I am one week out from this experience that scared the event out of me. I am still scared. I really don’t know what to eat because I thought I was eating correctly. I am home now and I have gone back to work. I was never totally incapacitated. My job is not stressful and calm. My question is after the event does anybody know how you are suppose to feel when you go home? I have called the nurse advise line several times and explained I am still having slight pains in the effected area. They are soft but I am worried. I was told by the surgeon to continue my normal activities after 2 days. The Checkup Dr. told me not to go to the gym till I am officially cleared by the cardiologist. I do go out of breath when I exert myself. I think this is more about me being out of shape than a serious breathing issue… any advise?
I would research why high glucose causes heart disease and invert the food triangle. While your at it researching why people with very high cholesterol live longer may also interest you. Late last century people became fatter and have had more heart disease than at any time EVER in our history from eating more carbohydrate and low fat diets because the media told them to not because there was any evidence for it, in fact all the evidence was to the contrary. Carbohydrate causes heart disease which is why it is so high in the diabetic population but also why our society (now addicted to massive carbohydrate diets in general) also is suffering heart disease like never before in history. Go back to photos of beaches in the 60s and tell me what you see? Look at cook books in the 1800s or even early 1900s. We evolved on low (compared to today) sugar diets and animals. Of course after the damage is done it takes some undoing and at a certain point may even require bypass, or stents etc but at some point the natural diet needs to be eaten or the same problems will come back. At no point in time have we been told so many lies and rubbish by people we trusted but then again at no time in history has the truth and evidence been at our own fingertips. Today more so than at any time in history has all the world’s empirical knowledge been at our fingertips. My advice to anyone would be: Start with youtube (videos by others consolidating information) and pubmed (all the medical literature proving or disproving a case ).
I do not have any advice but hope you can get answers soon - how scary!
Christalyn, I am so sorry that this happened to you. I had to get emergency heart stents when I was 60, about 12 yrs ago, and I know how devastating it was for me. I thought I was doing just fine on the Bernstein very low carb diet, but I was ignoring my high LDL which was a huge mistake.
My A1c had been around 4.6 for years, my HDL was 100 and my triglycerides were very low. I was not overweight and felt well. I had no idea that my arteries were clogged.
Did you have chest pain when you had your heart attack? I didn’t at all, but still went to ER several times in the next couple of years after I received the stents, because my chest hurt and I was scared. My pain resolved itself once I heard that I was fine.
That may be what is happening to you, but you can’t be sure. If you continue to have chest pain and feel like you are short of breath, you might go ahead and get checked out. You are probably fine, but you will feel better if someone at least runs an EKG.
Has your cardiologist given you a cause for your heart attack? I would listen to him/her rather than anyone on here or on the internet. Did the cardiologist suggest a diet for you?
If your reaction is anything like mine was, you will feel physically unsure of yourself for quite awhile. Go get checked out if you are worried. I am so sorry that this happened to you, but glad that you got a warning rather than a more serious attack.
Thank you for the kind words. I had stents put in also. I thought i was doing decent. I had experienced the pains through out the year and was told everything was fine. My EKG’s were all excellent. It was an urgent care doctor that suggested I get blood work done and immediately admitted me to the hospital. I didn’t even go home so work straight to the hospital. I had the angiogram and boom …stents… I am still in shock but the truth is becoming easier to talk about. Like I said…I have been to the doctor for my heaty several times from last year till now. this would include an intense work up that didn’t yield anything. this just confused and wondering how much was I lied too.
Right now I had my first check up told the doctor i was still experiencing the little pains like before. they come and go have no real reason. Nobody again doesn’t seem worried.
Yes, thank you!!! It has taken me a while to realize how close to death I was.
I am normally careful with my diet to a degree. I didn’t think I was bad. Now that this has happened. I am so confused as to what is good and bad besides the obvious. I have really curtailed my sodium intake. I have started cooking at home and no more eating out. I am still waiting on my appt with the cardiologist because I have so many questions.
What were your cholesterol levels like before the heart attack? Levels go down naturally after a heart attack or the placement of stents, so it would be interesting to know what your levels were before the attack.
My EKG levels and other heart tests were normal until the I suddenly needed stents. When I went to the ER my EKG showed that I was having a problem.
OMG, Christalyn. How old are u? This is terrifying. But, perhaps it was a TIA (small heart attack). Are you on cholesterol meds? Most of us are, I think, by a certain age. Everyone tries to control cholesterol thru diet. That’s not effective. Take the meds.
Please be careful about becoming out of breath - that’s significant. If you have trouble breathing, do not hesitate to call an ambulance.
Are you living alone?
When you experience pain, you may be over-exerting yourself and you need to sit or lay down and stop activities that might have precipitated the pain/difficulty breathing. Take a blood pressure. If its high, call 911. If there is a very small difference between the top number and the bottom number, call 911. Average BP = 120/80. If the top number is higher than 180, that’s a worrisome number.
