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[Gilling45]

Hi all, I am a 59 year old who out of the blue had a heart attack in January. Didn’t even realise that’s what it was at the time. Had emergency angioplasty and now recovering, getting used to medication, exercise and change of diet.,Struggling with anxiety and worrying about every twinge which is new to me, never worried before.?

[Cruiser25]

Welcome, sorry you've become a member of the club. Reassuringly supportive and informative experiences are at your fingertips. Loads of us have been where you are at this time, but please be reassured you are not alone. The angioplasty has fixed the plumbing, now please allow yourself the time to fix you. I had my HA in Feb and like yourself, worried about every little twinge, luckily reading others journeys on this forum allowed me to understand that , you know what, twinges, fear, anxiety, sudden emotional outbursts are completely normal. They will diminish but I believe are necessary to come to terms with what has happened, better out than in as my old dad used to say. You will be able to move forward and grab the rehab as soon as you can and feel able, the stenting is more robust than you think and the exercise will be invaluable, please stick with it, you're on your way, good luck.

[Gilling45 in reply to Cruiser25]

Thank you for your kind words and advice much appreciated glad to know I am not on my own

[Hidden]

Hello

I am glad you are recovering now

Having a heart attack is a life changing event and a big one and frightening for most it takes some processing what has happened and for so many of us it leaves us how you feel now with every twinge or niggle we are on red alert what is happening and even if we never have anxiety before for a lot they feel it for the first time but it is a normal reaction and in time as your confidence starts to come back you will not feel as anxious as you do now

The Consultants and Surgeons that look after us so well know what they are doing and they will and have made you as safe as before you had any heart issues

You now have somewhere to come and talk and ask questions and knowing you are not alone I hope helps ease the anxiety even if just a little bit x

[Gilling45 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you very much have started rehab now so hopefully this will also help.

[Hidden in reply to Gilling45]

Hello

I would imagine Rehab will help a lot

You will have the Nurses there who you can talk to about any concerns including your anxiety and you will also meet others in person that have been through the same as you which will really help x

[MONIREN]

Welcome, it's nice that you found the forum. Ask rehab for contact phone number, I'm still in contact with my rehab nurse from 2011, she puts my mind at ease when I need it. We all knew we had a heart, now, it's like, we are more focused on what it is doing. Don't let it stop you living the best you can. Take care. Moni

[Gail1967]

Having had an out of the blue heart attack 3 years ago (thought I had indigestion) followed by a bypass- the physical recovery is so much more straight forward than the mental one. So be kind to yourself- reach out to others - build your knowledge through forums like this. Eventually the head catches up!! Good luck

[cazada]

Hi, think we must be twins as I am going through exactly the same . I spoke with my cardio rehab ram who have said it is perfectly normal but agreed to refer me for therapy. Totally taken over my life and I no longer feel like me , just a wreck.

[Hidden in reply to cazada]

Hello

Don't be a stranger on here there are so many of us struggling just reach out you are not alone x

[cazada in reply to Hidden]

Thank you x

[Hidden in reply to cazada]

x

[Joliv61]

Yup welcome to the club, and congratulations you’re a winner…you’ve come through it and had a good MOT on your plumbing too.

Now what to do? Check on your risk factors, was it completely out of the blue? Change the things you can change, diet smoking exercise drinking. Cant do too much about family history I suppose. Do the rehab classes as they give you the confidence to push yourself in a safe environment. Take it easy at first, your heart needs time to get over things including the angioplasty.

We all think that every twinge is another HA but that will go with time, no one really says much about them but you’ve been pushed and poked in the chest so that needs time to settle in as well. We are more conscious of chest area aches and pains.

Now the small print…we are not doctors/medics in here…well the odd one or two may be…so if you’re worried about anything discuss it with your cardiac team..

I’m two and a half years down the line and still learning..

