After a heart attack last year I seem to be recovering OK but the thing I can't cope with is the worry about what is going to happen next.
I am thinking about heart attacks, whether I'm having one now, when I might be going to have one, how soon my next one is. I know it's not reasonable or rational but I can't stop it.
This is something that occupies me multiple times an hour, probably every 10 minutes or more. It's making my life miserable and putting my stress levels through the roof.
How do I stop this?
Please help
Written by
bdf1
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
12 Replies
•
The short answer is, you need to focus on what you are doing to try and prevent it happening again, this will give you a focus and help to take your mind off it. Have you changed your lifestyle in any way since your HA?
after any heart event its seems to be a normal thing that we start to think about these things - when will my next event happen/ will it be more serious etc etc, I know after I had bypass x 4 over just over 2 yrs ago and still think that every twinge could be (IT!) thankfully it does ease off a bit but its human nature to think this way. I sat myself down and listed all the things that I'm doing to avoid/lessen a recurrence (diet, exercise, generally better healthy lifestyle) and came to realise that whilst none of us can escape the chances we're lessening the chance by doing these things and to try not to waste the time we've been given. I know it's hard to avoid thinking like this but I do hope that you can start to get past it and live life as much as is possible. take care
Hi, it's a difficult one as we can't help how we feel about such things. I had a cardiac arrest 2.5 yrs ago and at times wonder whether I may have another or if my replacement mechanical valve may stop working.I have had various tests about a year ago and everything checked out OK, I can run, for me, a reasonable 5k, a steepish path that use to get me out of breath doesn't (I occasionally walk it just to check). All these things logically point to me being ok & I think about these in a positive way and carry on with my run or whatever I'm doing and if my chest hurts it's probably muscular having had it opened up, I don't think it will ever be quite the same.
I was having difficulties at the beginning of the year & a GP suggested I speak to mental health who reckoned I didn't warrant their input but reffered me to a community wellbeing team and I ended up using an ap, Feeling Good, which helped and also just talking through things with someone who was effected by my situation. Although as a family we talk about my cardiac arrest etc I don't feel it fair to dump on my wife how I'm feeling as she witnessed it & in some ways went through more than me.
Try and reason things, hopefully physically you are in a better place, and do try to talk to someone about your feelings, not necessarily so easy just now but it's worth trying.
Hi andy, apologies for jumping in, but wondered if you could say a little more about the app. Just had a quick look online and it looks very interesting. Which parts of the programme did you use and how long did it take to make a difference? Many thanks x
No bother, I'm sure the person (NHS) who spoke to me said it's a bit like basic meditation. You have to make a point of finding 1/2 an hour a day and in a quiet place listen to the section for that day. I used it for about 8 weeks almost every day, I'm self-employed and was working from home due to Covid so fairly easy to do, and felt improvements within a couple of weeks. I had been feeling fatigued (some due to cardiac arrest but this was worse) with all tests showing nothing wrong. It was suggested that it could be due to a sub-conscious concern about another arrest. The fatigue has lessened and I have gone back to app a couple of times when I have been feeling down. As it was through the NHS I got a referral username & password so it was free but it looks like the cost is £10.99 which I would happily have paid.I guess it's not for everyone but I think if you are open to trying such things it is likely to help.
Have you checked to see if any community counselling organisations exist in your area? They seldom have the budget to widely publicise themselves, but if you dig you may get lucky. For example here in the New Forest/Solent area where I live there are three such organisations, one of which my wife works for.
I understand from my wife that counselling has a fairly good success rate with this type of issue, so it's worth digging into. Local GP's will often have a list of local community counselling services if they exist, unfortunately it's a bit of a postcode lottery.
My husband had a what they call a ‘widowmaker’ heart attack in 2018 at the age of 67 although he’d been having chest pains on & off for several years a week before the attack an ecg was normal as it was on the day of his attack his symptoms weren’t at all typical, the only indication it was a heart attack was the blood test they can only do in A/E when they have to do at least 2 several hours apart. He ended up having 4 stents & I was told if I’d not insisted on taking him in that day it is doubtful he would have survived the night as the main artery to his heart was totally blocked. He was later diagnosed with Hypercholesterolemia, I totally understand your anxieties because both myself and family worry too as we are reliant on him telling us if he gets any twinges or feels unwell, for a long time I laid awake at night making sure he was still breathing, my husband has faced this head on he started walking regularly, he still works (we have a family business) and has thrown himself into his hobbies, serious health problems affect the whole family we have learnt to live with this and whilst we will always worry his positive outlook is what gets us through, modern medications are so advanced now and we put our trust in them too.
My late father also had a massive heart attack at the age of 88 he wasn’t expected to make it & all medications we were withdrawn but he wasn’t giving up & pulled through to the amazement of the doctors, he subsequently took part in a drugs trial and was regularly monitored I learnt that new drugs are trialled all over the world and over long periods so I know first hand the process they go through. This could be something you could investigate if there are any trials you could take part in as my dad was really well looked after whilst taking part. Hope this helps
I suffered serious damage and had a traumatic time in hospital on several occasions.
There was nothing else on my mind for several months and was diagnosed with PTSD. Luckily a neighbour who had been through a very traumatic experience advised me about EMDR therapy.
Available via the NHS, but with long waiting lists.
I was so desperate at the time I found a private therapist, I feel after about ten treatments my life changed for the better and was able to sleep and forget about my terrible experiences.
With me my experiences stayed in the front of my brain ( in layman's terms) and in treatment moved to another part where they remain,but are not troublesome when they are remembered very occasionally now.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Stopping Statins
statin obsessed GP
Head and top of body sweating and can't thing straight 
My heart keeps stopping
Should my medication stop?
