Struggling!

[Daisy1978]

Hi. Musband ha a heart attack in Feb of this year, he had 2 blockages, 1 cleared with a stent and then blood thinners to clear the other. He has had 2 more hospital stats since then and was diagnosed with unstable angina and then pericarditis for which he has more meds. I just feel that he has been left to get in with it and am unsure if this is because of the covid situation, he had to scans in May that we still haven't had the results for although on his last discharge notes it did say the scan had shown moderate damage to the left ventricle, we have no idea what this means or how it affects his health from here other!The GP has been no help, the cardiac team have also been pretty unhelpful when we've called for advice and just refer us to the hospital if things get bad and the our nearest hospital haven't been much better! He's 48 and has been through a life changing experience and I literally just don't know how to help him 🤷‍♀️ sorry for the long post but just don't knownwhere to turn to next!

[MONIREN]

Hi there, it is a difficult journey, support needed for you as well. Changes can be made to diet, start slowly, exercise, again slowly and together. It is frustrating, with angina, it can be ongoing, and make you both feel vulnerable. Its a pity there isn't more support for your husband. Keeping records of when angina happens is a start, like after walking, or just resting. Keep records of your stats like cholesterol levels, I do it on my phone. They are more likely to listen if you are more informed. This site is a great start. Enjoy life, sometimes we can be too busy, heart attack, body's way of slowing down. Find joy again. Don't forget to breathe. Take care!

[shopman]

If you are getting nowhere then it may be worth a call to the BHF Heart Helpline 0300 330 3311 Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm who may be able to offer some support of guidance.

[Nettekin]

Hi daisy. Sorry to hear your husband is struggling and feels abandoned. Many of us have felt the same way. Treatment is usually excellent and medication effective, but it can feel as if we are 'kicked out' of hospital and left to get on with it. My own treatment (2 stents) was succesful, but I felt very much alone when I left hospital. I almost had to beg my GP for an appointment to discuss what had happened to me - he genuinely didn't seem to understand why I needed to talk about it!It helps to become very proactive - ask for what you want, push for appointments and research as much as much as possible. The BHF are excellent and they have a helpline.

Seek out cardio rehab, it is a game changer. Covid had made it more difficult to access, but hopefully it is now more accessible.

From a psychological point of view, it is hard. We are suddenly confronted with our own mortality and it is not nice. If you think your husband would benefit from counselling, ask for it.

Wishing you both the very best x

[Clerkenweller]

Good advice from others. Your husband is on a recovery journey which is usually very successful although there will be ups and downs. So do use the BHF helpline and look at the pamphlets on diet and exercise. The new meds take time to settle in and might need changing, either completely or dosage. So record everything. Most of us would recommend avoiding Dr Google. There is good information but a lot of misleading nonsense. The difficulty is discerning which is which. Get your husband moving but gently and encourage him to talk.

[Mentdent]

In some areas it seems that cardiac rehab teams are still hiding from Covid. I had a heart attack in March and have had one phone call. Contact BHF for advice.

[Bradee12]

Yep, call BHF, as suggested above.

[richard_jw]

Yes I understand your plight. I had a heart attack last August, and after I was discharged, it felt that I was completely cast adrift. No contact apart from a phone call from a cardiologist 2 months later. At the time there was no cardiac rehab.

By now I believe that rehab of the face to face sort with groups should have started.

The value is not just the exercise and education, I believe it's being able to talk to others in the same boat and also Cardio nurses who are knowledgeable. So the problems and various aches and pains you get can be put into context, and this improves your mental state.

I saw 2 different cardiologists privately, and had at least 6 visits to A&E. The A&E visits were largely either the result of a phone call to a GP who on hearing the words chest pains sent me to A&E, or being scared.

On no occasion did they find and problem which was cardiac related.

If you can get enrolled for cardiac rehab I really would do so asap. In my case I had none, and believe me this has not helped. A Cardiologist I saw privately said that it was a real problem that there was no rehab. I think he meant that it put a bigger workload on people like him.

[Hearty21]

Hi. Sorry to hear about this. I also had a HA in Feb this year. Majority of us who have / had blockages don't have them only in one place but this affects other arteries too. I too have narrowing in 2 small arteries which cant be stented.

I can fully relate to you as being left alone. After my 2 visits to A&E because of ongion chest pains, I decided to go and see a cardiologist in a private hospital. He changed my medication twice and it seems to work as I'm now able to do many things which I was doing prior to HA.

Road to recovery is difficult and painful but your husband will get there. Many of the pains he is experiencing are probably related to the PCI procedure (was in my case). You guys need to be proactive in seeking support from Cardiac rehab, GP (useless in these circumstances) and somehow see a cardiologist who can see if current combination of medication need changing.

Wish you all the best.

[Qualipop]

I think most people feel abandoned and just left to get on with it. There is no mental support. They fix your plumbing and hand yo over to your gp who usually says "Oh I don't know; better ask teh cardiologist. I didn't even get rehab because I use a wheelchair. YOu can get counselling via your GP, you can get support from he rehab nurse but you have to push for it. I was lucky to have an understanding GP who went through my discharge letter with me. As suggested, do talk to the BHF nurses and push his GP for explanations. Write a list of questions.

[Daisy1978]

Thank you so much for all your help and suggestions, its been helpful to see others have been in the same position. Covid has a lot to answer for! It doesn't help that for the actual heart attack that he was taken away by ambulance and i didn't see him again until the following week so could only go on the information he could remember the doctors telling him. He also has COPD so can still only do gentle exercise at the moment as he gets out of breath very easily. He does have an appointment next week with the cardiac team and hopefully he gets some answers then as to what is going on. Its been so frustrating not being able to help and support him as much as i would like and i really appreciate everybody's kind words.

[Daisy1978]

UPDATE! So my husband recieved a call from the wharferin clinic yesterday wondering why he hadn't been attending. Bear in mind he was taken off the wharferin 4 weeks ago by the Dr in hospital. Turns out he was given the wrong advice and the results of the Scan actually showed he still has a clot in the left ventricle and wharferin advised for the next 3 months minimum!! We still haven't had these results and so he has been placed back on 4mg of wharferin and has a clinic appointment on Monday and cardiac appointment after. I am fuming with the incompetence!!