So not gone on my walks today as felt light headed a bit dizzy ,throat was very dry ,bit of chest pain but more right breast ,Heart rate was 60bpm to 73bpm in the 30minutes this was going on this morning ,went and laid on bed for a hour was ok ,had some dinner went for a little walk but came back as happened again ,i was up at 4am and not slept proper this week at all ,but i felt fine all week doimg my 3 walks and pottering about as rehab nurse said .
Light headed,dizzy : So not gone on my... - British Heart Fou...
Light headed,dizzy
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yellow731
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I’m sorry you’re feeling like this after the fantastic week you’ve had with the walks and at home activities. Have you been investigated for angina at all?
Tos
No not been investigated for them ,HA was 4weeks ago and stent fitted ,checked my blood pressure thats normal , feels more like dry windpipe/throat ,i do have nitrolingual but never felt the need to use it, maybe i just need a restday
Your HA was only 4 weeks ago, perhaps you need to slow the pace of your day a little bit more . As the saying goes don't run before you can walk.Have you been drinking enough in the warmer weather, sometimes you can be dehydrated internally even if you don't feel thirsty , especially while your body is still in recovery.
Rest today and then maybe call your cardiac helpline or rehabilitation nurse for a little advice.
Hope things improve soon , take care, Bee
HiYes think your right ,i need to slow it down ,but i was only going of the advice of my rehab nurse 3 walks a day and build them up so they 30minute long ,so every 4 days i change route and add about 0.3km on , potter around the house if i sit down for a hour i get up walk around for 10mins so not sat for hours ,only other thing i do is cook my meals and a bit of ironing , yes drink plenty of water , before HA was 20 cups of tea a day now 5/6 and sip water all the time ,didnt do any exercise before HA just walk to car /shop on corner thats it ,think will drop to 2 walks a day morning and evening till im fit ,i feel alot better today
Three 30 minute walks a day sounds like a lot to me a month after a heart attack. It is a lot for people whom are generally healthy. If you didn't exercise much before your heart attack and , therefore, you may not be as physically fit as you might need to be , a total of an hour and a half of walking every day is too much.
Are you sure the Nurse didn't mean that you should build up to three walks a day adding up to a total of 30 minutes ?
Why not try 3, 10- 15 minute walks for a while .
Also consider the routes you are walking?
Is the route flat which is preferable to hills in early recovery.
Drink as you walk and try to maintain regular deep breaths and a pace which allows you to be able to talk or hum without needing to catch your breath.
As you improve slowly build in more distance , minutes or some small hills but within your comfort zone, a level that will gradually increase as you improve in a way that doesn't give you symptoms that force you to have to recover.
No pain , no gain is a myth , consistency is the key to a healthy exercise plan.
You can try doing a slightly faster pace for about 30 seconds near the end of a walk before you start to slow down to cool off before stopping.
Try doing a few gentle stretches to warm you up before you go out and sit and do some relaxing breathing for a minute as you cool down.
When you're at home you seem to have a good plan it just might need a bit of tweaking too.
A few gentle stretches or a potter around the house every hour helps to improve your energy levels and reduces stiffness or Fatigue. But again , 2-4 minutes an hour is enough , ten minutes per hour on top of the walks is a bit much.
Take care , Bee
Yes i heard her right i wrote everything down ,my walks are 3X 15mins 1.2km , she also said walk to the shop often ,she had all info of the docs ,so i thought she knows what she doing ,i start my rehab classes on the 30th and she said by then a 30 minute walk shouldnt be a problem to me ,think i might just walk up the stairs every hour stretch the legs after sitting , i think im pushing myself to ,as i just want to get fit and healthy and get my life back on track .
Walking up the stairs every hour might also not be the best option. Many Hearties are advised to be careful with stairs because of the level of cardio it causes, especially early on in recovery.Your 10-15 minute walks are fine. A potter around the house is fine . Some gentle stretches will help to improve your flexibility, mobility and balance. Eventually you will build up to being able to do a few 30 minute walks a week.
Doing some gentle upper body and arm movement is also important to improve muscle and mobility in the body overall.
Ok thanks will stick to the routes im doing if it gets to much i can always cut through other streets and make route shorter ,will try arm movements etc ,
Hello 
It is still early days yet and we have good days and not so good days while we are recovering sounds like today was one of the not so good ones but it is ok
I sense you are worrying a little bit I know I can focus on every feeling I get whereas before my heart events I was not as bad as I am now
Have a day of today and tomorrow start again maybe a shorter walk and see how you feel as long as you do a little something your recovery will get better
Enjoy the rest of your weekend x
Hi😁I think you are right i was like it one day last week to , but a day on sofa just reading a book and i was ok next day ,think we are allowed a rest day and not push it .
And yes i think you are right ,i start typing in google and before you know it you have every sympton going and then the panic kicks in.
