I was reading a post from 2yrs ago that could relate to on this subject. I am/was a super active 40s male. Surfer, mountain biker, hill walker etc. at 46, 2yrs ago I narrowly survived a heart attack that put me into cardiac arrest as I reached the hospital. I had a main artery blocked and needed a stent. The 10 days prior I must have around 30 minor heart attacks but this was misdiagnosed as acid reflux. As many have said I was actually fine for around 6 months and made good recovery, was signed off from the cardiologist 12 months later. But 2 years in there have been the return visits to A&E, huge anxiety crashes, trust issues around diagnosis, it feels like I am always on a tightrope not trusting my health, fear of suddenly dying and seem to have endless twinges, pins and needles in hands, wrists aches around the chest but always told I am in good health....why is that so hard to believe. If anything its getting worse, especially when I try and attempt the active pursuits I used to. If I go surfing I feel anxious in the water, don't like going alone, exhausted after and worry I have done myself more damage through physical stress. Does anyone else have a similar story or coping mechanisms? The thought of not surfing or doing other sports depresses me. I also wonder if the meds fuel these symptoms with their side effects? It's quite a journey!
On going anxiety, trauma after heart ... - British Heart Fou...
On going anxiety, trauma after heart attack in active 40s
please read the replies to the post “struggling with heart surgery” about one day ago - you’ll see you are not alone.
Thanks, I feel for Ruf56 in that post but I'd say I am dealing more with health anxiety and confidence. But yes, unchecked these can defiantly lead to feeling depressed. I am apparently at the top of the list for CBT with the nhs. Hopefully this will help.
I was diagnosed with moderate mitral valve regurgitation at around 40, and then Major Depressive Disorder at around 50. I finally progressed to severe regurgitation & LVH at 60 and had OHS.
I've always assumed the depression had nothing to do with the heart issues. (Both run in my family.) But I guess I don't really know that.
In any case, I found CBT quite helpful. I'm also on antidepressants, which were a game-changer for me. My dad, on the other hand, had a troubled relationship with conventional wisdom and got on better with tai chi and acupuncture.
I’m much older than you, a HA at 60 and one stent later. I absolutely relate to the fear of I’m going to die to the absolute need to live life at 100 miles an hour!
I also had many warning signs and on reflection had a few incidents which should have resulted in an A&E visit, but I thought it was just reflux.
Post HA I drove my husband crazy with my need to do and go everywhere, holidays, experiences, concerts, restaurants, the list never ending, all the things I NEEDED to do before I die, which I believed would be imminent.
I then flicked to the depths of self sabotage, drinking and eating rubbish, self loathing and feeling like a burden. I wanted to die to end the uncertainty.
3 years on I have found a balance, mentally I have found the HA harder than the physical impact.
I now take reassurance from the fact I swim 3 times a week, 2 gym sessions and walk at least 12k steps every day with my dog and nothing BAD has happened. I am now grateful I can do these things and engage with others in these activities, which I think really helps. Having a partner who supports me I find gives me confidence. I have now calmed my need to satisfy my urgency to do everything now, and plan events and look forward to them in the future.
I would suggest you look at what surfing or other activities gives you from a positive view- freedom, vibrancy, fitness, being in nature, physical tiredness in a good way. It’s about mentally switching the negative to the positive the physical body will follow.
Accepting that you will never be the “old you” is hard in your head, but you can be just as “good” in a different way, in fact better.
CBT can help, as it recognises reinforcement of positive thoughts. A life coach can also help.
If someone had told me this would be my story before my HA I would not have believed them. I am now physically fitter and have mentally adjusted to the nightmares and the depths of despair my mind would take me.
You are young and stronger than you think, take support from others, listen to your body in a positive way, we all get tweeks, aches and twinges which is normal, we are just more sensitive to our bodies and how they react.
I wish you a positive onwards journey. 😌 You are not alone in feeling this way, this roller coaster ride is one of fear and or exhilaration depending on your outlook 😁.
