One week post heart attack

[MistyPoo]

Well, that was a shock. Out of the blue and absolutely no idea I was at risk. How.do you not worry about every little feeling and ensure you don't let your heart attack define you??

[BeKind28-]

Hello

Sorry to hear about your heart attack and for so many of us it comes as a shock when we have one and takes some time to process

Feeling physically well after for lots of people can be the easy bit but the mental side of it can be a lot harder like you say not worrying about every little pain etc you feel this is normal for so many of us

Sometimes it can be reasoning with your thoughts that you are now no doubt on medications helping to protect your heart you have no doubt had tests done and they have found that medications are what you need to help prevent this happening again I presume you did not have a stent ?

You should be invited eventually to Rehab classes which will really benefit you

Any lifestyle changes that you might have not been doing like exercise starting simple with small walks looking at your diet all will go a long way in preventing this ever happening again

It sometimes is not easy but you are still you and so many who have heart attacks go on to live a better life than they did before

Others will come along and share with you to and knowing you are not alone really does help it is early days so give yourself time and be kind to yourself

Let us know how you get on x

[MistyPoo in reply to BeKind28-]

What a lovely reply, thank you. I do believe it will be so important to be able to share experiences and concerns as well as hopefully some positives. I had three stents fitted and a balloon and was almost set for a triple bypass. Luckily they managed without such invasive treatment. It is early days and I look forward to coming to terms with it and moving forward even stronger xx

[BeKind28- in reply to MistyPoo]

Hello

I had to have a triple Bypass even though I was hoping I would have to have stents if anything at all so I am glad they managed to give you stents and a balloon as yes it does save major surgery even though the surgery is not as frightening as our minds can believe it will be

So on a plus they have got the arteries now with blood flowing nicely around them as well as medications so before you even knew there was anything wrong with your heart you are now in a better place than you were

It is not easy I still worry a lot but I was a worrier before so there is no surprise I would worry but for most they do move on and I believe you will to as I said give yourself time and if you are struggling talk with your Doctor to

Also BHF have some really experienced Nurses that if ever you felt you wanted to talk to lots have found them so helpful I will put their number on for you if you ever feel you want to talk to them x

Heart Helpline team on 0300 330 3311 Mon-Fri 9-5pm

[Hidden]

Hello there

Heart attacks, who needs them hey?

Firstly hope you doing OK, it's not great Joining this club, but it's a club full of nice people.

It comes as a shock, especially if you never had any symptoms prior or led a relatively healthy lifestyle, but now that your here there's a few things I learnt along the way ;

Rest, take it easy for a few weeks, absorb what's happened, get informed about your condition but don't let it scare you. The doctors saw you and fixed you, now it's up to you to recover.

Get used to the medicines routine and some can cause side effects so note down any odd feelings and discuss with your doctor.

Read the booklets and leaflets you were given on discharge there's useful information on GTN spray and when to use it and more importantly how to get back on your feet.

Please take up cardio rehabilitation when you get offered it ( usually in 4 to 6 weeks) it is so important.

And finally, having a heart attack and surviving it isn't the end of life as you know it. It may seem that way now or even in the few weeks or months to come but believe me, their is a bright light at the end of the recovery period.

I wish you well.

[MistyPoo in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Baly_2023. I think that's key... they fixed me! I should actually be a better version of myself providing I sort out my head properly. Very early days, defo going to the rehab offered and will be putting thought in to what life could hold for me now... time to reassess...

[Hidden in reply to MistyPoo]

yes it's very early days, so get your head around it and slowly at your pace accept it and think about each day at a time.

The mental journey can be difficult but you have two choices get stuck in a cycle of doubt and worry or move forwards, embrace the good days and accept the days when things don't go so we'll, but always keeping your eye on recovery and the future

[MistyPoo in reply to Hidden]

Can I ask what a 'not so good day' can look like?

[Hidden in reply to MistyPoo]

yes, off course,

this is from my experience and the things I classed as bad days so not at all representative of everyone.

sometimes the medicines get the better of you ( an inconvenience for most) but you can ask the GP to change brands etc which does help. I just stuck with it and adjusted my head.

you get a chest pain, twinges in the chest area , its more then likely not be heart related but your brain goes on overdrive and you worry, get anxious, this makes it worse. But you learn to ignore what is skeletal and muscular and pay attention to what could be heart related and act accordingly. By the way after a stent you will get pains and soreness in the chest but it goes away after a month.

Impatience, you want to be back out there, doing the things you love but your recovery won't yet allow it, and you sit there feeling sorry for yourself .

Regret, silly thoughts of was it my fault, could I have prevented it. Well the answer can be yes or no, but it doesn't matter now, so deal with the now and make the future better.

Self confidence loss, but it soon bounces back.

As you can see there's a mix of mental and physical in my list , they are intertwined and now 7 months on, would i say I'm 100% free of the odd worry? certainly not, but whilst in the early days ,worrying ,feeling low took up a lot of my time, now they are just fleeting thoughts.

not sure if that helped and hopefully someone else will add their thoughts.