Yes a day off today then tomorrows a new day
Thank you
Hello
Of course everyone can have a day of including you to
Goodness not Dr Google there is no wonder you feel like you do and I am the same even though I know it is the worst thing you can do I find myself on there
I should take my own advice bur in my defense I have been doing it years going on Google which becomes a habit that is hard to break but it has helped me to stay in a state of worry so please if you can try and stay of it believe me it is not your friend and will only make you feel worse
Trust the professionals that are taking care of you as they know exactly how well you are doing Google doesn't
So here is hoping that after your rest tomorrow will be a better day for you x
Hi i feel a lot better today ,was in bed for 9pm read a bit of my book ,then fell asleep woke up a few times but only for a min or 2 (passing traffic ) then 3 am i awoke and thought not again ,toss and turned for 20mins and asleep amd then woke up 6.22 got outa bed at 7 😁 feel better for just breaking the 4am routine
Hello
I sleep a little like that always waking up through the night but at least it was a bit better for you and glad you have woken up feeling better to
Hope today is a good one x
Not good is it ,i was waking at 4am to 5am everyday , been trying to get my body out that routine ,today was first time i was still in bed when 7am alarm went off , so a good start to the day ,just going to go on a walk , you dont know anything about tablets do you ? I just asked a question about mine if im taking them right
Hello
No it is not good and when I wake up usually I am panicking but I think accepting it for now and see how you go
Take a steady walk and don't over do it can you put those earbud things in and listen to something as you are walking to try and distract your mind from how you feel watch the traffic though if you do
I know I take tablets and hate everyone
I will take a look at your other post x
I think you are pushing too hard. Chest pain and tiredness backs this up.
My returning to fitness after a heart attack patients guide given to me says that long term you should aim for 30 minutes of exercise per day. And that you should build up to this over a few weeks and months.
It also says that between weeks 3 and 4 you should be walking for 20 to 30 minutes a day increasing to 30 minutes a day after week 4.
Yes i think your right ,im going to cut my walks down to a morning and evening walk its a15minute route at steady pace and i think with them 2 walks and pottering around house doing bits is enough to keep me going till 30th when i start rehab ,think im running before i can walk ,i admit i was unhealthy and lazy and eat crap before HA smoked to ,but quit it all ,healthy eating no smoking i think im just keen to get fit
I start my physical rehab on Tuesday. It's 8 weeks since I had AVR and a single CABG. The nurses running the rehab classes were anticipating a lot less from me than I delivered at my assessment which was a week ago. I'm expected to be walking for 20 minutes by the time I attend but I'm up to 30-35 minutes at the moment in a single session. I've built up to that over 4 weeks of daily exercise starting at 10 minutes. And don't go too fast either.
I was reasonably fit beforehand but not exercising properly. And, yes, I'm pushing a bit as well as I too am keen to prove the doctors wrong on how fit they said I'll end up post op.
Take it steady and you'll find it far more beneficial.
What is AVR and CABG that sounds bad ,i had 1 stent fitted bloke on next bed a year older than me had 9 fitted!! First week home i walked to the post box daily about 5 minutes twice a day then upped it 3 times a day 2nd week inbetween a walk to shop, 3rd week was doing the full block 0.6 km 10minute walk 3 times a day as on the monday the rehab nurse phoned me had a chat was told 3 walks a day ,go to shop potter about etc ,your not a invalid (her words not mine ) so i walked to the chemist a 1.4k walk felt fine so decided on a route at 1.2k that takes me 15 to 18mins pace depending ,i dont warm up before so if you have a link for some pre warm up exercise that would be nice
Aortic Valve Replacement and Cardiac Artery Bypass Graft - open heart surgery.
Jesus makes mine tiny compared to yours , how old are you if you dont mind me asking, im going to go steady from now on ,its marathon not a sprint isnt it
oh, forgot to say I had two stents put in three weeks before the major surgery as well. I’m 71 in a month or so. I’ve explored a good part of the cardiac surgery area of the NHS …
It’s all pretty routine really these days, some risks. I was apprehensive but the way I was I figured I had nothing to lose.
I had no idea of my problems until I was admitted to hospital just over 4 weeks before my op, symptoms I had were attributed to a viral infection by a cardiologist. Apparently I had a heart attack on 16th May, my AVR/CABG was done on 16th June. I had the angioplasty on 22nd May.
Yes, a walking marathon at that, we need to learn about our body again and walk before we run.
No specific warm up exercises but walk at a slightly slower pace initially is what I was told. I do so for the first 5 minutes. Should cool down as well, I do 5 minutes again (much like couch to 5k but without the running bits!).
Wow 71 ! And you still trying to get fit i cant fault you there , you have had a lot of work done ,and here is me moaning and going on over one stent , i do think alot of it ,is the mental side ,like you get a twitch in your body and thats it you focus on that ,get on google worry yourself silly ,and you sit waiting for that twitch again , like today im burping like mad must be 10 times today ,and i never burp ,and got the urge to google and worry myself but im not going to ,im going to try and go on a walk, hopefully everything will be fine and yesterdays rest was needed and its my body telling me slow down dont rush
hi yellow 731.
Like you I had 2 stents & balloon fitted on 7 July.
You are doing good!! I try and walk daily or do the BHF rehab video on you tube ( easiest one) but some days I feel so so weak and sleepy. I find myself beating my self up for not doing the walk, but after speaking to the rehab nurse she said “listen to your body”. I also feel that my immune system is weak and seem to pick up colds etc.
