on Boxing Day I unexpectedly suffered a heart attack resulting in being rushed into hospital. The care was amazing and after many tests I went through an angiogram/angioplasty procedure which discovered a blocked sub-artery in the heart. This was dealt with whilst in theatre- amazing and I can’t praise the cardiac team at Tunbridge Wells hospital enough. I was in 2 nights and now am on a variety of meds to reduce blood pressure, lower heart rate, anti platelet and blood thinning to prevent clotting, maximum statin dosage and a GNT spray to use for reoccurrence of angina pain.
quite traumatic! I very grateful that the outlook is good but am now dealing with adjusting to the sudden intake of loads of meds and mentally confidence that it will be ok. I would love to hear from anyone who has had a similar experience and any tips and advice please.
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Mikeysaab
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It does take a while to adjust afterwards like you say there are all of a sudden all these meds sometimes we start getting side effects from them sometimes we don't and we have to learn to adjust to all this which at times for some can be a challenge but we do get through it
I now have a tablet box never thought I would need one of those but helps me to have my tablets sorted for the week and I find it easier
Physically so many recover really quickly mentally our minds can take a while to catch up with what has happened and depression and anxiety can start to take over but usually if this happens it passes and if not a good talk with our Doctors usually helps to get us on track but know it is normal this has been a big shock and it takes a while to gain your confidence back but you have had a stent opening up the artery and blood flowing as it should again the medications help things to keep working as they should so you are in a better place than before you had the heart attack try and turn all the negative thoughts into positives
At some stage you will be offered Rehab this helps so many and I am sure when you are offered it that it will help you to
Come and talk with us whenever you feel you need to there are so many on here that will give you really good advice x
I was so surprised at how much better I felt mentally when I started using a tablet box. Getting out all the boxes of drugs every day was so jarring. They're a great tip!
I wrote out a little chart of my pills, with a diagram of each pill (for when the end up on the bedroom floor) I added any instructions - eg: take after eating etc. I then took it to my pharmacy to have my homework checked. I also carry a copy of my prescription.
Not a nice thing for anyone to go through and it's good to hear you received the medical care and with a good outlook.
I had my HA 21 nov 2023. 53 years old and fit.
It was traumatic indeed and scared the hell out of me.
Took me 3 weeks to get used to being a once a month nurofen user for the odd headache to now being Mr Many Medicines Man in our house.
But you get used to the regime. So far no odd side effects.
First 3 weeks I was anxious, worried, felt like half the man I thought I was. I had the odd weird twinge, sharp quick pain, discomfort in my chest and this panicked me, but these have now become less frequent.
I felt scared in shops, as a passenger in a car, and didn't even want to park the car in the driveway.
I was scared to do any activities and was constantly on Google doing searched about the widow maker heart attack.
I do not advise Googling as it just adds worries and stress.
Over weeks I started asking questions here and asking the BHF for any concerns I had and both have been brilliant for support.
Today ( and the previous 5 days) I wake up take my medication, have a healthy breakfast and had 2.5 mile walk. Came back hoovered the car, drove to my parents and went to Tesco.
Everyone's journey is different but with patience, a lot of self kindness, rest, taking things at your pace, asking questions here or at the BHF helpline you slowly start to recover.
Really sorry you had to go through that, must have been such a horrible shock.
I can empathise with you, Mikey. I had a similar experience to you 7 months ago, a heart attack and emergency angio, resulting in two stents.
The huge amount of drugs I have to take was hard to accept but it has gotten easier. I focus on the fact it's only for the first 12 months, then I'll likely go down to only one or two pills. I also remind myself that it could have been SO much worse and I'm on the path to recovery!
If there's anything that I would say to myself at your stage of this experience, it's not to underestimate the impact this may have on your mental health & those that love you, so do what you can to be kind to yourself and to those around you. Accept all the help that's offered.
Also, if something feels off physically talk to your GP about it straight away. It could be something as simple as a drug tweak to ease side effects.
I put up with a lot for too long thinking it was just a part of recovery but it turned out it was side effects from the drugs, side effects that disappeared as soon as my drugs were changed.
