I’m young-ish… 46 and had a heart attack 13 days ago and had a stent put in 10 days ago.
recovery has been going pretty good with yesterday being a great day where it was the best I’d felt since the heart attack.
today though… not so much. Constant underlying anxiety, which for me is awful because it’s a not too dissimilar feeling in my chest so that only adds to it.
it started last night and I got zero sleep, so that’s not helping either.
any tips, tricks, advice?
There will be others along no doubt in due course who will be able to more closely relate to your situation. I have 'only' had an NSTEMI but no stents, but do have other health issues to contend with. Anyway the chest discomfort you are feeling is probably no more than your body settling down after recent events and the 'pressure' will slowly go away, even if its over a few weeks. If it doesn't perhaps a chat to your GP, but if it's sudden and worse call 999. And I am sure the fact that you are feeling down today is a delayed reaction to your HA and stent procedure, especially since you are out of hospital ( I assume) and now have chance to reflect on your situation in familiar surroundings away from the hustle and bustle of a strange hospital environment. However my advice to you is to be very positive. You are still relatively young , you have survived a heart attack and the stent will reduce the risk of further heart attacks. No doubt you are also on medication which will also further reduce your risk. You are certainly in a better place than you were before the heart attack which no doubt was completely unexpected. And hopefully in a short time you will join a rehab course which will give you chance to ask questions and will importantly help you going forward with lifestyle recommendations including exercise and diet. So feel good about yourself, take each day as it comes, and enjoy life as much as your circumstances allow.
Thanks so much!
Hi
I was in a similar position to you 8 years ago when I was 42 and had my heart event. I was very active , a father of 2 young children and so was confused and petrified at the same time.
Be thankful it was caught early and give it time to heal so be patient. You will become over sensitive about your body at the beginning so try and catch yourself doing that. Remember you generally have pains all over your body which you always ignore. If you really don't feel right and you will know them go to a&e and get it checked out. You've been given quite a few drugs too so you'll likely feel off as you adjust to those also.
It's a scary event and one you never think will happen to you and so your mind will conjure up all kinds of scenarios , whatifs etc so you might need to seek some professional help to deal with this, I know I did. It's very early so see how it goes
Ping me if you need to discuss further
Thanks so much for this. This is really helpful and the one thing you said has really resonsated… “your body always has pains etc”… that’s so true, I’m just so much more hyper aware and on alert for it and need to just settle down and relax.
Hi purple dino, totally agree with the other replies. I was a very fit 53yo when I had a pretty bad HA last xmas day out on my bike.
In I went, stent, then had thrombus in heart so all very scary. I found that the road to recovery is a bit bumpy especially in the first couple of months. The mind does go into overdrive at times. There will be down days that’s for sure but, if you keep positive as much as you can, the good days will outweigh the bad and you will get back to near normal.
I still have the odd couple of days where I struggle now but, I’m back on the bike, back swimming and enjoying life as much as I can.
Good luck mate
Thanks so much for this. I too thought I was quite fit and healthy, so the attack was very unexpected and surprising.
I understand the road to recovery (especially mentally) will be a bit of two steps forward and one step back… but it’ll get there.
For what it’s worth… last night I meditated and was great… finally had a good nights sleep and feel good this morning.
Yeah I go to bed listening to Jason Stevenson on YouTube. He has many sleep meditation videos. Very rarely do I have issues falling asleep listening to him.
Falling asleep is no longer an issue for me, thankfully, but I do have nights where I wake up around 3-4am and at that point my brain goes "oh you're awake, have you thought about...?". It's usually something trivial not a health worry. The other day I "needed" to know what GMB stood for in GMB Union 🙃
Hi, I had a NSTEMi last november, no stents and treated with meds, and suffered a lot with anxiety in the early days. I'm a bit older but considered myself quite fit before this all started. I used to swim 3 times a week and walked miles. HA started in the pool of all places. In the first few days afer discharge I used to dread going to bed and slept with a light and radio on. I had a couple of trips to A&E afterwards and I even spent Christmas Day in hospital after one episode of niggly chest pains, discomfort and anxiety. Went in Christmas Eve and was discharged on Boxing Day. Hospital rehab classes really helped me regain confidence and by the early summer I'd resumed some swimming, was walking regularly (me and a guy I met in hospital would regularly go for 10-12km walks), working on my allotment and had started phase 4 rehab.
All was going well until a blip in late June which resulted in a few trips to hospital, a 24 hr halter test, more drugs and finally a 2nd angiogram in July after which I was told a minor artery had completely blocked and another partially blocked one had cleared. Anti angina drugs stopped but Cardiologist keeping an eye on me.
Anxiety is a real problem for me now and there are days when going for a simple walk brings on a panic attack. I've been referred to Mind, had two sessions to date, and am back at hospital rehab to rebuild my confidence. I'm fine there and I can be "goung for it" on the steps for a pulse check and my HR get nowhere near what going for a walk does to it.
It can get very draining, I have good and bad days and it can't be much fun for my wife as I do have a tendency to avoid doing things "in case" somerhing happens.
Apologies for the long response. Long-winded way of me saying don't underestimate the potential impact on your mental health. The rehab nurses, cardiologist and my GP have all said it can be like PTSD and whilst the physical side can often be treated quickly the emotional side may take a bit longer.
