Recently I was saved at a service station, rushed to hospital for an emergency procedure where I had a Stent fitted.
Was not even aware that I was having a heart attack at the time.
Looking for some advice on who not to get panicked basically.
Everything has been stabilised and I am now home, pain mainly from broken ribs of the CPR for which I am thankful.
But had an incident last night, shall say strained myself which I believed was developing into another attack, took an hour for me to finally believe it was in my head.
Realise this may be a natural occurrence for some time to come, Wife was great just talking to me but hate causing the distress.
So any tips tricks would be appreciated
Thanks
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I find deep breathing helps .Gently breathing in and out and being aware of it .Plenty of guidance on line for breathing techniques......on You Tube.The NHS may also have a site to go to.
am sorry to hear the experience you went through and so many of us on here have had our own experience with having a heart attack , stents , Bypasses it has left our confidence rock bottom and our anxiety high
It is a natural reaction and will take time to build your confidence that everything is ok
Try and focus that they have had a good look at your heart and they have done what needs to be done so you are in a better place now than you was
Your wife sounds like she is a great support and she wants to support you so let her you are not causing distress and I am sure if it was the other way round you would do the same for her to
Have you go a Rehab Nurse when you were discharged ?
They are very good to talk to and understand the struggles we go through as well as they usually do Rehab classes not sure if you have been yet but something else that would be a big help to you
If you feel you need extra help and many of us do speak with your Doctor about referring you for Counselling the waiting lists can be quite long but at least you would be on it and there is always the option if it was one that you could go private if needs be
This is going to get better but it does take time
I had a triple Bypass and every twinge it is like I go into auto mode with anxiety flooding in wondering what is it etc and I find it distressing but I am hoping eventually I will get more confident to
Come and talk to us anytime if you are feeling anxious , need advice whatever there is always someone that will reply and it is nice to know you are not alone
Many thank for the time taken and the sound advice.
My first meeting with the Cardiac Rehab team will be late September, though the advice and help I received from the initial team was superb, which has gone a long way to giving me a good foundation.
It will not be long till then even though may seem like it but meantime the Rehab Nurses on the ward you were on should be available to speak to before then or usually they are it could be worth you phoning the ward and asking ?
There is also the BHF Nurses who are very good and any concerns they are helpful to contact , I will put you the number for them if you feel it might help to talk with them x
Heart Helpline team on 0300 330 3311 Mon-Fri 9-5pm
It’s the mind set it’s a shock we all are super hero’s But when this hits it hits hard I remember seeing the ambulance doors close as the paramedics worked on me and my wife stood out side crying like a little girl and saying to her I would be ok and that I loved her
My thoughts weren’t about me they where for her
What we do now is for us the body will heal it’s the most amazing machine we have but it takes time
So give it the time and give your mind the same when I boxed in the army I would get knocked out many times and come round fighting it’s natural
Then I listen to my trainer about keeping my guard up and foot work and ducking and I got better
Didn’t spend so much time on the canvas
So come on bud cut yourself some slack appreciate your loved one spend this time recuperating and stay positive find a hobby take little walks and bit by bit you will get back to fighting fitness I am a year on eight stents and only one working hart valve but in my extra time I have traveled made new friends on here started my own business become a inventor of a air powered electrical generator and get a blue badge owner so I can park anywhere haha 😂 and I do and I get a new car on motor billity
So come on just give yourself time to heal everyone on he is great and someone will always come back to you John
I know that after my HA my brain went into overtime and not in a nice way, twinges and aches I may not have even noticed before turned were turned into catastrophes.You've just had a brilliant service and MOT on your heart, it's probably in better shape than it has been for years.
Aches and pains, in my case for a couple of months would appear to be normal for some folk, as is pretty bad indigestion from the meds.
Jump at the chance of rehab when it's offered, you'll find that a great help.
For about 18 months after my heart attack and stent I experienced chest pains on almost a daily basis. For a while it was very disconcerting and I did have a few ECGs, scans and blood tests to be told it wasn't my heart.