Ttfn

[Qualipop]

That's how an awful lot of people become members of this forum- a sudden, out of theblue heart attack. It's a tremendous shock when you are suddenly faced with your own mortality. LOok at it this way. You've been given a warning and you now have a second chance to live. The immediate problem has been fixed. It's n ow down to you to change whatever caused it. The main things are weight, exercise, diet and smoking Take one at a time and make changes. Don't try to do it all at once. You should eventually see a rehab nurse who will give you a very useful booklet about what needs changing and how to do it. Your tablets will help to control things and to prevent worsening but only as long as you look at your lifestyle. Second chance- make the most of it.

[momander]

Hi Gilling 45 and welcome to our forum.Having a heart attack changes your life that's for sure. I had one last May. Being aware of every little twinge is perfectly normal. Just try as hard as you can to take things easy and allow your body to heal. It will take a wee while. If you have been given a designated cardio rehab nurse then use him/her to ask any questions you may have. Your surgeon is part of a team of the most amazing group of talented people who have done a great job in "fixing" your problem. I had a stent put in last year and am now on a cocktail of medication to keep my heart healthy. You will get there. It is early days yet, so just take each day as it comes. I hope you find this forum helpful.

[Zindolo]

Could you please provide more details about exactly what you experienced with your HA since you said you didn't even realize it was a HA at the time? Makes me wonder if I've ever had one myself! I don't think I have tho. I did have a bicuspid aortic valve which calcified so they replaced it in 11/2020, the cardiologist said I would likely die of a stroke or heart attack before 60 if I didn't so I figured I might as well go ahead with it. But now I wonder if I'm more at risk for a HA and as somebody who tends to shrug off most mystery aches and pains (maybe because I've had so many over the years) I'm wondering how I would even know if I was having an actual HA or just some random ache. I'll turn 59 in 3 weeks. Thanks!

[Gilling45 in reply to Zindolo]

I had been feeling off colour all day but couldn’t put my finger on it. Came home had dinner about 11.00pm had what I thought was indigestion kept burping. Had a pain across left side of chest by 1.00am my husband told me to call 111 spoke to someone who said she would send an ambulance they done an ECG and said your having a heart attack next thing I know I am being rushed to hospital met a doctor who said your having a heart attack and this is what we are going to do. Has a stent fitted and by 5.45 was on a ward. Incredibly grateful, wonderful service. I have always written off twinges and aches as just an age thing. Never been ill in my life and was a rude awakening. Hope you feel better soon

[Zindolo in reply to Gilling45]

Thanks! I feel okay, pretty much, most of the time. I just don't seem to have nearly the stamina that I used to. But like you said, I figure maybe it's just due to old age. First time I've ever grown old so it's hard to say for sure!

[RailRover]

It's quite normal to be aware of every twinge when you've had a HA. Problem is that there is just so much going on in the chest between coronary, respiratory, digestive, muscular and nervous systems, all of which can give you pain and discomfort from time to time which you probably had for ever but never took much notice of before. Definitely a problem for all of us, and the only thing we can do is try not to obsess about it, hard though that is.

Were there any specific symptoms of discomfort with your particular emergency? HA manifests differently for different people. My main symptom, for instance, was jaw pain so I'm always wary of anything in that region. If you experience anything similar to your HA symptoms again, then definitely be on alert, but don't panic. Do you get angina pain? If so, anything that starts like that but gets worse and doesn't respond to the nitroglycerine pump after 3 sprays over 15 minutes, seek assistance. (Those sprays/pumps actually do nothing at all for me, ever. I don't even carry one anymore.)

I think you have to settle into what is the new normal for you over a period of time. In my first 3 months after HA, I was readmitted to hospital 3 times, 2 of which I now believe were down to drug side effects and the other an episode of afib, which for sheer white knuckle ride value, was a worse experience than the heart attack, although not as potentially deadly.

They do give you guidelines, but if I'd followed them to the letter I'd have been going back every other day, and that just isn't viable. They always say 'if in doubt, come in', but eventually you start to see their eyes glazing over when you're back for your 3rd false alarm in a couple of months. Just human nature.

I guess you reach an equilibrium. It's astonishing the resilience we have for coping with the abnormal as totally normal. All it takes is time to get there.

[Chipmonks]

Welcome to the most this wonderful site full of love and information .