Paranoia??

[MistyPoo]

Good morning. I felt really good the first week back home after my HA and stents, but for the last few days I've felt a little tighter in the chest, like I can't breathe quite as freely or deeply. I've had a fluttering feeling on and off too. None of this is major but I'm just not experienced enough to know what is OK to ignore. Just looking for a little reassurance I suppose if that's not too needy.

[Lowerfield_no_more]

You have had an internal intervention as well as a HA so you have to give your body time to settle down and adjust. And the adjustment will vary from person to person since we are all different. If you are suffering excessively I suggest you contact the cardio unit who were responsible for you for advice, or you could try the BHF Heart Helpline.

[MistyPoo in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

Thank you for your reply. I'm not suffering at all, just more aware I suppose of what's going on.

So much of this recovery seems like it's going to be the mental adjustment as physically my heart should be in the best condition it's been in for years.

[BeKind28-]

Hello

For some of us when we have had a heart attack , stents , Bypasses or whatever else we become so aware of what we feel and wonder is this right and start to feel anxious

As said it is early days and your body has been through a lot and these feelings can be normal we just zoom in on them and concentrate on them more because it is normal to feel concerned

Give yourself time and if you want reassurance see your Doctor for peace of mind but know you are not the only one that has felt this way and with time you will gain your confidence as we can lose so much confidence after we have been through such a life changing event

Let us know how you get on x

[MistyPoo in reply to BeKind28-]

Thank you. I don't want to be defined by what's happened but am slightly obsessed with the different feelings I have. Very early days as you have both said and I need to let things settle. It really helps reading on here what people have been through and knowing that we're not alone or unusual in our thoughts and fears. Xx

[BeKind28- in reply to MistyPoo]

Hello

Yes things need to settle down and I agree it helps so much knowing you are not alone x

[EastchurchTwentyOne]

Good morning Misty! After my HAs and 2 stents I was hypervigilant and felt all sorts of twinges and any sharp pain or ache I felt sent me into spirals of despair and negativity. At my first face to face rehab appointment I sobbed, every time someone was nice to me I teared up. I was referred for CBT. I went to every rehab session in the gym and gradually came to accept that my life was now different. I was someone with a serious health condition and a cupboard full of drugs not the skinny fit person I thought I was! 20 months on from my last angioplasty I’m in a better place. I still have anxiety when I think about it but generally my life is back on an even keel. The thing that has been most difficult I think is being discharged from the rehab team to GP without any cardiac specialist follow up. So I can sometimes find my self worrying about what’s actually going on inside those arteries of mine! It will get better but it takes time. The emotional shock in some ways was worse than the physical, something I hadn’t expected. Warm wishes. Lorna

[Lovesunflower]

I was the same as you and the others above. Every twinge, breathing issue, flutters, dizziness noticed and worried about. Cardiac rehab nurses really helped as they monitor you when exercising and you get to know your limits. The confidence from that outweighed the fact I was being discharged back to GP. Also the counselling provided through cardiac rehab helped. Just take whatever you’re offered! Good luck. It does get better with time. It’s a lot to process and life changing. I think my biggest thing is people around me forget but that must be because I look OK, so I guess that’s a positive! 😀

[MistyPoo in reply to Lovesunflower]

Haha I know what you mean.. I feel like a fraud coz everyone says how well I look and that you wouldn't believe I'd had a HA. You really need to be able to speak to people who've experienced it don't you... I'm looking forward to the rehab but it's not till 12th, feels like a long time flying solo after such a mammoth event. Anyway, I'm at Hoar cross hall for the weekend so nothing stressful going on here today 😂😂

[Lovesunflower]

Yes it’s good to speak to people who have been through it. The delay before the cardiac rehab is deliberate I think but they told me to try and go for short walks in the meantime. I guess everyone’s different. Also BHF helpline is good as has been mentioned before. Have a lovely time at Hoar Cross Hall, looks amazing, just looked it up!😀

[Jedi14]

That's all normal reactions post procedures. As your body adjusts to the changes and meds you'll feel much better (will take weeks/months). You can help it along by taking part with cardiac rehab programs. They'll tell you to do 10 walks daily for starters.

[Shabana1974]

Hi I have not had a heart attack my my severe Heart Failure is as if I had a Heart Attack. When I was first diagnosed 15th September 2023. I became hyper aware. I thought my world had just ended, I was in tears all the time. Symptoms I had never noticed before diagnosed where their full and strong felt at times like an elephant was sat on my chest.