Take care and all the best for your continued recovery.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I hope mind will do the trick for you…. Anxiety is a real bugger and I’ve had it for various things forever. I’ve got a call this afternoon with a psychiatrist and hopefully will start having some sessions
Hi l had a Stemi and one stent back in May, at first l felt completely overwhelmed with fear and any feeling of discomfort in my chest l panicked about but after going to rehabilitation and talking to other people and getting back to walking and swimming l found that a lot of the my fears and chest discomfort disappeared. My sleepless nights are now a thing of the past, with love to you x
Thanks so much! I do think so much of it is in our heads as we’re just hyper aware of anything and everything in the chest area.
Best thing I learned for anxiety was learning how to do self hypnosis. It's very much like meditation but if you do it when you feel the very first signs, it can stop it in its tracks. My GP sent me to a lady who did hypnosis when I started having panic attacks and she taught me. I'm afraid cardiology as a whole tends to treat a heart attack as just something and nothing. It seems like "We fixed your plumbing now go away" with no thought at a l l about the mental effects. You have faced your own mortality. Of course you are anxious. It's a huge shock and very scary. Have you started cardiac rehab yet? If not chase it up. It's by far the best thing there is to improve your confidence. Doing exercise under medial supervision will prove that you can live without having another HA. You've been given a second chance; a new life. Deal with anything that needs changing; smoking, weight,exercise, diet and go and enjoy your second chance.
Thanks for this! Self hypnosis is an interesting idea… but I was once hypnotised to try and help anxiety and had a panic attack in the middle of it… lol…
But meditation I am 100% going to do again… and started last night after posting this and it’s already made a difference.
That should never happen with a properly qualified therapist.
Hi Dino sorry to hear about your event,quite scary.Anxiety is a coping mechanism.Your foundations have been shaken to the core and still shake at times.Each time a spell occurs you'll get mentally stronger and eventually relax more.Your brain will eventually get fed up of the repetitive worry.Ofcourse it take time,eventually you'll break free.Goodluck
Thank you so much!
Hi Purple_Dino
I was interested in reading your post as I to had a stent fitted 15 days ago and am a healthy 62 .I was on holiday in Spain so was treated there .
I am also in a state of worry and anxiety as not sure what to do now . Its another 4 week wait to start rehab
I am sure the only way is up and over time we will improve
Good luck
Good luck to you as well! You just had my email through for rehab and that starts for me in 2 weeks.
My work I was fortunate enough to take up medical insurance with, and it has mental health coverage so I am starting that which should help massively
following my NSTMI & 2 stents in early July I found that recovering from the psychological side takes longer and is more difficult that the physical recovery. I am due to start counselling through occy health any day now as I am still struggling with negative thoughts and just being basically scared. But the anxiety does get better as time goes. I remember phoning the BHF helpline for a chat one day - they were so helpful, and now my cardiac rehab nurse is excellent for support. I try to remind myself that I am fitter now than I was pre heart attack.
the first few weeks are difficult - getting used to the new you, medications, diet etc - so please rest and give your body & mind time to adjust. Your body is doing a lot of work at the moment - so give it the time and care that it needs to do its healing process. You will get there!
Thanks for this! You make a good point in that my body is in a better spot now than before.. and I need to remember that.
hello purple Dino
I had a heart attack at 46 and had a stent. I am recovering from my 2nd heart attack aged 50 and another stent fitted. I too suffered from great anxiety. As the months have passed the anxiety has lessened. My gp solution was to offer anti depressants. I was not depressed I was dealing with a life changing event in my life and it was a natural reaction . What I have done to lessen my anxiety was speak to a cardiac psychiatrist and cardiac nurses. My family and friends are a great support too. It was a shock having two heart attacks within 4 years but iam grateful that I had my stents fitted and feel better. There are many people that didn’t get this chance. You will feel better and get stronger each day. Take care of yourself and remember the way you are feeling is only natural.
I hope you
Thanks so much for this reply! I need to take that a physically feel better everyday and somehow transfer that to my mental health.
Do they know why it happened?
Do you feel anxiety during lying down or on exertion.is it episodic or continuous.is ECG after exercise normal.
Hi mr HA was 12 months ago and I had a stent put in the artery spending 4 days in hospital and everything was ok.On discharge I suffered many changes of mood and this was down to anxiety and depression.I had chest twinges for a good couple of months due to the stent settling in ( never talked about by doctors) I still get little bits of chest discomfort but have had various checks ruling out anything serious.Its definitely advantageous enrolling with the Cardio courses as you will be well looked after by the nurses and more importantly mix with people who have similar experiences.You obviously know what a heart attack feels like so when in discomfort ask yourself whether it feels anywhere near the same if so it’s 999.The chest muscles take a bit of a hit during the procedure and even to this day I get the odd muscular twinge.You must try not to worry as this is a cause of chest pain,I wish you a speedy recovery so take care .
Hi Purple_Dino, I did PCI approximately 3 weeks ago. I am 34 , been active my whole life. Yes I get what you mean. Some days you feel great and most of the time its weird what I would call. Lethargic most of the time. With all the medications
First few days was really tough. One time I went to A&E because I thought something was happening to me but it turned out all normal.
At times I woke up in the middle of the night for nothing. All sort of stuff.
I am still coping with it. But 3 weeks into it I kind of getting to know my body again and accepting the fact I have this disease.
I hope you will get better over time.Listen to your body, if in doubt better to get checked
Thanks so much! Your situation sounds exactly like mine. I’ll be at 3 weeks since the stent on Friday. I’ve now gotten quite used to the various sensations etc… I too went to a&e for what turned out to be absolutely nothing.
But feeling much better both physically and mentally.
Lifestyle after stent.
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Uncomfortable after stents 