Despite the worry though, I knew the pain I was experiencing, while bad, was different in many ways to the pain I experienced from the heart attack. This helped me to reassure myself that whatever was going on, it wasn't my heart and was unlikely to be serious. I never did get any meaningful feedback on what the pain was likely to be, but it eventually stopped reoccurring.
30 odd years Marine Engineer Merchant Navy, but get where you are coming from, good on the hobbies, have a few that have taken severe back burner the past 3 years, time to indulge them a bit.
Dear Scroll
A warm welcome to you, I hope that this forum will prove as informative and supportive as it has to me and many others.
What a massive shock your whole life has had as illness turned it upside down, dragged you along and then put you back into the world that you were very nearly taken from.
Now that shock needs to be addressed, your wife has done a fantastic job but maybe there is something more that you need and that help is available if you if you just ask for it, your Dr will guide you.
It also is very easy to think that it is all in your head but you must follow up any odd sensations that you are feeling with your Dr, don’t worry about if your wasting their time or not and they will be able to help you understand what is happening to your body.
You don’t mention medication, as some side effects of heart medication can be anxiety/low feelings.
The main thing is not to feel that you are alone because you are not, you have been amazing that way you have handled such a shock and so what if you need a little help to get you onto a better recovery road, take it with both hands.
Please contact your Drs and explain what you have discussed with us and get the ball rolling.
Thank you for your first post and we hope its the first of many.
You start to think all sorts of stuff I also never knew anything was wrong withy heart and was out a walk with my 2 yr old granddaughter in her buggy when it happened! Like you spent a week o hospital and had a stent fitted this was 12 weeks ago everything went through my head every pain I took etc. So yes very normal. tho do don't hesitate to call emergency services if your not sure or your cardio nurse and doctor. Being anxious and stressed don't help. I very very anxious when there are to many people around now I'm hoping through time that passes. .. talking is good tho can also exhaust you. 🙂
My contact with the rehab team was cit short by the epidemic, but I found it very helpful, both physically and mentally. I didn't get on the programme for a couple of months, but I think I was more ready for it then.We all think every little twinge might be something bad, but it usually isn't. We all feel like that - it is only natural. Take care of yourself and you could be better than you were before.
Did you pay for the petrol? I had same life event and they rushed me in for a pacemaker. Advice 1. reduce stress. 2 Do 2 activities you yourself enjoy. 3 be kind and give of yourself to others.
I think you should have included Advice 4. Pay for the petrol!!! an ambulance with a blue flashy light going down the motorway would be easy for the police to catch 😂😂. You’d never get away with it. 😂
Hi Scroll. You've had some wonderful advice from the lovely people on this forum who've been there and done that!!Any advice you need, you'll get it here but remember, none of us are medics so keep your hospital and GP informed.
All the very best to you and your wife. You'll get there!
Hi, what a shock you’ve been through. I was shock when I had a heart attack. I thought I’d had indigestion! My confidence went and even now am suspicious of any chest or back pain. I think it’s a balance of being positive but realistic. I was told by the A&E doctor that he’d rather see me every day to say I’m ok than leave any signs ignored.
To balance that up I think you have to have emotional support to give you confidence. I’ve found the BHF nurses a great help for that. I’m getting counselling too which I find helpful to offload any anxiety or fears I may have.
Allow yourself time to recuperate and settle your mind and emotions, it’s natural to be anxious, but don’t beat yourself up about feeling that way 😊
Good morning Scoll, I was just being pushed through the door of the cardiac lab after the paramedics did an ECG at home ( I’d had chest pain after a gym session) when I arrested with a totally unexpected heart attack. We’re lucky people. I didn’t get any anxiety at first, months later it came calling. It’s hard as the rational side of your mind knows what your saying to yourself isn’t right but the OMG side of your mind is dominant at that point, giving the anxiety legs.
People on this site have been very supportive and I’m having counselling which Is helping. Unfortunately it’s private as the NHS hasn’t been contactable at all.
Remember you’ve been through a lot so take the time you need to recover, accept the situation and that the anxiety talk in your head is just that- talk it’s not fact. The emotions generated by the anxiety are emotions, they can’t see into your future, it doesn’t mean that what we get emotional about will happen.
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