Anyone knowledgeable about heart attacks?

[GoblersKnob]

Fil has had a heart attack, it seems to have been mild, but they are keeping him in hospital for the time being.

Can anyone give us any idea what we can expect in the coming days, weeks? They live hundreds of miles away and his partner is obviously (and quite rightly) far more concerned with looking after him than passing on information so we feel a bit out of the loop and don't want to pester.

Don't want to google as I know we will just alarm ourselves, any information would be great.

My dad had a heart attack and spent about a week in hospital. He was given medicine (to thin the blood I think) and once it was stable he was sent home. Then a few months later he got an appointment to have a ... stent I think it's called ... fitted. This was done under sedation and he came home the next day. That was 10 years ago and he's had no problems with his heart since.

My DH had a heart attack a few years ago. He was rushed to hospital in Central London (where he worked) and operated on and a stent fitted (little mesh tube to hold the artery open so blood can flow properly). He was kept in and monitored for a few days then allowed home with instructions to rest, diet suggestions etc and his care was transferred to our local hospital who had an excellent cardio rehab programme. He was off work for a couple of months but only because he had a long commute - if he had worked locally I think he would have gone back sooner.

Obviously each case is different (and my DH was quite young and in reasonable health otherwise) but my experience is that a heart attack does not always turn out to be quite as scary as it sounds particularly if you follow the advice you are given (not everyone does). DH has changed his diet and does much more exercise, consequently he is probably in better shape now than before it happened. Often the attack is just a warning that you need to look at some aspect of your life (weight or smoking for example).

Hope your FIL makes a good recovery - good plan not Googling, it can scary you silly!

he should be offered cardiac rehab, which is a programme run by the healthcare provider. i can include lots of thing but is usually education (ie what is good diet, stop smoking, what all there new drugs are for etc) and a structured exerciseprogramme, these generally run for 6-8 weeks and start usually a6 weeks after the heart attack. the British heart foundation have fantstic info to read. i think the biggest thing is not to wrap him up in cotton wool, let him do bits gradually. it will be a big time of anxiety for all involved but feed back from patients is usually " the bloody wife wont let me sneeze without her been there" try aviod this....it makes patients often feel usless.

i hope he feels better soon and as a good recovery

Agree with Belleshell, BRitish Heart Foundation have fantastic leaflets and info. He'll be in hospital for a bit and will come out with a tonne of different medications. All of which he MUST take…even if he can't 'feel' a difference, they are working to reduce the risk of him having another attack. Also, he should be referred to cardiac rehab programme. If not, encourage him to find one/get on one as they are proven to reduce the risk Again. They provide support on getting well post event and changing to healthy lifestyle e.g. Diet, exercise etc.. He'll meet other people in similar circumstances and this goes a long way to moving on.
He'll probably have a check up with hospital ~6wks later, but most of te care will be provided in primary care.
Heart attacks are treated so well nowadays that people often leave hospital not quite understanding the situation, so make sure he feels comfortable asking questions if he's unsure.
Hope all goes well…I appreciate how worrying it can be for you

When my brother had heart attack we nominated one person for wife to give info to and that person acted as a contact point to relay info to every one else .

Being at hosp ,supporting patient ,dealing with own disatress is exhausting and you're very perceptive not to want to add to that stress .

I think discharge was very scary ( especially for sil) and that it was recommended that brother travel home in car with soft pillow held on chest .

Do PIL have someone near to offer practical support like lifts to and from hospital ?

My Mum had an attack ealier this year. She was admitted, Stent fitted next day and sent home the day after that.

She was given a brilliant leaflet on what she could do for the following weeks, week 1 being not a lot! SHe has been booked onto a cardio exercise class and even had a home visit from a cardio rehab nurse to check she was ok. Her care and aftercare were absolutely first class - all thanks to our local NHS hospital.

SHe is now on various meds so has regular BP checks etc with her GP too.