I'm just under 3 weeks post STEMI - with 1 stent to the LAD.
Echo' a couple of days post procedure showed EF was only 41% .... (I was a late presentation, so myocardial damage was probably greater than it otherwise might have been)... I was previously extremely fit for my age (60's) - with no risk factors and no co-morbidities and in training for a 100 mile bike race....
What I want to know is - what are the experiences of those who also had very good baseline fitness - but have incurred a big MI like mine... How much has the EF improved - and with a borderline EF - what does that actually feel like in terms of reduced exercise tolerance etc ??
I managed a 20 mile bike ride the other day... moderate intensity, good pace and a few short hills... - no symptoms during the ride - but tired the day after... Is this good progress for my stage... and so soon after the MI ??
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Hello,The great strength of the forum is that you will hopefully be able to connect with other people, with whom you can share experiences of what you are going through.
You have had some great responses already.
I am not sure despite what Brave_heart says that I can add much more other than my best wishes to you 😊
My OH had a STEMI 4 years ago and 3 stents, also a late presenter like 24 hours, he was 41.
His EF did increase back to 63% in 6 months however it has never been checked since.
He suffers more now than he did 12 months after his HA. He is only on statins and Aspirin now which I'm not entirely happy with buy his choice.
Please don't push yourself too far it's early days. 5 years ago, I naively thought HA's either kill you or you made a full recovery, there's a huge gulf in the middle and for some life will never be quite the same again
I would say this is far too early to be carrying out ling bike rides. Can you phone your cardiac nurse and ask for advice on exercise? The last thing you want is to make things worse by exercising too soon.
while i didnt have exactly the same problem as you(i had heart failure) my EF went down to 15%
It took 3 years before i felt very well again(and EF back to 47% after 1 year) but i would never go back to full speed running again.I can however do MOST of the things i love including charging around on off road motorcycles.I do rest more often though.
Your previous excellent health(heart excluded ) def means that all other things being equal your chances of recovery and speed of are improved.It is a medical fact that people with other health issues,poor fitness,diet,diabetes etc have worse outcomes.
Feeling tired is very common after heart problems and may never completely go away esp after "a long day"
41% is good(slightly impaired) and will probably increase as time goes on.
The heart is a muscle and intense cardio cycling races should be reduced for now and possibly for ever.Just ask yourself ,does 100 miles of high intensity cardio sound like a good idea so soon after your problems?
The drug ENTRESTO (that i take) is only offered if EF is less than 35% so you wouldn't qualify.Privately the cost is around 150 a month.The patent expires in 2025(about)It is a "wonder drug" for patients with reduced EF but may offer some side effects that may or may not help with your cycling.
If you haven't done so i would recommend a private appointment with the head cardiologist at his private clinic.The appointments are 45 mins or so and you could ask lots of detailed pre-prepared questions.I did this is combo with the very excellent Kent NHS
Thanks everyone for those very helpful and encouraging replies... and for sharing those stories.. Really interesting to hear how things can improve. At this stage I'm just really anxious with the uncertainty of it all and grieving for the lifestyle I feel I could have lost... Follow up (from) the hospital is already starting to feel a bit patchy..I was told I would be contacted by the "cardiac rehab" team post discharge - but so far nothing ... - In fact I believe common practice is to have an initial chat whilst still an in patient .. but the rehab nurse was apparently on holiday - so that never happened.
My follow up Echo is due in about 6 weeks or so (I was told) - but my first review with the Cardiologist won't happen (again, so I've been told) - for several months after that....
No doubt I'll be following fora like these very closely for advice and support - and perhaps I'll chat with some of you again.
My local Cardiac Rehab Team are currently running 6 to 8 weeks behind with their initial phone calls, so it could be another month before you hear from them. When I had my HA 5 years ago, they did indeed visit me in CCU before discharge, but because of the sheer numbers of patients, they haven't been able to do that since the start of the you-know-what-pandemic.
I'd give them a call before you do any more serious rides. Their number should be on the hospital website, or call the Cardiac ward and they should have a number. 20 miles may not feel like a serious ride to your pre-heart attack self, but you're now a hearty and need to be very careful in the early stages of your recovery (and 3 weeks is early). By the sounds of it, you should make a good recovery, but please take some time.
Don't worry too much about your EF. My Heart Failure nurse (a different community team to Cardiac Rehab) told me that EF is a state of mind: some people are flat on their backs with an EF of 45, while some with an EF of 15 can run around as if nothing's happened.
you might find it helpful to know that the normal range for EF is 50 -65% - so please don't panic if yours does not improve beyond that
I agree with those who suggest that you focus on gentle recovery for now and wait until you start rehab before getting concerned with returning to fitness, you heart needs a bit of recovery time after the trauma
hi - I developed dilated cardiomyopathy when I was 63 very fit beforehand- my EF fell to 24%! I could still function once I was over initial collapse but not well- 8 weeks later I had a CRTD fitted and my EF is now 39%. That was 5 years ago. I’m fit, in a walking group in rural Wales - and swim etc. so with 41% you may still be able to exercise. Have you been on cardiac rehabilitation course? I did one for 6 weeks where they put you through gym workouts and really benefitted from it. Several post MI people on it . Good luck.
Like you I had a LAD Stemi with 3 cardiac arrests. Fortunately a work colleague had driven me to hospital where I collapsed. The next few hours were a bit of a blur but I ended up with 3 stents.
I’m convinced that being fit resulted in a better outcome and over the last 5 years I’ve become an avid walker and discovered lots of local paths and trails that I never knew existed.
In terms of EF, all I was told that it was over 50 but advised that it’s only a number and that it’s all about how you feel.
For me, cardiac rehab was key to my recovery, especially mentally. I don’t push myself as hard as I did but aim to raise my heart rate to a level where I can feel it working and get a bit of a sweat on. I feel that I have greater capacity and fitness than previously.
Personally I would wait for the rehab team to contact you and take it from there. It’s a fantastic programme and you can exercise whilst under close supervision. I loved it so much that I now work as a volunteer on the sessions 😊
Thanks to all - I'm really, really humbled by the generosity of the many who have shared their stories by way of encouragement, solidarity and support. It's a scary time of great uncertainty for me - but I feel slightly better for knowing that I'm not the first person who has had to fight this battle.
Thanks for your thoughts - and I'm on the forum to welcome any advice from all those who on the same - or a similar unfortunate journey.
I've been reading a lot of scientific papers about what happens to the heart after MI - and how that process can be affected - and improved by exercise, in order to optimise recovery.
The kinds of questions of interest are; does intensity of exercise matter ? is there a difference between moderate and very hard exercise ? - does duration matter - and if so how long should exercise last ?
Of course the answers are, heart rate is the key... and it should be raised to a target level - but again the answer is not clear... "effective exercise" raises the heart rate to about 60-70% of maximum, - but one study I read suggested it was safe - and even better for the heart to rise to 90-95% of its maximum - dependent om symptoms of course...
Even on my 20 miler, I kept my heart rate down below 100 - so really it was very gentle exercise and I was very cautious....
I'm waiting for the "official cardiac rehab" to start. I've just got the date for my first class...- 12th July !!! - Utterly hopeless and not acceptable to have to wait so long.... especially as all the research specifically says that early rehab is essential for long term heart health and the best recovery...
My questions to the forum are now:
1/ How long in general did folk have to wait for their rehab classes to start ?
2/ How useful where they - considering everyone in the class will be at different levels and have different needs. ?
3/ Did anyone find any "private rehab" - with physios or trainers - who had specific experience and expertise with cardiac patients in the early stages of recovery ?
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