First time here, I am now recovering from a heart attack on Jan 4th 2006

TB, my name is Laura and I am usually on the GERD forum, but was moved by your post.  I am a 33-year-old female, previously in the best of health, who was recently diagnosed with idiopathic gastroparesis.  It is an extremely painful digestive disorder that makes it difficult to eat.  I experience severe nausea and have to eat a diet of small, soft meals.  Even then the pain is often intense.  I currently cannot eat at a restaurant or enjoy my favorite foods.  I have not yet returned to work and don't know if I'll be able to.  When this disease gets really bad people have to go on liquid diets or even have feeding tubes inserted or their stomachs removed.  There's also a stomach pacemaker that's for worst case scenarios.  Am I a worst case scenario?  I don't know yet.  Much like yourself, I am in a state of  fear, anger, and disbelief.  How can this be happening to "healthy" me?

I am so very glad that you made it through your crisis.  I know there will be lifestyle changes, doctor visits, and worries about your future health.  For now, please concentrate on, yes, healing well.  And making some plans for what you want to do in the years you have in front of you.  I lost my dad to heart disease in '04 (he was 70).  I wish he was still here to hug.  Instead, I am sending you hugs and all my good thoughts.  Best to you and your family.

Laura

Hello Terry and welcome to Healing Well.  What a blessing that you came through your heart attack!  From my own exerience and reading about other peoples experience, depression definately goes with these kinds of serious health problems but it does help so much to know your not alone and there are message boards like this to get some support and suggestions!  I haven't had stents or a heart attack, my problem was a heart arrythmia, but it definately changed my life and caused me to have the bouts with depression, fears and anger, etc.!  Just finding a place to talk about with others who had "been there" too was such a big help!  Hopefully some of the members here who have similar problems as yours will be along soon too. 

 

Laura, I'm so sorry to hear that you are going through so much also and hope and pray that they discover a treatment that can help you more. 

God Bless, Pat

Post Edited (Patoolla) : 1/14/2006 10:11:53 PM (GMT-7)

TSMB, Wellcome to the healing well. I was 47 when i had 3 mi's and heart by-pass. Im a nurse and have also been around alot of people who have had an mi. I think the younger you are the emotional and mental aspect of all of it is much harder. I became so depressed after my surgery. Here i am 47, by-pass, and told i needed a transplant, also have cardiomyopthy. i felt like life was over for me. Put on antidepressants and other stress meds. I had a dr for everything but that. They didnt address that part of my condition. Transplant not an option due diabetes and allergy to some of the prep meds. I battled this a long time, god brought me through. The emotions your having is normal, its been 5 years and i take no antidepressants now. Good luck, i will keep you in my prayers. DELTACECE

Post Edited By Moderator (Admin) : 1/26/2006 10:00:57 AM (GMT-7)

Hello, TSMB. I was 53, my birthday was about a week later, on January 4, 2004 when I had my heart attack. It was frightening to say the least. I also had a stent and they said my other arteries were fairly good. I went through so many emotions: fear, anxiety, depression, anger, gratitude....you name it, I might have felt it. Now just about 2 years later, I'm not experiencing any of those things in any great amount. Sometimes I do get down, or angry at myself for creating some of the risks for heart attack, but I still have a great deal of gratitude to God and all the medical professionals who helped me. It will get better, and you've come to a great place where people are supportive and informative. Welcome. Kathy

Hi, Terry. I'm glad we could be of some support to you. That is so important when you have gone through something with such a life altering effect on you. I hope you have a hopeful and relaxing weekend! Hugs, Kathy

Hi, Terry. I also had more symptoms of anxiety at night. It seems to be a time for many of us with anxiety that our minds start racing. I was really afraid of dying, too. I've read that other people have felt the same way. You are right, with time that should decrease. I can understand your concern about your medication being addictive, though. Did your physician say that it was one of those types of medications? Please express your concern to her or him about it so the physician can either ease your mind, or change to a different type of medication. For now you need good sleep so that your heart has the chance to do some healing. And, we all know that sleep deprivation contributes to anxiety and depression, too. It sounds like only taking part of the doseage is not working for you. You probably need to take the amount that your doctor prescribed at first. I'm not an expert in this area, but am sharing my experience. I hope you can get some good sleep tonight. If you do a google/yahoo/etc. search online you can find some relaxation techniques that may help you sleep better and reduce your anxiety, too. I tried toe scrunching the other night. LOL. That didn't do anything for me. It might for someone else, though. Visualization and deep breathing seem to work best for me. What do other people do to relax and have better sleep? I'd love to hear what others do.

Kathy

Hi TSMB

You are feeling the Same thing we all did at that time. It is perfectly Normal to feel the way you do.
It took me a couple weeks to not worry about things right after getting into bed. Then a couple months
to quit thinking about it all the time, at home, at work ect. In time you will get to feel like your old self.

Having very little damage to your heart was fortunate, take care, eat healthy and exercise!!

Live Long and Prosper!!

Bill H

Terry,

Congrats on loosing weight!!! That is one BIG step forward!!!

Bill

The 10lbs will also be gone without u noticing it. Start of slow with the exercises.

Terry, sounds like you are doing well. I am so sorry I missed your post of 1/24. I don't get online very often anymore, but to check a few emails I get. I thought I had subscribed to any emails in your thread, but I guess not! Anyway, so sorry you have been expeiencing all of these overwhelming feelings, but as others have mentioned, it is normal and expected, and it will subside. My problem now, after 2 years, is that I've become too relaxed about it all. I got chewed out, gently, by my cardiologist on Monday for being too heavy. I did so well when I was more scared. Don't ever get too complacent like me. Keep on taking care of yourselfl like you are now! Hugs, Kathy

Terry,

I have been in the cardiac cath lab a total of four times and have three stents. I sometimes allow myself a very small piece of birthday cake, etc if the occasion is right (daughters birthday, etc), but I do not EVER succumb to temptation to stop at fast food places or eat junk on a daily basis. I just think about lying there for four hours while the doctors and caregivers struggled to help me and save my life. They actually cared enough about me to all come in on Saturday to save me rear end. How could I not care about myself?

I have lost 60lbs, I eat a correct diet with no processed foods, exercise daily, drink a small glass of red wine daily, take my meds, supplements, etc.

I NEVER WANT TO GO BACK. The last time I was in the cath lab I was thinking (as they shoved that garden hose in my leg), how the heck can I be here again??? This is so dumb of me! Why did I eat all that stuff and think that somehow I was different, exempt even, from ending up back here???

Me too. Amen. Kathy