had stent fitted last wednesday,came out saturday and with no or little sleep
ended up back in with palputations.. i am a constant worrier and have to have
sleeping tablet..still waking up if i can get off..then another long day
still in hospital as blood pressure all over the place
Hello & Welcome 
Well I am a worrier to and had 3 heart attacks could not have stents and had to have a triple Bypass instead so having a stent is a good thing and they have opened that artery up and the blood will be flowing nicely now giving you protection
It is never easy to sleep with anxiety and in Hospital to and you will be feeling exhausted which again will contribute to your anxiety levels which causes us to worry but hopefully when they get that blood pressure stable and they will you will be home and be able to get a bit more sleep
Have you been introduced to the Rehab Nurses ?
If not ask and if you have make sure you take down their telephone numbers and details these come in handy when we get home and we have any questions or worries
They will get this all under control and even though you may not feel at this moment everything will be alright , follow what they say and you will be fine
Let us know how you get on and even though I know it is not easy try and relax the best you can you are in safe hands x
thanks for reply,
i used to rely on sleeping tablets 20 odd years ago and know they are not a gauranteed
sleep ,just think a bit off help will be o.k..having a panicky restless night is no good
for anyone especially my long suffering wife who is my world.
Hello
I understand and I have a long suffering Husband who gets affected by my worrying ways
You get better soon and you will be back home with your wife x
thank you ..back home now ..terrible first night..think the wife is ready to
take me back.cant seem to calm down..heart ok head not so
glad you’re home - now the real resting can start - don’t overthink lack of sleep , it’s almost becomes an expectation if we think I won’t sleep ! Resting can be good - lying down and reading , listening to music or radio etc . I think the hardest battle in all this is coping with the worry / anxiety which obviously doesn’t help - trying to find a different thought pattern as others suggest will help eg. I am healthier now than I was , o w day at a time etc sending my best wishes for a restful recovery and patience and understanding for your wife , this is hard for them too
thanks for reply..makes complete sense. worked full time up to now and off
golfing fishing, always coming back knackered and could sleep standing up..ever since
op couple of hours of stressful naps absolutely fried my head
Hi, I'm a bad sleeper too and sleeplessness builds up until I start getting anxious too. If you have access to YouTube on a mobile phone and have some earphones , try listening to a sleep story by The Honest Guys. They have lots of different audios eg, have a power nap, how to calm anxiety, reduce worry etc. I listen to them quite often and depending on the length of them sometimes don't remember getting to the end. Anything is worth a try, also takes your mind off your worries. Goodluck
Hello
At first most of us feel like you do when we get home but as time goes on and your confidence starts coming back it will get better
I am sure she is happy to have you home really
Take a day at a time x
thanks bekind28.i am annoying myself at how low i have become after all
the good work done to save my life
Hello
It seems you are full of guilt for feeling so low when you have just been through a huge life changing event which leaves so many feeling low
Our heads and emotions are all over the place which is normal for many
We are grateful they saved us but we are not responsible for how it can affect us and leave us feeling
You will work your way through this and it will get better but these are very early days and I think you need to be kind to yourself
I hope you got the Rehab Nurses numbers and if you did use them you need to talk about how you feel
I am putting you two links on as well
One talks about how this leaves us feeling take a look at it I think you will relate
And I will but you the BHF details on for their Rehab Nurses plenty of us on here have phoned them and feel better and more confident talking things through with them they are very good x
bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...
Heart Helpline team on 0300 330 3311 Mon-Fri 9-5pm or email hearthelpline@bhf.org.uk
thankyou for your kindness,
sometimes i think only i have these feelings.. another pain is i never took tablets only for a hangover. now i have 8 then 3 and feel like crap after taking them..me or head not sure which is telling me it aint right
Hello
I can assure you that it is not just you that has these feelings there are so many have the same including me to but I do not feel guilty I appreciate so much what they did for me but I cannot help psychology how it has affected me and it is no one's fault either
That link hopefully I sent might help
Also I have a med fear and when I was sent out with a bucket full to take all at different times of the day as well it was such a challenge and yes some of them can make you feel rubbish but your body normally adjusts to them and if not in time there are different meds they can try you on so don't over think that one give yourself time
After a year there could be a couple of meds they will drop of so that is something to look forward to
Please take this a day at a time maybe right down any small improvements or positives that happen in a day so you can see it might be a slow process but little things are gradually improving x
"Heart trouble doesn't need to be "the end", it can also be a new start 👍"
What a great turn of phrase from TWU. That absolutely captures it.