I bought a very good finger probe and blood pressure monitor I use to check when I didn't feel great just gave reassurance that nothing was going on every single day. Now I rarely check. You have a lot happen in a very short space of time. You mind needs to to recover also. I promise it does get easier I am nearly 10 months on from diagnosis when I in the beginning thought my life had ended to actually this is ok I got this!

Best Wishes

Shabana

[MistyPoo in reply to Shabana1974]

It is a huge shock isn't it.... I know in my head I shouldn't worry but then the little mind monkey says... ahhh but you didn't worry before and look where that got you 😂

Hey, when it's our time it's our time. We've all just been lucky to have a gratitude reminder maybe 🙏

[Shabana1974 in reply to MistyPoo]

Yes those little mind rascals do replays. But eventually we overcome them. I took it as a reminder to start looking after myself. Because before as my hubby's full time carer since june 2021 after a catastrophic stroke. Me was on the back burner

[Heartbeat71]

I've had the same HA and 3 stents 10 months ago, I still have heart flutters the occasional angina, apparently it's normal for up to a year.

[Qualipop]

Are you taking ticagrelor? It made me feel as though I couldn't take a deep breath. IT got so frequent I just couldn't tolerate it and begged my GP to change it to clopidogrel . I was breathing fine, my sats were good. It just felt as if I couldn't take a deep breath. no such problems with clopidogrel. It's normal to worry about even mild symptoms. Have you started rehab yet? It's usually started after about 3 weeks. If you haven't heard anything phone the hospital switchboard and ask to speak to cardiac rehab. They will be a tremendous help.

[MistyPoo in reply to Qualipop]

Prasugrel, atorvastatin and bisoprolol... that's exactly how I feel, can't seem to take a full breath sometimes. Also get a bit out of breath just lying in bed... doesn't last long but feels weird. I have rehab on 12th and medication review with doctor this Wednesday. Will talk to him then. Did everyone just have 4 weeks off or did you take longer??

[Qualipop in reply to MistyPoo]

I'm retired but it took much longer than 4 weeks. It all depends how much damage was caused; everyone's different

Write down all your questions for your gP. Mine "translated" my discharge letter for me and explained exactly what they'd found and where.I had two stents but minimal heart damage but they found two more blockages so I had to go back for another angiogram a month later to see just how bad they were. I was having so many problems with the ticagrelor and my gp wouldn't change it until I'd seen c ardiology again that I Just stopped it. I had no idea what it was for. I just knew I couldn't take it. When I went for the second angiogram the cardiologist was absolutely furious. He couldn't do the angio without it so he had to give me a big dose of clopidogrel before he could start but he did admit that for some people that "Can't get a breath" feeling was unbearable.

How you recover and get back to normal will depend on how bad your HA was, how much damage it caused and how you respond to the tablets. If anything really worries you try p honing the nurses on the main BHF Page. They are lovely.

[Sanmo]

Hi, just after my CA I too thought that every twinge or strange sensation was another HA, I went to A&E on 3 occasions, on one really bad night an ambulance was sent by NHS 24 after speaking to the on-call doctor, not one of them was a heart event. I was embarrassed and apologised profusely to the A&E doctors, their reply was "If you feel you need to visit us, then 100% visit us, we'll make the decision if you're having an event, don't make that decision yourself. If you're not having one, that's a win/win situation all round". So I would suggest just that and let the doctors decide. You can also phone NHS 111 and speak to medical staff.

PS I had a warning 30 minutes before my HA and I tried to explain it away to myself, almost a fatal error as I went into CA.

Also, the paranoia does subside, I still have little moments but few and far between 15 months on.

[MistyPoo in reply to Sanmo]

Blimey.... scary. I wouldn't have phoned 999, my son did. Otherwise I would have gone into CA... thank you for sharing xx

[Xhouse]

Hi, did they put you on any medication after the stent? I was put on ticagrelor for 6 months and it caused those very symptoms, the cardiologist even informing me that this was what was causing it. I stuck it out for about 3 months and then got them to change to a different med with the exact same benefits but without the side effects. One day I even took an old ticagrelor by mistake and the symptoms returned with a vengeance but were gone again the next day when I took the correct pill that I was then on. This can be a common side effect for some on ticagrelor.

[MistyPoo]

So, that'll teach me to keep my mouth shut.

Mentioned the 'feelings' I've been experiencing during my medication review and doctor sent me to cardiology at the hospital who have kept me in overnight. I'm sure they're just being cautious but OMG it's soooooo HOT in here!!!!