This forum has been a godsend too. So many kind and experienced people on here. There's also the British heart foundation cardiac nurse phone line if you have any technical questions.
All the best for a strong recovery Mikey and happy new year!
I'm 71. Silent HA in the very early hours of 17th May, same day as an echocardiogram had been booked following a visit to A&E in October 22. At that visit I was told nothing was wrong, I couldn't walk more than 2-300 yards at the time without having to rest. I then had 2xPCI on 22nd May, AVR and CABG on 16th June!
Loads of meds since, stopped two lots of tablets in August/September (3 a day) on Surgeons advice, still taking 9 tablets a day now compared to 20+ a day on discharge. I started doing 5k Parkruns on 16th September and did my 13th this morning. Feel fitter than I have for years.
One important thing for me is the pill box so I've got my tablets sorted for the forthcoming week. I find it helps with managing prescription orders as well. I ordered it before I was discharged from hospital.
Please do the physical rehab and press them if it isn't offered, it is one thing that really helped and encouraged me. Start your exercise at home as soon as you can, again I did and it helped me greatly.
Above all look at it as an opportunity to have a second chance at living life and make the most of it.
thank you Survivor1952 . Glad that you recovery goes well and really encouraged by that. I got one of those 7 day pill boxes with am am and pm section per day. It will definitely help with the routine and reordering. It rattles rather a lot when it’s full lol!
I will definitely follow your advice re the physical exercise . We have a young Labrador and she requires a lot of exercise so I’m really glad that forces me.
What you say about a second chance at like is so true and I’m beginning to see that.
l haven’t had a heart attack (Thank God) but l have unstable angina, l have a severe blockage in one of my arteries & l am having an Angioplasty on Thursday.
I would just like to recommend using the alarm(s) or reminders on your phone to ensure you remember to take your Meds at the right time.
You can always ask your Pharmacist for advice on when to take your Meds for optimal results.
I have Meds for other conditions that can work against each other so timing is important.
Good luck with the Angioplasty on Thursday MrsNails . It’s an amazing procedure and the the discomfort is minimal. I’m very grateful for how they found my issue and dealt with it. The follow ups in hospital with the heart scan to see if there is any heart damage, then the pharmacist seeing me personally to go through all the meds in detail and then meeting with the cardio aftercare support all before I was discharged were amazing. I cannot praise the NHS enough. Thanks for the tips you give and I well remember the advise and support you gave me on the PMRGRC forum a few years ago. Thank you.
Take it 1 day at a time Mikey! 👍But bet, that must have been a shock for you on Boxing Day ending up in hospital ❓ So glad you had the Angioplasty and the heart team looked after you! Yes they are amazing 💖
Sounds like my experience with Wolverhampton a couple of years ago. I wish I could say the post op care from Shrewsbury was as good but it was non existent.
I too had a similar experience in July and am an otherwise healthy 55 year old, spent a week in Papworth underwent two stentung procedures and drugs pretty similar to you. Today marks the day that I return to work. Would have gone back end of November but had that awful cold and cough that lasts an age. I did cardiac rehab and went to all the in-line classes they also offer. Was ver scary but hace now just turned it round to a positive that I was given a second chance. Good luck with your recovery.
Well done for finding this forum, my biggest early problem was becoming paranoid about every twinge in my chest. Joining this group & seeing what everyone else was doing & saying was so helpful.Joining the physical rehab sessions offered in Leeds has been amazing, meeting people in a similar situation has been so helpful. It's taken me ages to realise it's not a race, I can't force recovery that will happen at it's own pace. Be kind to yourself & give yourself as much time as you need.
I echo the tablet advice, the organiser makes it a quick & simple task.
Had my heart attack last Jan. Fit and well non smoker all my life. The advice in these replies is spot on. You worry about every twinge wondering if this is the big one. Over time that eases. That is the key. It takes time and trial and error.. the side effects from the medication and my mental health have been the biggest hurdles to overcome by far.