Lovely post enjoyed reading it. Thank you
Thank you for posting this positive message, really reassuring advice that ressonates with my current situation.
my HA and cardiac arrest mirrors yours. I’d been to the gym with my personal trainer that morning. I’m left with heart muscle damage my EF was 40% improved to 46%. The defib at the time of the arrest left me in AFib so 3 months later I had a cardio version. Now have bits of paf, SVT, and also nsvt.
I lost my confidence. I went from being an assertive organiser to needing my daughter to phone for me with the gp and I couldn’t deal with things. I wasn’t worried at all about my health or dying as had a very nice near death experience during the arrest. I worked in the nhs managed a labour ward and at times the unit.
So I definitely understand where you’re coming from.
After having a bad anxiety attack which I’d not had before and it was awful I went for counselling about 12 months after my HA and it really was helping. I was gradually increasing my exercise but different than before.
I started wearing an Apple Watch which didn’t help with the anxiety. I still wear it and love it now but not at night and I don’t get obsessed with it. I remind myself my body is cleaver and try and listen to that instead.
My arrhythmias were misbehaving and the anxiety was making them worse. I discussed this with my EP as anxiety is an awful feeling and I wanted to be able to enjoy my life especially after being so close to losing it. We decided on a low treatment dose of sertraline. This helps me to keep the anxiety manageable. I can increase it if I need to but I want to keep it at the lowest level possible. Yes I still get the anxiety but it allows me to see it for what it is and use the coping mechanisms the counselling showed me. Anxiety can stop you being able to Rationalise.
Things that help me.
Walking in the outdoors
Admitting to myself that I have anxiety
Accepting life’s a bitch and then we die 😂 were all the same it will happen to us all at some point we can juggle with it but not stop it
Talking about my anxiety and recognising it is anxiety and not other things.
Counselling and the mechanisms it’s taught me
Sertraline for me has its place
Accepting my health issues and working at having a life living with them
Swimming. Challenging myself and over 3 years I’ve gradually increased from being in the slow lane to the middle lane and 3 miles a week.
I no longer work because of the HA and resulting issues. How lucky am I!!! Having this time to go on holidays be with family and friends.
I’m sure there’s more. Anxiety still strikes and at times I manage it better than others but at present it’s manageable. Sorry for the long waffle and I hope you find something that works for you were lucky. Were still here and I was determined to enjoy the time I have. If you haven’t had counselling try it. But if 1 counsellor isn’t right for you find one that is. I wish you well.
It seems that your anxiety is caused by not knowing the state of your coronary arteries with respect of blockages. You had a cardiac artery calcium scan or angiogram two years ago which identified the need for a stent.
At that stage, the cardiologist would have all the information regarding your other coronary arteries with respect to any narrowing, and would have sent a report to your GP
You need to discuss these findings with your GP as they will show you the way forward.
It is unlikely that you have significant other arterial narrowing as the cardiologist would have mentioned it and stented those narrowing as well if they were significant, but this knowledge is important and can help you feel more confident regarding you heart.
You don't mention whether your are taking statins, but if you are, these drugs stop sudden and unexpected heart attacks by preventing the arterial plaque form rupturing.
Accurate knowledge is a powerful antedote to believing the worst case scenarios thoughts that our alarm system automatically generates when imagining a threat which may not exist except within our imagination.
Good Morning Wilderspace 76
I really relate to your post. Although I am older my heart disease began when I was younger - I also relate to the physical fitness and how could this happen? You were also misdiagnosed which is traumatic in itself - let alone the Heart attack and cardiac arrest you suffered.
