . Please take it easy for a wee bit longer , I’m now starting to feel a little better it as I said mine was six weeks ago . This is a massive thing that’s happening to you . Take some time to heal mentally and physically. Rest up , watch some crap Netflix series that’s so awful you either fall asleep or laugh when you shouldn’t . Xxx
I know, I know, it's really hard - but at the the end of the day you MUST find time for yourself. This was hammered home to me during Rehab - you must put yourself first whenever possible. You sound like you have had a similar event to me, don't forget it could easily have gone the wrong way, you have to change things for everyone's sake. Good luck and well done for posting on here to start with.
The fact that you previously lost 3.5 stone is proof positive that you can shed the pounds when you put your mind to it. Unfortunately the really, really hard part is keeping the weight off.
It seems like our modern lifestyle is a blueprint for weight gain, about a third of us are overweight and another third are obese. Compare that with the 1970's when obesity was a tiny problem affecting only 2-3% of the UK population.
So what's different, what's changed over the past 50 years?
Unfortunately there's no simple answers and certainly no consensus. If we look at total calories consumed it really isn't all that different, so total calories is unlikely to be the explanation. It's easy to assume that we all exercised more in the 1970's, walking instead of driving etc. But again the facts don't seem to bear that out, for example people with more physical jobs today tend to be even fatter than more sedentary office workers.
For my money the key explanations are what we eat and how we eat it.
These days we snack constantly, where as fifty years ago we were taught that eating between meals spoiled your appetite, and the other big difference is these days we eat masses more highly processed foods. The science is still is a bit vague in these areas, and I certainly believe that what works for one won't necessarily work for all, but when I ruthlessly cut out snacking between meals, and stuck to home prepared foods, I lost a couple of stone and, even more importantly, have kept it off.
Where the science is crystal clear is that getting your weight down to a healthy level significantly reduces your risk of further heart attacks. Furthermore, it also reduces your chances of some of the other, closely related scourges of modern life, such as type 2 diabetes, strokes, and alzheimer's.
I get your drift but I think the answer is basically simple, we need to go back to eating fresh food cooked from scratch, as part of a well balanced diet, and like you say cut out the snacking on rubbish in between times. I agree that exercise alone probably does not help as much as some would imagine, but even so it is a vital part of things. The problem is, our busy lifestyles do not help, and making sure you don't rely on processed food does need an organised approach, planning and of course the ability to cook! Sad,y I fear a lot of younger people are losing it. The marketeers also have a lot of blame, for example the guys at M&S would have us all believing we should be "good to ourselves" when in fact their packaged food contains masses of salt, sugar and all sorts of other stuff.
We have always cooked our food from fresh but I still had blocked arteries needing 2 stents. My wife reviewed all our menus and has reduced alot of meat by adding various beans to the mix e.g. for home made burgers, shepherds pie, chilli etc. Oven roasted vegetables like sweet potato wedges and mixed veg. Baked fish (with lemon) once a week. Hone made healthy flapjacks made with muesli and no sugar. Healthy home made carrot cake. Snacks - dates, prunes, apricots and nuts and raisins in moderation(cheap from Lidl) 3 squares o dark chocolate on occasion. Snacks only allowed once a day. We have cut out alcohol and drink elderflower cordial, pomegranate juice and the like. This has also produced an unexpected half a stone weight loss without resorting to any diet like Slimming World. Walking every day even if not far. We now borrow a dog from a disabled lady to walk with us 3 or 4 times a week
Same here. My mum and then wife (with a bit of a pause in between :)) did likewise. However, I feel my consumption of saturated fats in the "traditional" diet contributed to my downfall, probably on top of a genetic propensity for it as well. I had a very meat and dairy based diet, but I never worried even though my father died of the the same thing at 55, because I always exercised and thought this would prevent problems plus he smoked I I never did- alas not, and I have always been slim built. Like you we have reduced things a lot, I am now vegetarian (eat fish) and have cut out dairy massively, and feel better for it to be honest. I still like a beer or three but although too much is obviously not great I don't think my heart problems had anything to do with alcohol consumption. We also limit ourselves to a square or two of dark chocolate, good quality stuff as well with no palm oil.
He's right, you just HAVE to, no but's...........
Hello
I am fairly new to all this , 3 heart attacks since Oct waiting for a Double Bypass and still learning but wanted to say Thank You for been one of the many that have put themselves forward to helping save lives giving out the Covid jab
Hello Cooper,I had HA and stent fitted last May, previous to this I was very fit and no family history of heart troubles.
