Lifestyle changes after a Stemi

[livealittle]

I had a heart attack a few weeks ago - and a nice, shiny new stent fitted that saved my life. I only spent a couple of days in hospital, thankfully. I couldn't sleep at all in the hospital - and the food was, ehh, not to my taste, to put it politely.

I so want to get better. I want to live more than I ever knew I did before I had the heart attack. In fact, I'd say my lifestyle was more akin to a slow form of suicide up until I was chucked in the back of an ambulance. I could go on about why, but it would be long, and probably annoy a lot of people. Let's just say the last five years have been very difficult and I've had to give-up on some long held dreams in order to do the 'right thing'.

More relevant to this community, I'm suffering from some anxiety and insomnia combined with quite a sense of euphoria, and gratitude towards the NHS workers who saved my life and cared for me. There's a degree of dread too about what comes next. I'm trying to do the right things. I stopped smoking immediately - and I was a very heavy smoker - not just of tobacco either! I need to lose weight - about four stone, and I'm yearning to start taking some serious exercise as I know this is how I've lost weight in the past. But, of course, I've been told I must take only very mild exercise for now. In fact, I'm probably doing more than I should just keeping house and home together - I am a full time carer for my elderly, disabled mum.

Coming to terms with the fact that all of the things I've been planning to do with my life are not realistic now - if they were even realistic before my heart attack. I don't know. I just feel that life is so finite now, and that every moment is precious. My heart wants to pack-up (maybe an unfortunate turn of phrase) and set off on an adventure before it's too late. But I also couldn't live with myself if I just dumped my mum in a home either. I'd really like to live in a commune - and cook, sing, make music and mad passionate love under the stars somewhere warm! Get up in the morning and swim in the sea...

I'm rubbish at small-steps - I like to throw myself in at the deep end. But it's small-steps I'm told I have to take now.

Anyway, I think I'd better stop my insomniac's ramblings for now. I just keep trying to remind myself how lucky I am to even have a chance of a bit more life.

[EU95PTM]

Good morning and welcome to this forum. I’d like to reassure you that everything you are feeling right now is absolutely normal, given the circumstances you have found yourself in. I’m slightly further ahead than you. I had a Stemi in April, with one stent fitted, and I also have heart failure as a result. It has taken months to even start to accept my “new normal”, but with the help of a cardiac rehab team and a lot of determination, I can now walk briskly for an hour a day. This is double (and faster) than what I would be doing pre heart attack. If you are offered cardiac rehab then do accept the offer as they will show you how to exercise within your safe limits.

[livealittle in reply to EU95PTM]

Hi EU95PTM

Your post is reassuring for me. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm going to have to come to terms with this new norm - which is a start. I will try the cardiac rehab, at least to learn how far I should push myself. I don't really understand why I can't just begin pushing myself hard now as the defect has been remedied by the stent, but I seem to recall amidst the haze one of the doctors saying something about part of the heart muscle had been damaged and that it would take time for the part that can recover, to recover. I'm guessing that's what I have to carefully 'nurse'.

I really feel great not smoking. Ratty, but definitely physically better.

[Green1964]

hi just like to tell you I’m 58 and had my stent fitted last year I come home after one day and I think it’s normal to feel like something as been taken away from you the life changes in terms of what I eat I was constantly worrying will the stent block I was also scared to do exercises and seemed to have a few mood swings I came on here and the wonderful people here that share there experiences and some great advice made me realise my life was the same and to stop stressing about things and enjoy my life because it made me realise we’re not immortal so live for today as tomorrow is never a given and yer it as taken me over a year to get to feel normal with the side effects of the meds I’m taken but I’m alive and that is the main thing the worry about the stent blocking is always in the back of my mind but I’ve learned to not focus on it too much so if u have dreams to do things go ahead and do them life is too short to sit at home and thinking and wishing u had done it take care kind regards Andy

[livealittle in reply to Green1964]

Sound advice, Andy. Thanks. Here's wishing us both stents that stay unblocked.

[Chappychap]

Good for you!

Quitting smoking is super tough, it's a genuinely Herculean achievement, but by quitting you've absolutely slashed your risk of future heart attacks or strokes. Once you've layered on top some weight loss and the NHS recommended level of 150 minutes a week of exercise then there's every prospect that your risk profile will reduce to that of the average person of your age...it really can be done.

