My husband had a heart attack last wed... - Cholesterol Support
My husband had a heart attack last wednesday hopefully he will be out of hospital Mon or Tues, what help will he need he is only 54.
Hi flower100,
It may depend on the severity of the attack and any other conditions that he may have. I was 52 in August when I had my heart attack. Although I live alone all that I needed was understanding and support as I made the necessary lifestyle changes i.e. stopping smoking, taking up exercising regularly and changing my diet. What I hated was when people treated me like an invalid!
Also it's important to be aware that depression can set in for those who experience a heart attack in the 50's, for some it may be the first time that they've been brought face to face with their own mortality and that can be a very frightening experience.
If he does get depressed once home from hospital, it's not unusual and help is available. For me, starting to exercise as soon as I was able (after 1 week, starting slowly i.e. just 10 mins at first building up to 40 mins of brisk walking over a few weeks) really did and still does help my mood.
A heart attack is not the end of the world though it can feel like it initially, it does however require lifestyle changes to ensure the best recovery. I'd suggest getting him to see his GP within a week of discharge from the hospital so that they're fully aware of his condition i.e. by talking with him rather than just relying on notes from the hospital.
Also take time to take care of yourself, you've also had an awful shock!
Thanks for the reply hugh_m yes it came as a huge shock as he has never been in hospital before, never been ill before really. He has had a bad attack and permanent damage to his heart, we have been told that the rest of his heart will eventually compensate for that, he has 2 narrowings in one of his arteries they were going to put a stent in but changed there mind during the procedure as the drugs had cleared he blockage, he is going to have a mri scan at a later date to asses the damage and he might have to go back in for stents, it is reassuring that your ok and live by yourself as I will have to return to work.
It depends on what treatment he has had but if he takes notice of the hospital advice he won't go far wrong. He will probably have to attend a six week course where they will go through all the different things they want to know in one half day per week. He will be feeling a bit afraid although he won't say so and being with him and ensuring he has a healthy diet will be the biggest part you can play. My husband had one 14 months ago and is still suffering post traumatic stress but everyone is different. Some people go back to work quite quickly and carry on perfectly normally.
I had a heart attack nearly 7 years ago, so I have a pretty good idea how it feels. I was 55 at the time and thought I was too young. My doctor knew something was likely to happen as heart conditions run in my family. I could hardly walk when I left hospital after a week. I was very weak and got tired very easily. It took around a year to get over it, apart from occasional twinges of angina. I spent whole afternoons asleep. I went to rehab, at the advice of the cardiologist at the hospital where I was taken after I had my heart attack. But it took TIME to get back to any sort of normality. Most of my problems seemed to be due to side-effects of my medication, such as statins, which cause muscle-cramps, which can be easily managed with the right sort of statins, as I was on a whole range of different statins, including Simvastatin and eventually ended up on Pravastatin. The cramps can be reduced by taking mint capsules and drinking fizazy drinks such as Lucozade, which was advised I take by a consultant at hospital. My experiences of my heart attack (amongst other topics) can be found on my blog which is at bosworth99.blogspot.com, and are mostly on the earlier posts if you wish to read it.