The cardiac rehab was a godsend as it allows you access to people who can help. Follow up from the hospital is non existent and trying to get to see a GP is still problematic even though you’ve had a major event. The rehab team become your advocates so talk to them about any concerns and they’ll help you.
It’s nearly a year on for me now and I’m still struggling mentally. Physically I’m doing well and exercising not far short of what I was doing previously. I’m unemployed and spent a lot of time on my own which isn’t good. Try and keep yourself occupied and be kind to yourself. It’ll take as long as it takes to recover.
2 years on from mine and was lucky - no real damage to heart caused - Anxious times but listen to your body, start to exercise and what I mean by that is a good walk after a couple of weeks and build it up slowly and all the time listening to your body as takes a while to regain the confidence that you’re not just about to keel over- Recommend a running machine if you have one - not to run on but a fast walk and this has helped me massively especially when it’s peeing down outside - after a while you step the speed and time up again listening to your body and you’ll soon start to regain confidence in yourself - very best of luck mate !!
Hi. My husband had a heart attack in April 2022 and had a stent fitted at Tunbridge Wells hospital. Wasn't particularly happy with his care there and developed angina a few weeks later and was given 5mg Amlodipine. All Ok now but has had to have Amlodipine increased to 7.5mg due to breakthrough angina. He now takes the Amlodipine first thing in the morning as the angina only ever came on during our morning walk with the dog. He is 72 and now takes 50mg Losartan once a day (originally 2.5mg Ramipril twice a day but changed due to cough), 2.5mg Bisoprolol twice a day, 75mg Aspirin once a day plus Tamsulosin and Lansoprazole and the Amlodipine. His HA was caused by high cholesterol and he can't tolerate statins so he injects Evolocumab (Repatha) 140mg once a fortnight. This has worked well and reduced his cholesterol from over 7 to 3 but it does have a lot of side effects like joint pain - shoulders, neck, back and he has a bad back already, It also makes him susceptible to upper respiratory infections which, as he also has COPD, he doesn't need and so has to be careful around crowds etc. Hope all goes well for you
Same here 5 years ago. Same bunch of tablets, worries and shock. My main problem was side effects of the tablets in fact over the next year every single one had to be changed. Beta blockers knocked me out completely, I didn't need the angina meds at all. I couldn't breathe on ticagrelor so it was changed to clopidogrel. My stomach protector was taken off the market so I had to find another. Once they were sorted out I was fine. I totally changed my diet and without intending to , lost a lot of weight. I barely think about it now. Within a few weeks you will be offered cardiac rehab. Do take it. It's by far the best thing you can do for your confidence. The most worrying thing for me was that I got two stents and was discharged- no follow up at all. Just my GP which seems to be the norm for a lot of people. I was told I had two more blockages of 64% which weren't bad enough to stent which has left me concerned that they could get worse. I've had to be proactive and push my GP t o arrange echo scans when I felt I was getting more breathless. Don't think of it as an event that's going to affect he rest of your life but as one that's given you a chance of more life. You've had a warning. Make any necessary changes and live life to the full.
sorry to hear of your HA but glad it’s been sorted..I had my HA Oct’22 and a stent put in my circumflex artery with good result.You will be invited to rehab classes in a couple of weeks and I strongly recommend you attend as meeting people who have experienced the same thing allows one to compare the various symptoms others have or still have.A pill tray is most helpful and I got one that divides day & night as you’ll no doubt have morning medication and evening to take.You’ll get times when you get chest twinges or dull aches but nothing like HA pain and this is quite normal on most instances but if HA suspected dial 999.Im 74 yrs and it’s been a while to get my brain to accept what’s happened and I have had many periods of depression/anxiety.Whilst the NHS is fantastic quite a lot of people get very limited follow up appointments with a cardiologist and my advice there is be forceful with your GP if any worrying issues arise.Lastly you like myself and others have had the plumbing fixed and with the medication and reasonable Excercise should enjoy many more years ahead,I wish you all the best xx
Thanks Avagra all good advice. On the plus side we have a young Labrador who requires a lot of exercise although even before this I was averaging 11000 steps a day so thought I was reasonably fit!
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