Hi, my dad had a heart attack two years ago and was diagnosed with angina. He has done well since but I have noticed that he is now sleeping most of the days. He is 84 and obviously needs his rest.
I am also concerned about a habit he has, he has bouts of shallow breathing during the day. They last about 5-10 minutes. I think it is anxiety but not sure if it is related to his heart condition.
He is also unable to take the pump spray as I am sure it triggers anxiety.
Thanks for reading the post, just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience.
Thank you
7 Replies
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Dear Zinge
So sorry the hear about your Dad and the concerns you have about his breathing, especially as I can see by your posts that you have been suffering yourself.
Your Tinnitus can be very debilitating , take this from someone that has suffered with it for many years.
Your concerns over your dad have to be raised with his GP but it could be normal for him { please remember that I am not medically trained } to breath in a shallow pattern as he relaxes.
Your Gp will be able to test his long term breathing pattern to find out if this is a normal for him, given his age and what you have hinted as anxiety , which we all know can manifest its self in many ways , both physical and mentally.
He also doesn't have to use a spray when he has an Angina attack as there is a tablet form that he may find easier to take.
Take care of each other { sounds like you already are }
• in reply to
Thank you very much for your kind message. Will look into the tablet form.
Hallo and welcome to the `club`. Your Dad`s heart is tired, hence the sleeping. We were told that stifling that yawn (3-4 pm) was the sign to sleep. 30 minutes. Been doing that since my first attack in `85. Now 73. Plenty of us go swimming and swap stories. You might find out if your local hospital has a `have-a-heart-club`; damn good laugh and you learn a thing or two.
Kept me going for years now, in spite of 5 attacks and a cardiac arrest. Yep, I`m just a glutton for punishment, haha.
Get a hobby (mine`s crosswords and reading).....apart from the swimming 3 times a week; damn good exercise. Tell him the rugby and football are no longer `fit-for-purpose`. My mates at the judo club wouldn`t go near me.....b*******s.
Hallo. Yep, every second. Started at 11pm (just watched a video) and I heard a suzuki pass by, then again and again and again. The sound is like a wailing cat compared with my (Kawasaki) purr. It stopped. Went to the loo and started again. I didn`t look good because my wife (retired nurse) is very observant.
It was like an alien being in my chest and I tottered. My elder daughter said `F......this, I`m doing a 999`. As she talked an ambulance was passing outside (LUCKY) and as I fell to my knees (no pain) and hit my head on the carpet I could hear steps on the stairs. BLACK, black, black.
"Welcome back" said the voice, you`ve had a cardiac arrest. "Aye", said the other "we`ll move you away from these other bodies". So kind.
It was then I learnt that I`d had five attacks which my body had absorbed, so they couldn`t open me up, and I was given a defibrillator. Worked for me; that was 2011.
The medics use the word `enigmatic` when they`re puzzled. I puzzled them; no problem breathing.....no chest pain. Anyway, I went to the `other side`, got kicked out and went swimming. For some (silly) reason my judo friends didn`t want to fight me....Chickens!
The Suzuki I mention, a high-pitch zzzzzzzzz, is the heart going CRAZEE. I learnt that after wards. Quite funny really.
You have to find-your-level and what`s comfortable...that`s all.
Thank you so much for your reply and for sharing your experience. It really is helpful. Dad is doing well, still sleepy but he seems happy so that is the main thing, I have to accept that he is 84 and not a young footballer anymore. He started the GTN spray yesterday, and didn't have a panic attack so that helps.
Sounds good. To start with I used the spray before any incline (steps/path/grassy bits) but I got used to the climbs after a while.
Swimming has been a boon and I`m now joined by those who make me, at 73, the junior.
I spend 30 minutes swimming slowly and the Lifeguards are ACE, though you have to tell them about the heart. My cardiologist tweaked their rescue protocols here; I feel like a `go-between` but it helps them to help me, if needed.
Once you realise what affects you, you STOP. Breathe three or four times. Restart with family/friends keeping an eye. THEN.......it becomes FUN, haha.
We were told that the GTN spray was like the American Express Card; never leave home without it.
Have a lotta fun, listen to your heart and reeelaaaax. Ta-da!
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