Eight weeks ago I came home from a walk, sat down and was hit by a tremendous pain radiating across my back and was sick. Then crashed on to the bed and woke up in hospital the next morning. I have no memory over what happened to me for 24 hours. My husband had phoned for an ambulance which took 5 hours to arrive. The paramedics thought I had a trapped nerve and filled me up with painkillers. I had in fact had a time sensitive heart attack and I had been admitted to hospital far too late for effective treatment. Four days later in hospital I passed out and hit the floor. It was only then they took me down to the Lab to have a scan. I had to ask what they had found and was told part of my heart had died because I was taken to hospital too late. I was discharged with 4 types of blood pressure pills and blood thinners. I have other health conditions and am finding this heart attack difficult to cope with on top of every
thing else. I feel continually anxious and depressed and badly need support and encouragement. Can you help me please.
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BSA20
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I am so sorry what you went through and with other health issues as well it must be so hard to get your head round
I imagine you are going through so many thoughts and emotions even anger that this has left your heart damaged because of the length of time it took to get you to Hospital it would have left me so angry to hear that and I would have asked for that in writing because at a later date I might have wanted to put a complaint in
But this is where you are now and I had 3 heart attacks before my Bypass surgery which my heart attacks left some of my heart damaged but I was told after my op that the rest of my heart would strengthen and compensate eventually for the part that was damaged and that was the Surgeon that told me that so I hope the same will be for you to
I am wondering if they have given you a follow up appointment with the Consultant and Rehab numbers for the Rehab Nurses if not make some calls get the numbers and ask when you will be getting a follow up appointment
It is early days and emotionally as well as physically will take some time but you can go on to lead a normal life with the intervention of meds , Rehab and keeping healthy so keep focusing on the positives and you will get there x
Thank you for your kind reply. Over the last week I have cried bucketfuls and was told by my Rehab lady this is quite normal but my husband doesn't understand. I rang the surgery yesterday to speak to a GP but I can't be fitted in anywhere. The only appointment is with a Registrar in two weeks time. I am not under a Consultant yet as there is a waiting list.
I had my Baypasses done 15 months ago now and I still cry bucket fulls I really do this is just not a physical thing we go through but a emotional one to and know it is perfectly normal
It is hard for anyone to understand fully how this affects us unless they have been through it and what you will get been on here is always a listening ear that understands so if you need to talk , ask questions , have a rant you just come and talk with us x
one thing is for sure there are more understanding people and friends on here than you will ever find at you doctors surgery , if you can ever get to talk to anyone
I’m sorry that you have found yourself in this situation. It will be a big worry for you and it is early days but you will adjust to your “new normal” in time. I’ve been told that my HA has left my heart with severe damage, my Troponin levels were in excess of 25,000 and the damage is through the full thickness of my heart. My care is now the subject of a formal investigation so I cannot go into much detail but diagnosis and treatment were severely delayed. A counsellor has helped me work through the trauma in a safe way, but I do experience some symptoms of ptsd although those episodes are reducing now. If you are offered cardiac rehab then take up the offer as it will help you learn what you can safely do and give you the confidence to get active.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I am feeling a little stronger but my emotions are all over the place and keep bursting into tears. I am having my covid and flu jabs next week and will then consider the Rehab sessions at a nearby hospital. The first session is an hours assessment and then a group session lasting an hour and a half. I don't feel up to doing that just yet. My tummy is all over the place and can't work out if it one of the pills. I am on three blood pressure pills and blood thinners and my husband thinks I am on too many pills. I suffer from colitis and have to be so careful with what I take.
Hi BSA20 - am so sorry to hear of your distress over your condition. I can emphasize totally. I found the British Heart Foundation website & staff to be totally invaluable. 03003303311. Worth giving them a ring. They’ve given me advice & emotional support. Take care!
The more I watch this the more it appears that support after a heart attack is very poor I wrote about my nightmare a little while ago and am still waiting fo a phone call appointment to sort my treatment out
It is right what you all say the after effects of this do bring you to tears I have been close many times and if you wake in the night I find it worse .
