Dh had a heart attack

[Howmanysleepsnow]

Hes ok. He’s in hospital. He’s only 56. Can someone tell me it’ll be okay please?

He’s okay. It will be okay. A close family member of mine has a heart attack 4 years ago, scary time but she was fine and out of hospital within 3 days. She had a stent fitted. She’s absolutely fine now. Has regular check ups and is fit as a fiddle.

I'm so sorry to hear this - he's in the best place and receiving excellent care. Try not to worry, you'll get through this. x

It will be ok.
it’s a frightening thing, I know.
I’m 38, I had a heart attack at the beginning of August this year out of the blue. I’m on medication , have check ups etc.
I'm ok and slowly getting back to doing
things that i did before the heart attack :)

I do believe that having survived it, he’ll be ok
maybe need stenting , probably needs ongoing meds and possibly life style changes
thinking of you.

especially as my husband’s last cholesterol result was 12
YES TWELVE

@Howmanysleepsnow

If he survived the heart attack he has a really good chance of recovery, he's in the best place now and they will do everything they can for him.

On 23rd of Dec last year my fit, healthy DH had an unexpected heart attack, which had stopped by the time the ambulance arrived. He was in hospital for 4 days, had 3 stents and is now back up to full fitness.

12 weeks ago I had a massive STEMI heart attack (the worst kind apparantly), was blue lighted to a heart unit an hour away and very nearly didn't make it. I had 1 stent immediately I arrived and was home 5 days later. I am healthier than I was prior to the attack and almost fully mended.

The care we both received from the nhs was outstanding.

Obviously these are both best case scenarios but it appears that these are very common with today's medicine and technology. Please try not to worry too much. The aftercare is excellent too and the cardiac team will support you well xx

My DH had one when he was 54. They fitted a stent and he has been fine. They did lots of tests and he has an inherited medical condition. He will be on medication for life.

My dad had one 2 year ago when he was 58
Airlifted to hospital he was in for nearly two weeks and had 3 stents I honestly though he wasn't coming home.
Previously he's had cancer and he's diabetic which they found out while he was in hospital.

He's fine now and fit as a fiddle but he was easily exhausted for about 2 months after maybe longer and couldn't do normal daily things without taking a long rest after, took lots of naps.
He had to work his strength back up slowly but he's doing really well now.

If he's in hospital he's got a good chance I think. There are medicines that they will give him to thin the blood and they work very quickly. Wishing you both all the best xx

Thank you all

I graduated as a doctor in 1986. In those days you had a heart attack, went to CCU if you were under 65 and after 7 days went home. If you'd had a big one often a lot of heart muscle was damaged and I vividly recall these patients coming back in several times with heart failure so bad sometimes they'd be foaming at the mouth before we got things under control they'd then be very disabled with a failing heart.

Then came the clot busters just before I moved into general practice and they changed the whole outcome for people and now the paramedics can do ECGs send them to the cardiac team and have these patients who have these big STEMIs on the operating table having their stents within an hour depends on location obviously
Acute heart failure is much less common and they go on to lead a good life.

I had a patient who had an out of hospital arrest and did very well. He had a huge blockage in a main artery which they fixed and the residual heart damage was minimal. Poor chap was terrified to do anything ... understandably!

I spent a lot of time over several visits explaining how he was in much better shape than he had been before as his arteries now looked nearly normal with no blockages so his risk of something happening was minimal.

OP sorry that was a ramble but more to show how treatment has changed and now you know what your coronary arteries look like you will have every chance of keeping things under control and being even more healthy than you were. Hope you get well soon.

I had a heart attack this year. Into hospital ... stent fitted to right coronary artery ... back home. I am on lots of meds to stop the stent blocking and to treat my other problem ... atrial fibrillation.
The advent of stents has transformed cardiac treatments. They are performed while awake ... they run a tiny catheter up through an artery, in my case in the wrist. It truly is a miracle and thousands of people, many of whom would once have died are wandering about fit and well.
I hope they will sort your OH out speedily and he will soon be home.

I had a heart attack 4 weeks ago. He'll be seen/contacted by the cardio rehab team who will talk him through any lifestyle changes he needs to make and give him an exercise program. He'll be taking a lot of medication (I' on 8 different tablets a day), but some of those will eventually be stopped after a year. He may have good days and bad days for a couple of weeks whilst he processes what has happened, but he will be ok, it may just take a bit of time until he gets back to normal.