Treat this episode in your life as a fresh beginning, before was the old you, but from here on out it's the brand new you. Better in every way!
Good luck!
its a very worrying time, of course it is. But Chappychap reminds me that anxiety is another of the many challenges of heart problems. But, its definitely something that can be helped or overcome. If your own efforts have floundered, then i hope you would be open to finding and working with a good counsellor/therapist).
It is not a problem you are stuck with, it is your reaction and something you can modify, something to be approached positively and not just accepted.
thank you..will be asking doctor about meeting up with therapist
thanks pal.
as a golfer i want to get back out there and fishing is a pastime of mine..just unsure at the moment .will be taking offer of fitness training
I had a STEMI (Widow maker / Major heart attack) resulting in sub 40 EF (Heart Failure). I lost 42kg in 4 months and got discharged with an EF of 50 after that. I'm now running 5KM in circa 25mins and just completed my first half marathon since I was around 18 (now 51) ... the body is an amazing thing ... I feel so so lucky ... keep your spirits up you can do this! I got through radical diet change (no drink / hardly any meat / lots of veg / avocado a day - ps. Avo's are known to help protect your heart due to the fats and they fill you up to help with a diet)
This forum in part saved my life because it gave me hope ... thank you!
Hello mmmb wow what a very encouraging reply to Sarge1960. All empathy and sympathy go out to Sarge1960 - I know how exactly how you feel, although not gone through the exact type of heart event and treatment as you but mentally I think we all share the fear, worry and anxiousness for the future and “what ifs” whilst recovering at home (I had a HA, no stent as the artery was too small but am aware that I have another narrowing in another small artery as well as a <50% narrowing in my LAD which does scare me!!) However, mmmb I love the fact that you ran a marathon- huge congrats and that you’ve changed your diet etc and you’ve encouraged me to eat avocados! How did you get motivated to push your body to new extremes as I find myself scared to even walk far in case I get that feeling of chest pain I had when I had the HA - that’s my biggest barrier! I’m 3 weeks on from the HA but like Sarge, still as scared and nervous. No one can give better advice than the ones who have walked in our shoes. Well done mmmb on your new life! Keep up the hard work and be encouraged Sarge1960 by all these encouraging replies❤️🧚🏼♀️
thanks mmmb..lots of good attitude ..got to get my head round a brighter future xxx
Thanks Heartfairy ... my cardiologist said if you feel you are doing too much ease off ... thats what I do ... some days running I know I need to back off so I do ... the diet side of things is very key ... and I just walked ... and walked .. and walked ... I was doing 3/4hrs a day walking ... I moved to running as I got to a point where I couldn't get away with walking that much (work) ... weird thing with my HA was the pain was minimal ... still don't get that ... felt like I was being beaten to crap but almost no pain ... just felt like I was done (going to die) ... little bit spiritual (I'm not religious) but saying goodbye to your 18th year old son on his 18th birthday and not being sure you are going to make it back ... I use that every day I need to focus and not have a pork pie I'm going to see his kids ... and hopefully their kids ...
Hello mmmb thank you so much for your reply. Wow that’s tough isn’t it what you went through but great that you’ve changed things around not just for you but your son and his future too. Well done you. You’ve done extremely well with the weight loss and exercise - I must get my backside in gear but like you say don’t overdo it either. It’s only three weeks for me but hopefully the fear will fade and I’ll regain my energy and work hard to get my heart back on track. Take care and best wishes ❤️🧚🏼♀️
Good Morning
Heart attack and stent fitted in August, fractured ribs from cpr and damaged muscles, it took a while for me to go to sleep for the fear especially when sent home from hospital of not going to wake up, I’m also a shallow breather, times I caught myself going breath, it will get better, my wife has been solid, with all we have had in life just rolled her sleeves up a bit higher. Don’t think it will ever go away for a long time but will get better.