In my own story my CVD was caused by inherited poor cholesterol profile with very low HDL and resulting High LDL. if this is diagnosed then other family members are screened. I think knowing this helps understand and subsequently to come to terms with this devastating illness. If you have a poor cholesterol profile has affected you then there are researchers who have spent their lives creating dietary and lifestyle changes to improve this condition. One is Dean Ornish and another dresselstyn.com/site/. These are important people to read and discover. In the US people have high LDL cholesterol because of their diet and obesity is a huge issue. But the research is valuable to fit people who have familial high cholesterol.
Another thought is that you survived...........My son is your age his very close friend had a HA at home a few weeks ago and did not. He left 2 very young children. My son has also inherited the poor cholesterol profile which we discovered when I became ill he changed his diet and has been on yearly checks with a cardiologist.
You survived and you need to get past the post traumatic affects, did you do the cardio rehab course? I would recommend this aspect of recovery and if you did not do this at the time you can do it now. It helps get your confidence over the physical and mental recovery. You are young and many participants would be older than you for sure but the knowledge and experience of the specialist physiologists and psychologists would help enormously.
It can also help to complain to the doctors who misdiagnosed you or at least make them aware of what happened. I am concerned your cardiologist signed you off - that sounds odd. You should be monitored regularly especially as you will be on medications. Definitely - get all the symptoms you experience checked to feel more in control of the your health. Keep complaining if you are a NHS patient - he who shouts loudest.
Also I have a friend whose father was your age when he had a heart attack which he survived and lived for the next 50 years!
Meanwhile I am feeling very like you describe and I'm 4 months post HA number 2. I am half way through the Cardiac psychotherapy which is brilliant.
You are young and you can improve things as can I. You've been dealt a bad deal but you will get past this.
Kindest Wishes,
Michele
I too have inherited low HDL and high-ish LDL, which I only learned after a HA! But as you say, at least you know...by the way, we had our children tested for Lipoprotein (a), which is the genetic marker that my brother and I share (my father, although he is long deceased, had many heart issues). My son had normal levels but my daughter's was high, and even at age 16 her LDL is on the high end on a typical teenage diet.
Sounds like you have a very active & rewarding life. I'm not a sporty man but hate the idea of giving up motorcycle riding. I hope you find a way through this and the reenjoyment of life yor need and want.
Yup. Had my heart attack and double bypass at 43. I wasn’t active but crushed my confidence. 10 years later still have some anxiety but took at least 5 years and lots of cardio rehab gym sessions to get the confidence back. It took a bashing since Covid because the training fell away but controlled exercise with a peer group that is 20 years my senior has genuinely helped. Good rehab and an active peer group helps. Remember after cardiac you are never quite the person you were. It is a humbling experience. There is something about the meds that is an issue also... The Epsom Cardiac Podcast 😇
I have the same feelings; had HA and CA at age 52, surfer, cyclist, hiker etc. Always active and healthy -- except, apparently for my arteries! -- no warning signs, either. Now have 4 stents and the usual meds.
I struggled with what I think was PTSD; I had 3 really bad anxiety attacks that landed me in A&E, but I was certain I was having another heart attack. One of them was when I was about to board a plane and I just couldn't get on it! And I was not somebody who ever had any mental health issues before. I think it's just a natural human response to trauma.
It's gotten better with therapy, especially in the last year (HA was 3 years ago), but I still have to remember to calm my mind when I start feeling anxious -- usually triggered by various aches, pains, twinges that, my cardiologist assures me, are NOT cardiac related.
I don't know if you've been able to return to surfing etc, but I do find that once I get out the door and exercise, it's a great distraction, even if I can't do sport at 110% anymore, I'm still grateful that I'm alive and able to enjoy nature etc...
Good morning Wilderspace76, firstly wishing you a lovely weekend full of fresh air and freedom.
I empathise wholeheartedly with your post. In my thirties I suffered what I now know to be a TIA, twelve years on I suffered another but both were palmed off and misdiagnosed. Even though I was unable to walk properly I was told it was the start of hemiplegic migraine. I spent ten years on medication for a condition I didn’t have.