I think it’s important to consider psychological recovery too. Although completely recovered physically, back to normal etc it can take a while to become accustomed to the fact that you’ve had a heart attack, it’s a big shock to the system and a point when you start to question your own mortality. I had some cardiac issues with long covid, am now on 2 cardiac meds due to damage from the disease, let’s just say it really makes you think ! Your hubby may be more emotional, tearful, etc in other words.
Just to add, I work in crit care and agree that the advances in cardiac medicine are amazing, many patients survive now and live full and active lives.

I had a heart attack 2 weeks ago. I'm ok, i was home after 2 nights in hospital with lots of meds and going for angiogram next week.
I don't know why but I had a feeling of being embarrassed by it. It was weird.
I couldn't stomach food for the first few days and I'm still, I think kind of scared, of food and I have been drinking nothing but water since. I always drank zero sugar fizzy drinks.

I think I will relax a bit once I've had the angiogram and started cardiac rehab which is in 2 weeks.

Hope your dh is doing well.

He's in the right place and sounds like he's getting the care he needs. Everything will be fine - he just needs to do what he's told!

My best friend had a heart attack at 38 (courtesy of a birth defect she didn't even know she had) and almost a decade on she's absolutely fine: very fit, very active, far healthier than most people her age.

As you say, 56 is pretty young - and that makes recovery easier.

One of my brothers had a massive heart attack ironically on his way home from the hospital, having just undertaken various tests re his heart. Luckily it happened right next to a defib point and there was an off duty doctor who took charge and knew what to do. He was blue lighted to a bigger heart specialist hospital where they fitted a stent and he was out 2 days later, feeling better than he had done for years.

So the fact they've got him to hospital = most likely he'll have a much longer life than he might have otherwise.

My 98 year old grandmother, with some minor but long term pre-existing conditions had a heart attack at home, was in hospital for a week getting a stent fitted and then back home hoovering! She's nearly 101 and hasn't had a problem since.

Your DH has very very good chances. He's a good age, and is being treated. That's the best situation to be in in these circumstances.

Wishing you both the best x

@DazedAndConfused321 wow- what a woman!!

I had a heart attack 7 years ago at 53. I did not have a stent as my blood vessel involved was too small. So mine is managed by medication. Took a while to balance staying alive with feeling alive, but got there in the end.
What I found the best help was the cardiac rehab. Ours was a group of 8, everyone went to all of the sessions.

It really, really helped me get over the "is it OK?"
... if I get hiccups?
...to have sex? Orgasm?
... if I have flu? Covid?
Mentally and physically it really helped.

My marathon-running, super-fit friend had a heart attack in his late 40s. He didn't know about it until about a week later when he had mild chest pains (had none at the time of the actual attack) and a scan revealed that he had recently had the attack. If he hadn't gone to the hospital when he did, the outcome might not have been as good.

He is back running marathons again, about 3 years or so later.

Hugs op 💐 he'll be ok.

My dad had a heart attack over a decade ago I'm his mid 50's, a big one. After he was out of danger, the nurses told us they call the kind of heart attack he had "a widowmaker".

He's completely fine today - as we speak he's out dicking about working on his ATV, fit as a fiddle.

It’s good to know we aren’t alone. It means so much to read your stories. He’s not taking much in, and seems very forgetful- I’m assuming stress and lack of sleep?
he’s going to transfer to another hospital soon for angiogram and possibly stents. Does anyone know about timescales for recovery? He’s had 3 NSTEMIs now (could be worse I suppose?)

@Howmanysleepsnow my DH had 12 weeks off work. He then went back to his physical job. He was quite sleepy at first but could go on long walks after about 6 weeks.

My mother had more than one heart attack and lived till she was 94. She did make some changes to her lifestyle though the initial one was probably caused by terrible amounts of stress as her husband my stepfather and her Mum died within a few weeks of each other, both unexpectedly.

All the best to you and your family.

People are normally fit to go home the same day after having stents fitted. I had to stay in a few more days as I also have atrial fibrillation.

He will be on an assortment of drugs afterwards to keep the stent flowing freely and avoiding clots. Some of these stop after a few months, but others will be permanent.

Most people just have a couple of weeks off work, unless they are in a very physical job. And they will be offered cardiac rehab.