Hi winimops Im doing good but maybe over done it ,thinking back i did some stretches friday evening and saturday morning as i suffer from bad posture always get pain in rightside when sitting ,and it involved arms behind back and stretching so my own fault ,been for a walk this evening a felt fine though a shorter walk , its a case of if you miss your walk you put yourself back dont you , but your right listen to your body , plus everybody bodie heals diffrent ,i still got bruised wrist from where cath went in but was told 3 weeks would go ,my immune system was strong where colds etc are concered but i think thats because i dont ever take tablets (have a phobia ) but now taking lots of tablets ,i think my rehab nurse pushed me a bit quick as my notes was good ,but im going to do it at my pace from now on 2 walks and just pottering around house is enough ( i live alone so enough to do ) do you find every little twitch your straight on google doctor ?
I never google! Just stick to BHF website. I used to do yoga and miss it so much, feeing stiff and as you say bad posture. The bruise on my wrist has gone but the site is still tender to touch.
I think that the emotional/mental health side of recovery is worse than the physical recovery. I still don’t feel strong enough to go for a walk without my husband being home incase I need to be picked up from some where. I think that you are so brave being able to do things by yourself . I admire you for that.
Yes nurse said dont google just BHF,mental side is hard ,your fitness will return ,but i think every twitch will always play on your mind , not being brave i have to do it because no one else will or the house gets a mess ,as for you own walks alone just walk to top of the street and back thats how i started then i added bits on daily ,you will soon get there
Quick update * trotted myself of to urgent care centre this morning , ECG was fine ,blood pressure was fine , HR fine , done my bloods there all fine ,so its not my heart which is good so settled my nerves , so ive either pulled a chest muscle doing my stupid stretches or as doc said could be asprin giving you stomach upset as thats connected to part i got the pain , i thanked them for wasting there time but they was ok and said im right to be worried ,but its put my mind at rest now ,and i will slow it down a bit
Glad everything was OK for you. When I had my heart attack it was back pain that I suffered and a integestion feeling. What the nurse told me in Canada was if the pain in my back changes when I move my back muscles it probably not my heart. I have stuck to this rule and it has helped with the anxiety I feel with the different twinges. I also think that we get a little too sensitive to our body sensation/twinges.
I also think that the Rovustatin I am on is effecting my stomach along with the change in diet.
Yes i felt bad this morning as i was laid on sofa and pain was bad there , so rang my daughter and got taken to local hospital ,i was straight in and looked at ,couldnt fault them the doc said it could be acid reflux or asprin messing with stomach but i felt alot better since ,even went on my evening walk ,think im going to follow that rule seems a good one ,and yes to over sensitive to every twinge where as pre HA we wouldnt of noticed them
have a look also at CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) It has helped me in the past and I am using it now. We will get there in the end!!
I will have a look into it thank you ,ive brought some books to read in bed instead of counting the 2900 ceiling dots ha ha takes my mind away from laying there and thinking
What has also helped me with getting to sleep is saying to myself “even if I can’t sleep I am warm and comfortable and able to rest”. Also I have the insider app (similar to calm) and I listen to relaxing music.
Some meds also have sleep disturbance as a side effect, have a look at the info that comes with the meds - not google😜
Morning Sorry i had a early night ,slept very well , i read my book and have alexa playing absoulte radio (volume 1 )
I will have a read through all the leaflets later , never using dr goole again ,you have an itch in ear ,and 10min later your losing 4toes and growing 6ears 🤣
hi Yellow731. How are you doing? We had stents around the same time and I was just thinking how are things with you at the moment.
Hi Winimops im doing good thank you , did a CBT course through NHS talking therapies as you suggested , i walk 2 miles in the morning and a 4 mile bike ride in the evening , do my rehab at the hospital every weds which i enjoy , im joining the gym november 1st , and plan on going back to work dec 1st , and my asprin that i was taking every morning i was just throwing it down with water but it needed to be disolved in water , since then been alot better on the burping , just seem to get anxiety attacks every now and then but hopefully these will go when i realise im not going to die soon , how are you ?
nice to hear from you - you are doing well!! I walk fast most days around 1.5miles ( the dog struggles with longer) and I have incorporated a hill. I I can’t get out then it’s Joe Wicks. Lost 5kg, back to work a week Monday on phased return. Anxiety gets to me too & I have referred myself through occy health for support. Getting dark thoughts and need support with these. Starting rehab class week after next. I too swallowed the Asprin rather than dissolve it but GP changed it yesterday to coated version. Statins also reduced due to aches/pains/ stiffness. Getting there slowly.
Sounds like you are doing very well to ,but your poor dog lol occy health nurse , ringing me monday , maybe see if i can get some help with anxiety , i have been discharges from hospital into GPs care now they upped my ramipril and thats it ,i got my bike through cycle to work scheme so will be biking the 5miles trip daily when i go back , when you go to rehab get them to refer you to gym its half price and with cold weather coming better to work indoors ,i just got my lipid results today but cant make head or tale of them ,very nice to hear from you to 😁
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