There is so many times I could do with a massive cuddle , my partner is not big with cuddles but I do have a huge dog who likes a cuddle or two so that gets me through most times
so very sorry you are not getting the support you badly need. Keep contact with this group as the members that have experienced the same as you will give you good advice.
Sounds a really poor situation that you cannot speak to a doctor at your surgery for two weeks.
Crying is good therapy and helps,you don’t want to hide any emotions.
I have not been through what you have so haven’t the confidence to express my thoughts any further but others have in the group have.Keep I touch, sending a huge hug .
So sorry for what you have been through.Your husband doesn’t appear to understand why you are crying,rather like my husband when I had a heart attack out of the blue,it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care ,he will show how much he cares in a different way,perhaps in the way he takes care of you in the physical sense.Mine shows how much he cares by bringing me numerous cups of tea when I am feeling particularly low. He doesn’t need to understand why I am crying he just needs to be there to give comfort,I hope your husband does the same for you,if not ,keep coming back on here and you will get lots of words of comfort and reassurance.I wish you well for the future.
Thank you for your supportive reply. I have just had a phone call from the hospital calling me in for a MRI contrast dye scan on the 23 December. Have you had one of these scans? I already feel worried in case something goes wrong.
can’t reply to the rest as not in your situation but as to the mri scan don’t sweat it nothings to worry about 🙂they just lay you down and send you through a big doughnut where the scan takes place all you have to do is lay still 🙂just looks a bit disconcerting as for the contrast dye that’s done with a catheter and gives you a warm feeling quite often in the lower portions 🙂 feels like you may wanna pee 😱lol but you don’t phew 😮💨 this goes into your bloodstream so they can see your blood vessels easily and identify if there’s any blockages or problems 🙂 think of it as a fancy X-ray and you’ll be alright 😀
I had a scan with contrast just 2 weeks ago, one of several- nothing to it. The dye makes you feel as if you've wet yourself for a few seconds which always makes me laugh . You then roll through a donut type scanner. It's not like the big MRI scanner and only takes a couple of minutes. It's like having an x ray. The dye will show up your arteries. Honestly it really is as easy as an x ray.
There's that tiny risk of a reaction to the contrast medium with anyone but I in years since my first one, haven't yet heard of anyone who has had a problem. The scan itself is simply that- a scan which is harmless.
The mental after shock of having your body invaded is very dificult to deal with. I had open heart surgery last August and that was trauma enough but the mental shock is still with me and I live it every day... a little like grief, it never really goes away. I go through periods of intense anxiety and feel I am at risk of sudden death which is actually a possibility! I still have strong chest pain and tightness and brethlessness and have suffered a permanent drop in physical mobility.
I went to my Gp and asked for some talkging therapy but that wa really hit and miss and has taken a year to come to anything, but it is there and you shoudl ask for someone to talk to, someone understanding. I had my surgery in the middle of covid and things still have not recovered in terms of service for heart attack victims.
At the endof everythgin we have been through I think we shoudl all spare a moment to thank thosewho helped us especially the night nurses.
Good morning, so sorry to hear you are suffering so much. It was a terrible shock to get. Please try and relax with some deep breathing exercises and some time to pamper yourself. Do you have family to turn to. Husband's are terrified they will lose us, they want us back to normal straight away as they felt on us emotionally. My husband was very good and mind to me when I had my double bypass but Ifound him many times crying in the garage with fear. Please God your M R I will go well for you. Keep in touch x x
Hi I had one of these scans last week The scan is nothing you just lie there ,the dye just feels warm as previously said I need a aortic valve replacement so am just waiting now for the consultant to study scans and send for me to discuss type of operation I can have and am finding the waiting much harder Hopefully it won't be long Good luck
I am so sorry that you suffered an unexpected heart attack compunded by the fact that the emergency ambulance was delayed so much. Was your HA confirmed by raised Troponin and other caRDIAC enzymes. Do you suffer from other risk factors like smoking, sugar diabetes, hypertension etc? I hope in the meantime all the tests have been completed and you are on the road to full recovery.