Conversely, if you don't grab this moment of maximum motivation then the odds aren't that great. Take an objective look at the numbers.

Let's look at two fifty year old men in a study of over 7,000 adults.

One smokes, is obese, and takes no exercise. The other is a non smoker, has a healthy BMI, and exercises regularly. The first guy faces a 68% chance of a stroke, heart attack, or developing full blown Type 2 Diabetes by the time he's 65. But the second guy has less than a 10% risk of the same outcome before retirement. Think about those statistics for a moment. The guy with the bad life style has worse than a two in three chance of a miserable retirement, blighted by ill-health. The guy with the good life style has a better than nine in ten chance of a healthy, active retirement.

These are gigantic differences in life prospects, so once again many congratulations on your determination and positive action.

One last point, take your medication exactly as advised, make the right life style choices, and you don't have to give-up on any of your dreams. I had open heart surgery but in my mid 60's I can still dance until dawn, compete in off-shore yacht races, and hold my own in some reasonably serious circuit training. Make the tough decisions today and the life you want tomorrow will be yours for the taking.

Good luck!

[livealittle in reply to Chappychap]

Hi Chappychap

Thanks for your encouragement. Since I made my post I've decided that sitting and moping isn't going to get me where I want to be, so I've done a bit of cooking and visited my favourite Indian grocery store. I'm resolved to eat more healthily, so I bought scallops as a treat which I ended up cooking as Kung Pau Scallops. I nearly steamed them for with a salad - nearly, I say! The last time I had scallops was on a Thai Airlines flight forty years ago, and I recall the steward giving me a second helping. I was so hungry having contracted dysentery in India.

I'm feeling more confident about not smoking again with every passing day. I still visualise having a ciggy now and then, but I pop a lozenge and do something to distract myself. I keep ogling the electric bikes online - I'd really like to start exercising now.

I have to say I'm enjoying the sympathy a bit when I tell people about the heart attack.

I've decided that I'd like to do some work one day a week, as a break from caring for mum as much as anything. I'd quite like working in a kitchen - not so much for the pay, but more to feel confident that I can be useful. This heart attack could well prove to be the catalyst for my second wind in later life.

[francesw47]

Ah yes I recognise those dreams!! Still have them!

I went to see 'Living' starring Bill Nighy - remarkable film on many levels. Its the take away that is important. He decided to live his life - what was left of it - and so set about helping others. In his case a group of women who wanted a playground for their children. You already help others - you care selflessly for your mother. But how about caring for you? Smoking is a no-no so well done for giving it up - eating a more regulated and healthy diet is the hard bit and getting back into exercise is (well can be) exciting. If you are both impulsive and all-or-nothing by 'nature' doing the pacing thing is hard going - but you have been given the advice so try and follow it. A friend has to lose an eyepopping amount of weight so she buys bags of flour and for every half kilo lost she buys a bag and when she is feeling fed up/has the munchies she holds those bags of flour to remind her of the amount she has lost. Four stone and counting so far. Thats a lot of flour!! But it works. Any chance of cardiac rehab for you? It was both motivating and fun when I did it first time around and was the kickboard for all the changes I made. Also helped with the pacing thing.

Keep in touch with us...we are here and 'open' all the time....and will encourage you and cheer you on.

[livealittle in reply to francesw47]

Hello

Sound advice. I'm not sure the flour idea would work for me - I'm already thinking about what I could bake with it! Four stone would make a tidy amount of bread and cake...

It really is strange, that I'm feeling so much better already. Stopping smoking means I'm not short of breath and constantly coughing, but the strangest thing has been that my bad back almost disappeared as soon as the stent was fitted. I can only assume that what I thought for months was a recurrence of a slipped disc injury I suffered twenty years ago, was actually a symptom of the blocked artery to my heart. The body works in mysterious ways.

Taking stock, I actually feel better than I have for about five years. I will go to the cardiac rehab classes, though the thought of pure exercise has always been a real turn-off for me - a bit like pure maths. But if it means being able to be fit enough to do the things I'd like to be able to do, then I'm motivated.

Thanks