Since HA I've lost about 10kgs. I have changed diet eating more fish, chicken. No crisps or chocolates and beer has been cut to NHS guide levels. Re. biscuits if I do have them it's the low fat/salt/sugar ones. Cardio rehab will prob be done over phone, but wait for them to advise you.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for cardiac rehab to restart. Allow your heart six weeks to heal from its injury. Exercise daily, nothing vigorous. Get your weight and diet right. Have a chat with your GP to make sure you understand the medications you’ve been given. After six weeks slowly start to build up your fitness. Combine resistance training with cardiac. Do not overdo stuff.
Take time for yourself, sleep if you're tired, gentle, flat walks 2x a day is good advice. But listen to your body. You may have good and bad days.
Regarding diet, I assume you are now on statins and perhaps aspirin + beta blockers. So you don't need to go completely cold turkey on sugar/fat/salt, but do try to add in healthy fibers, fruit/veg etc. If you cut down on the "bad stuff" by 50% at first, it will be easier to gradually cut them out. But the medication will do much more than diet modification. I now take one bite of dessert or 2 chips rather than watch as the rest of my family scarf it down while I eat an apple or a handful of nuts.
Rehab: What I would say is grab it with both hands, if only for a structured, safe workout. Think of it as getting a personalized trainer for a month. Take notes of which exercises you can do at home with exercise bands, for example. For me, after my first stenting, it definitely improved my cardiac fitness, as measured on a stress test. But the bad news is is didn't prevent another heart attack! (plaque-prone arteries are my problem, NOT my heart...)
I had a heart operation last year in lockdown so I won't forget 2020. I was having problems at the end of runs. I popped into see my doc only to be told I was on my way to a more serious condition so I suppose I was lucky, so not a member of this club, but still not working as my body can't seem to handle tablets. I take them and zonk out. I have gone from 5-6 hours sleep to 14 and needing a sleep in the afternoon. I still enjoy a biscuit and on my health diary and no one has told me I can not have a digestive with a cup of tea.
As others have said - welcome, albeit to the club none of us wanted to join. I’m six weeks on from a STEMI and totally understand your confusion about how much to do. If you’re in the UK I really recommend calling the BHF helpline and speaking to a nurse. I found that very reassuring.
In terms of how much to do. Do what you feel able to.
I had my rehab assessment last week. I was pretty active pre HA and am now walking for about 25 minutes at a relaxed pace. My first walk five weeks ago was for five minutes and going upstairs was an effort. That’s just to give an idea. It is absolutely not a competition and you should do what feels right for you.
So welcome to the group, lots of good advice here. The cardiac exercise specialist (part of the rehab team) told me the most important part of exercise is to really spend a lot of time warming up, this is to avoid shocking your heart. If you are on beta blockers then your heart will be slow to react to starting to exercise so it needs time. He said up to 30 minutes warming up before exercise. If I am walking then I start slowly, in the gym I am doing 15 minutes slow warmup on the treadmill before the body core class - would not have done that before my HA
Cardio Rehab is great, you get to meet and chat to people in a similar situation, professional advice and the confidence to push yourself. Go for it!
Losing weight takes time. It should involve a lifestyle change. Homemade food - No fast or processed food. Someone mentioned the Mediterranean diet - it is the best way to eat. Very little amounts of red meat. Chicken, turkey, or fish (like salmon) a couple of times a week. Lots of fruits and vegetables (preferably organic). I would not completely cut out dessert because it would set you up for "cravings" that will make you cheat. Instead, limit yourself to a dessert cookie ,for example, and learn how to make it yourself. Cookies are easy!! Learn how to read recipes. For example, you can find cookie recipes that use 4 TB of butter for a batch of cookies instead of one that that uses 12 TB for a batch! You can always cut back on sugar too (I automatically reduce sugar in recipes by 25%). I am linking here the American Heart Association cookbook. I have been making their minestrone recipe for 40 years. recipes.heart.org/en
Hello cooper, I am 5 weeks post heart attack 2 stents fitted and I'm 40. The walking is good advice to start with, expect to get out of breath but every day I could go further and faster, just listen to your body,. Push it a bit but not too much!Another bit of advice I would give you is, prepare to get freaked out by any little pain you get in your chest, don't ignore them but also don't stress over them, you know the symptoms of heart problems look for those
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