Do you have a home blood pressure cuff? Are you checking that regularly? You need records of that for the cardiologist. Around here, you can go into urgent care or the fire department and ask for a blood pressure check. The fire department will do it anytime, free of charge.
Please be careful until you speak with cardiologist. They will know more.
Chrystalyn, I am sorry to hear about your heart attack. That had to be scary for you. It sounds like there are some folks here who had stents years ago and are doing well, which is encouraging. Were your BP and cholesterol in control?? Were you on meds for cholesterol? I hope your doctor can help you with a diet or refer you to a dietician. Obviously, people are very passionate and divided about what diet to follow to stay healthy. The Mediterranean diet and lifestyle is usually something people can agree on as they have lower rates of heart disease.
My husband had stents placed last March and he didn’t have diabetes. He cut the fat out of his diet and lost 30 pounds. No more ribs, pork and fatty cuts of beef or fried foods for him! I begged him for years to eat better… They gave him some paperwork when he was released from the hospital on what to eat and not eat. It was “hidden” in with a bunch of discharge paperwork. I think everyone who has stents put in should get a referral to a dietician so they can be sure and ask questions.
Best of luck to you!!!
I have been told by the hospital dietician and at least 3 cardiologists that my diet is perfect, so I hope that they know what they are talking about!
Goodness! I am so confused. All my ekg that i had including wearing a heart monitor for a day was fine. I have been on a statin for over 10 years. I believe the “pain” i feel is lessening and not that frequent. I still need to work on my cardio endurance. I am reading about nutrition and consider hiring a P. trainer. I am recording my blood pressure and glucose levels daily to see if this help more. I go see the cardiologist next week. I plan to have alot of questions because this doesn’t make any sense to me. I will demand to have my troponin levels and heparin levels rechecked. thank yo kindly… I haven’t told you the best part of this whole mess.
I have cut out all the fried foods, beef, pork for right now. I hope I am able to maintain without them for a while. I do love my ribs. i am making sure I talk to a dietician I have lots of questions.
PART 2 After surgery
The best part of this whole mess is that I had to find my way back home after surgery. I went to location 1 for my first original diagnosis where they told me I couldn’t go home. I stayed there for 2 days till an appointment was available at location 2 to perform the surgery/procedure which is 20 miles away. Location 2 was ready to discharge me but would not provide any service for me to get back home or to location 1 to retrieve my car.
I had asked people at both locations how was i going to get back to location 1 to get my car. Nobody would answer me and pass the buck. At location 2… my case manager kept asking me if i had family or friends that could come and pick me up. This was during a week day in the middle downtown LA. If you are not familiar you should add on45 mins for traffic to any driving especially midday. So after heart surgery i was about to get kicked out in of off Sunset BLVD with the homeless people, crack heads. My case worker was able to procure a taxi service to bring me HOME. After arriving home, I had to catch an UBER to retrieve my care from location 1. All of this less than 12 hours after having surgery. I do have family but they leave in most southern part of the city it would have taken 3 hours for them to do this.
I had an incident about a year ago when I woke up and did not feel well. I have been a diabetic for 30 years so I already had triple bypass and other heart problems. So, I took myself to the hospital and saw my cardiologist. After a blood test my heart enzymes were elevated slightly. Next thing I know I am in the Cath lab and told I need 2 stents in my right cardiac artery. I had a “mild” heart attack called an NSTEMI heart which I was told was mild. All I heard was a heart attack and I was crest fallen. I was even more surprised when I was told I could go home in a few hours. Luckily my daughter was close by and told me she would get me after work. No other symptoms, no chest pain, only the blood test showed elevated level of Troponin indicating heart cells died, but could be regenerated. I was hesitant to go to the ER but luck pushed me there. Please listen to your body and go to a local ER if your body is telling you something is wrong.
It seems like they were within range before the attack based on my previous blood work up.
OMG, Christalyn. Thank goodness you are alright. This is a harrowing story, indeed. Keep us updated.
A Doc will need to look at heat rhythm closer, but its possible that there is nothing wrong with your rhythm. It might simply be that the arteries were narrowed (hence the stints). They will look over the rhythm to evaluate any physical damage to the heart.
MSG
What happened to you is similar to me so much. I called the advice nurse and they told me to go to the ER. I refused and went to work the next day. It was after work I went to urgent care. Yes i feel like I have been knocked off my pedestal. Nobody has really explained to me what has happened. The only time “heart attack” was even mentioned was with the after surgery check up tor. I thought it the whole time though. I am patiently waiting for my appointment with the all knowing cardiologist (which is actually a nurse practioner) which is wednesday. I will have a host of questions and will not take mess for answers.
Why aren’t you seeing a cardiologist? I wouldn’t be comfortable with a nurse practitioner.
I agree with Marilyn. I think a heart attack warrants an appointment with an actual Doctor. I feel uncomfortable about how long its taking to get in. Is this because the hospitals/clinics are all backed up and gridlocked? That’s not an excuse.