I knew I had had a stroke something inside told me so. My body was different as was/is my memory. No one listened to me, I was repeated told that I was too fit, long distance runner, too young (utter rubbish) and at the second event of paralysis I was told not to go back to the ER because migraines pass and I was wasting their time.
I was afraid to run again and didn’t. I trained as a yoga teacher and Life Coach to gain a hold of my own situation but also to help motivate other people.
As it transpires, a recent diagnosis of a large hole in my heart confirms both episodes as TIA’s and I am due for surgery in a few weeks.
I feel quite sad about how I have been treated, it is what it is, but equally relieved to know that I was right to trust my instincts. I listened to my body, I knew that it required careful management and that long distance running was no longer an option. I’m grateful I did that.
I’m grateful for nature, I love being outdoors, walking my dogs, practicing yoga, enjoying the garden.
I am quite nervous about the surgery to repair the PFO but equally feel it may be the start of a new journey whereby I can feel more secure, safe in the knowledge that I’ve been fixed.
I understand all too well your anxieties and hope that you are able to find strength and comfort listening to your body as you return to the sports you love.
Wishing you all the very best ☀️
Good luck with your surgery Peony14!
Thank you PadThai Noodles, I am very grateful. I know it's very straightforward but nonetheless feelings of trepidation creep in. Thank you 🙏
I started getting chest pains this year and ended up with a stent in my LAD in august, so narrowly avoided a heart attack. Like you I was very active (cycling, ski-ing, gym) all my life and am now trying to get back on it. And yes, mortality has been foremost in my mind with some anxiety and wanting to do stuff now (I have just turned 60). However, I have taken encouragement from the example of my Dad who got angina at 50, a heart attack and stent at 68, a valve replacement at 82, and is now 93. He never smoked or drank and was a lifelong athlete so it came as a shock. He wasn't able to exercise to the level.he had previously because he was on beta blockers so he adjusted his outlook but still went ski-ing and mountain biking within the limits of what he could do right up until 80 or so. I'm sure that he had anxiety and depression when first diagnosed but never transmitted that to his children. I can say the same story about my father in law who has a pacemaker, several stents, a colostomy etc but still drives and enjoys lunch with rd wine and he's 95!
Thank you for all those replies, I was reluctant to join discussions and felt like I didn't want bring it up again (but its on my mind all the time!) but to be honest, to hear your stories, support and suggestions has been really helpful. Picking up a point, I am having annual checks at the health centre, am on high statin dose, aspirin, blockers and high blood pressure tablets. I grabbed the reigns, took a day off yesterday, talked to a therapist, started this chat and went surfing today. It was great 
That's great to hear. Lovely photo, thank you for sharing with us all. 🏄♂️ Really great.
Hi Wilderspace76, Yeh there is a lot of people with similar stories. I've had Chronic Pericarditis for 15 years and MI's reported on ECG's and I cannot get any care. I was the same...Surfin' lots of sports and travel. I haven't been able to get my Herat Rate up with exercise for over a decade. When it does its not the case of oh that's a bit tiring, its more of a case of that's super painful and my life in in danger Stop. Exhaustion is Brutal as you know and will put you down. You will go through a Grieving process as the person you where is gone. This is real and also if you love life and lived it, the Psychological aspect of this is massive having it all taken away. Take it slowly and be kind to yourself. Eat well and rest well and work out what you can do and try and start again. I collapsed at yoga and haven't been back since that is nearly 2 years ago. There is a lot of this going on in the NHS, its madness... I get Arrhythmia's, have Hyper Inflated Lungs and have no help. When you are laid up and quiet try and read up on some bits so you are aware of the possibilities. I still dream of getting back in the water but whether that will happen who knows. Good Luck on your mission. Its a tough gig... All the Best.
Working out my Maximum Heart Rate after a heart attack
low heart rate and medications after heart attack 
Fatigue after 5 stents and heart attack
Health Anxiety after heart attack 