Fitness you can surprise yourself, take the rehab, follow the BHF videos carefully, fitness wise feel better shape now than I did before the incident, 3 stone lighter in 3 and a half months, just doing what my cardiac team have advised.
Talk when you need to it’s important.
Our pipes are banging and toilet is taking a long time to flush. i suspect there is air in the system. and there might be a leak somewhere.
As others have commented, with major heart surgery-especially stents or heart bypasses -we are having a major replumb and that means the end result is much better than it was before. So rather than think how we might have been 20 years ago we need to think how we have been the last 4 or 5 years as our pipes have got clogged, air has got into the system and some leaks have arisen. in that case our replumb has done us a lot of good but the benefits might not be immediately obvious.
Now, where's that wrench and spanner?
great way to look at it..now if i could flush all the crap going round my head in the early
hours👍
I’m a marine engineer, was told that cardiac teams like engineers, the example of your reply made me smile, if they talk pumps, valves and blocked filters it makes it all so much more understandable,
Hi
Glad to hear you’re back home. I struggle with anxiety too.
What really worked for me was seeing a counsellor.
It was good to talk to someone who understands mental stress and helps with your thoughts by improving positive thinking, decreasing negative thinking patterns, as well as mastering meditation techniques.
There are remote sessions available too. I was skeptical at first but it’s worked wonders for me, without a single tablet!
Good luck and keep us posted
thanks for reply.dont want more tablets especially as a crutch
Yours is such a positive message. Thank you for posting it.
I read so many postings that seem to accept crippling anxiety as a ‘given’. Noone is stuck with it, as its your own reaction and your own reactions (as we well know) can be changed.
I’m sure finding help that really suits you, can be a bit if a search, but counsellors and therapists are trained to adapt their approaches.
youtube.com/watch?v=Yi79fR4...
Hi sarge1960. I had an emergency stent fitted for a "widowmaker" heart attack 18 months ago. The strange thing about anxiety is that it is mind created. Training the mind is as important as training the body. Have a look at the link which I have attached and try 3 minutes. If you like it get it into your routine. God Bless.
much appreciated, will have a go..
thankyou, feels like everytime i take pills waiting for shivers ans shakes most pof the day ..forcing food b4 taking as you do.god my body has so many questions for my head
Hi sarge1960,
Looking back, perhaps the biggest shock for me was not that I had had a heart attack requiring stents, but that I was going to be on some form of medication for life. This was a significant downer as I was someone that had taken a measure of pride in being reasonably fit and not having to take any medication. I soon realised that this was not the way to look at life when it was explained to me that I needed medication to reduce the risk of having a further heart event... a bit like putting your seat belt on when you take the car out for a drive.
Although I was fit before the heart attack, it was not long before I realised that I was feeling better than I had in quite a while. I started to look for the positives in life and was soon doing more activities than I had been doing. No longer had I got a ball and chain around my ankles. I was off and away, outwalking my friends on the hills.
Eleven months after my heart attack, I had a triple bypass. After three months recovering from that, I was back on the hills and doing even better. So life can indeed be good after a heart event... you just need to look for the positive signs of improvement and hopefully then as your body heals, so will your mind.
Oh... I got over the medication downer by taking the lot with my cereal in the morning. Then I forget about it and get on with my day.
Keeping looking for the positives!
With my best wishes for the future,
Gerald
thanks gerald. your right about pills.. good for me in the long run
i recall when i was 50 my doctor prescribed statins..did for a month the never since..
what a mistake
I was happy to take blood pressure tablets from the age of 58 because I had a stressful job (self-employed), but I was unprepared for the onslaught of aspirin, additional BP medication (now dispensed with), beta blocker and statin. With the help of my GP and the pharmacist working for the GP practice, it took several months to get the mix right. The beta blocker was reduced and it took four attempts to find the right beta blocker, but I am now happy with the result. So, if your medication doesn't suit you for some reason, don't be afraid to work with your GP to get it right. As I said, look for those positives - they will come.
Gerald
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