Sorry, I have never heard of Troponin and other enzymes. I was taken to my local hospital who made an unauthorised transfer to another hospital who made it plain they didn't want me as it was too late to treat me. My husband said my treatment from start to finish was disgusting with a total lack of information. I have not been appointed a Cardiac specialist yet. Have never smoked, no diabetes or high blood pressure. I do have colitis though and have now gone into a flare probably caused by the trauma and pills I now have to take each day.
with you on this one I have Crohn’s and know too well that stress is a major trigger and almost certainly that is what has happened wouldn’t worry too much about the pills side of it🙂as none of my heart meds interfere?? with my Crohn’s . Only thing not allowed to have are beta blockers as they do.In fact currently in remission from my Crohn’s but then going onto biologics through infusion so regular hospital visits for me yay 😀
Sorry to hear about your Crohns. We both have nasty things to deal with. I am on strong blood thinners and three types of blood pressure pills which seems odd as I didn't have blood pressure problems in the first place. I have written to PALS asking for explanations because my husband said my treatment was dreadful. But I can't remember a thing as 24 hours have gone from my memory.
seems the go to treatment blood thinners and blood pressure pills I too don’t have high blood pressure but was prescribed amlopodine (usually prescribed for high blood pressure) but it’s also a calcium blocker but then given a warning to keep an eye on my blood pressure as they don’t want it going too low, so if I was you I’d just keep a weather eye on your blood pressure I just bought a blood pressure machine from Amazon (other outlets available lol) it’s just a bummer when same drugs do different things lol
I’m so sorry you have been put through this and no wonder you feel as you do
I know there is emotional support on here for you as I’ve had plenty. I would have thought the paramedics would have done an ecg on you. I don’t know if you could get more information regarding your case maybe via the PALS (Patient Liason) at local hospital may be able to advise further if this is what has happened.
I have written to PALS. My husband said the paramedics didn't have a clue about ecgs. One had not covered it in training and the other realised the ecg wasn't right, but didn't know I was having a heart attack.
Absolutely diabolical lack of care. But once again it don’t surprise me. Horrendous. And so wrong. Not much empathy for you from the sounds of it too. A waiting list to get a Cardiologist? Wtf.
I would not expect the paramedics to fully understand an ECG. However surely to God they should understand a heart attack reading ??? As for a 5 hour wait. Once again I’m not surprised. 5 hours for a life and death situation. Appalling.
I know it does not help you. And you don’t want more stress. But when you get all the help you need. And things are more settled re your condition I do recommend a formal complaint.
I’m not knowledgeable and new to the site. But I would say to try to relax. Think of anything you find relaxing. It might be a calming hobbie. Or consider taking up something like Art/ painting. Watching easy to watch tv. Relaxation tapes.
Good luck. And I hope you get the treatment you totally deserve. Xx
I felt for you reading your post. What an appalling lack of care. You should lodge a formal complaint if you feel up to it. It might prevent it from happening to others. I had an awful experience with paramedics too where I had sepsis and they tried to encourage me not to go to hospital incase I caught the c virus. Luckily my daughter, who is a nurse, was with me and insisted that they took me to hospital. Luckily all the other times they’ve been fantastic, but it only takes once. Hope you are on the road to recovery now but don’t be afraid to be your own advocate and insist on the treatment you need. It’s very easy to get overlooked due to the pressure that the nhs is under but don’t let it happen to you. X
Many thanks for your reply. My husband said I was treated disgracefully. I have written to PALS asking them to find out certain information for me but I won't get a reply until mid January. Then I will decide what to do.
I hope you will be feeling stronger by then. We tend to view the NHS as a bit untouchable but there is absolutely no excuse for poor care. What you experienced was unforgivable really. You have been through a very traumatic experience and it will take some time to come to terms with what happened. I’m nearly a year past my first OHS and I still get very upset thinking about what happened afterwards. It’s a normal part of the process I think. I wish you well for the future.
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