Heart attack whilst abroad

[Telephone2021]

Hi I’m new to this forum. My son and his partner have been holidaying in Tenerife. My son who is 32 yrs old suffered a heart attack and had a stent fitted. He’s on medication but not sure what. He’s still on an intensive care ward 12 days later due to concerns about low blood pressure which they seem unable to regulate. When nurses tried to get him out of bed he fainted so they haven’t tried since

I’m very concerned that they are taking so long to sort this out.

He’s had every test known to man MRI, EEG, X-rays you name it .

I was wondering if anyone’s had any experience of anything similar

[Heather1957]

You must be worried sick!! While I have had a bypass and 2 stents fitted, I have never had a heart attack or suffered with low blood pressure so really can't give any advice on these matters but there is a wealth of information on here so I am sure someone will soon be along to help and advise.

I presume your son in still in Tenerife and will be receiving excellent care, hopefully they will soon be able to regulate his blood pressure and he'll be fit to travel home soon.

He is very young to have suffered a HA so the sooner he is allocated a Cardiologist here in the UK to follow up and find out the cause of the HA the better,

The stent will make sure the blood flows through the arteries so much better but a full MOT will make you feel a lot better.

Welcome to the forum, hopefully you'll soon get some answers that will put your mind (if only a little) at rest.

[Telephone2021 in reply to Heather1957]

Hi Heather thank you for your reply. My husband died 7 yrs ago after a heart attack so you can imagine how worried I am about my son

He’s still in Tenerife and will possibly be coming home via an air ambulance. This is in the hands of the insurance company and can’t happen fast enough for me

[Prada47 in reply to Telephone2021]

Hello

Just to say I also had a HA at 32 yo and it will be my 75th Birthday in September so don't see it as all negative. OK a few hic ups along the way but hey ho. Try not to worry they will be well used to treating visitors to Tenerife and I do believe they have an excellent medical set up.

Wishing you Well

[Telephone2021 in reply to Prada47]

Thank you for your reply that’s very reassuring to hear

[ballroomdancing in reply to Telephone2021]

Hi Heather, I too had a Heart Attack on the 6th March 2022 in Spain. I had 2 stents put in to two arteries. The medication that I was given was to lower my blood pressure , I was very dizzy and lightheaded, due to the medication. The care I received was excellent. The doctors in Tenerife will be able to adjust his medication, so that he is not so dizzy. It is a terrible shock when this happens, my Daughter who was with me, is still trying to come to terms with it. I am sure your Son will recover well, and will soon be home, thinking of you x

[Sewing19]

My friend had a HA and triple heart bypass while on holiday in Spain aged 60 and had 1st class treatment and then nursing care on the plane home. He’s now 80!

I can understand you must be extremely worried but I hope your son is soon home and the messages on this forum help. ❤️❤️❤️

[Gratitude99]

Hello and welcome to the forum 😁I can imagine how worried you must be about your son, I'm sure he's receiving good care and will be home soon. I also had a heart attack and stents placed recently and was having problems with dizziness and fainting. I found that the Dr's often put you on blood pressure meds to help heal the heart even if you don't have high blood pressure and for me this was the cause. It does take a little while to find compatible medication so don't worry they will work out what he needs. I wish you and your family well! ❤️

[Gratitude99]

Hi there, I personally did stop the blood pressure meds for a while (Lopressor)... then changed to half dose of Toprol XL (12.5mg daily) and have done well. I will continue with this for a few months as my Dr does feel there are benefits. I do hope this is helpful and you can get the correct med balance quickly! The low blood pressure/fainting was not fun! Be well ❤️

[Blondie12345]

Thank you for sharing this.May i ask if there were any pre-existing medical conditions / symptoms?

[Telephone2021 in reply to Blondie12345]

No symptoms at all until the day of the heart attack and no pre existing medical conditions

[Quiltingqueen]

I'm sorry to hear about your son. When I had my heart attack they automatically put me on blood pressure medication, and my blood pressure went very low. I think once he is home in the UK they can assess him better. I hope he feels better soon xx

[Telephone2021]

Thank you all for giving your time and responses in my hour of need. Doctors have taken him off blood pressure medication now and it’s slowly returning to near normal. He will be coming home by air ambulance and fitted with a defibrillator on return to England . Hopefully this will be sooner rather than later

[SRDS]

Dear Telephone2021I just wanted to say that on this forum we feel your pain. So we know how you must be feeling since either we went through something similar or support a loved one in this difficult journey. It will get better. He will be reassessed when home as well and there will be cardiology follow up.

Drop us a line anytime.

[Gratitude99]

I understand, I had no previous issues with low BP either. I would hate to speculate on why this is happening for you. It does however take time for the body to adjust after stopping the meds and often some time to get the med combination that works best. Keep working with your Dr until you achieve that. I wish you well and I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help ❤️