You Are Having A Heart Attack

Stop whatever you”re doing and sit down or lie down.

Take up to three nitroglycerin tablets-one at a time at five- minute intervals or as prescribed by your doctor. If the pain does not go away, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

If you do not have nitroglycerin and have had symptoms for two minutes or more, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. Then take an aspirin unless you are allergic to aspirin.

If you can get to the hospital faster by car, have someone drive you. Do not drive yourself to the hospital.

When you get to the hospital, do not permit emergency room personnel to keep you waiting. Tell them that you may be suffering from heart attack and that you need to be seen immediately.

Do Not Minimize Your Symptoms.

Do Not Delay.

Waiting more than fifteen minutes to see if the pain goes away can result in permanent damage to your heart. At worst, it can cost you your life.

Resuming sexual activity is an important part of getting your life back to normal. This, however, could also be the source of fear and anxiety for you and your partner. Many people are worried that the sex will be too strenuous and cause another heart attack. The patient”s spouse may feel even more apprehensive; if something happens, the guilt would be hard to bear. Sexual intimacy takes many forms: touching, holding, caressing are ways to gradually resume and share intimacy.

Studies showed that sexual intercourse with your spouse or regular partner is only as straining as briskly walking a half mile or climbing two flights of stairs. If these activities results in angina, shortness of breath or extreme fatigue, then you should discuss it with your doctor before resuming sexual activity.

Talk about your fears and worries with your partner openly. Avoid strenuous positions. The person who had the heart attack will be advised to assume the passive role during intercourse for the first few weeks. Do not engage in sex within half hour of eating. If you are upset, fatigued, or stressed, sexual activity should probably be avoided. Certain heart medications, may interfere with libido and performance. If sex brings on angina, it may be possible to prevent the pains with nitroglycerin tablets ahead of time. Regular exercise, such as walking, bicycling or jogging can improve a patient”s stamina and help prevent anginal pains during sexual activity.

You can reduce your risk of having a heart attack-even if you already have coronary heart disease or have had a previous heart attack. The key is to take steps to prevent or control your heart disease risk factors.

Six Key Steps To Reduce Heart Attack Risk

Taking these steps will reduce your risk of having a heart attack:

Stop smoking

Lower high blood pressure

Reduce high blood cholesterol

Aim for a healthy weight

Be physically active each day

Manage diabetes

So, you have had the heart attack. You had stayed in the hospital and is now ready to be discharged. What lies in future for you?

Believe it or not, it depends strictly on you and your partner. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You are given a second chance. It is up to you to decide whether you want to take advantage of it or not.

In 1981 approximately 800,000 Americans suffered their first heart attacks. Of these about 350,000 died. They did not get a second chance. But the remaining 450,000 were given a second chance.

Thousands of victims, get a second chance after a heart attack. However, about 600,000 people a year suffer a second or third or fourth heart attack, and about 300,000 of them die as a result.

These two groups-those succumbing to their first attacks and those dying after a second or subsequent attack-account for the 650,000 deaths from heart attacks in 1981.

Which of these statistics you will fall depends entirely up to you. Survival of a heart attack is no free ticket to a long life. However, it can be. Risk factors need to be modified, drugs sometimes have to be taken, surgery is indicated at times. Complementary therapy can be very useful. For example, Dean Ornish has shown that you can reverse the effect of heart disease with diet control and following relaxation response that includes yoga, mediation, etc. Prayer and belonging to a church was shown to help heart attack victims to prolong their lives. Pets and humor were found to be helpful. Joining a support group was found to be beneficial. In concert with those who care about you and with your cardiac rehabilitation team, you can keep on living.

The risk of having a second heart attack can be sharply reduced. The evidence comes from several clinical studies. Studies have shown that, in some cases, the death rate was reduced by 26 percent among heart attack victims who took steps to prevent another attack. So, you can do it.

However, you will face some immediate problem. Having a heart attack is a life-changing event for you and for your spouse. Things are never going to be the same. Both of you are going to go through an emotional roller coaster. These are natural. We will describe some of these issues so that you can face them as they come up. It is important to realize that these are quite natural. You need to face them together rather than making them as a source of unnecessary stress.

Emotional Issues/ Mood Problems

One of the fears-if not the major one-after a heart attack is the fear of dying. In the aftermath of a heart attack, emotional problems facing a person may revolve around loss of health, money (medical and hospital bills), loss of the strong husband-provider role, and loss of control.

It is natural for your loved one to feel some amount of panic just before you are discharged after a heart attack. The future may look bleak. Your loved one may also blame himself/herself for your heart attack. He/she may feel that you should have been taken care of better. Talk it over. Make sure that your partner recognizes that it is not his/her fault. It does not help to delve on the past and on the negatives. It is important to move on and face the future. You have been given a second chance. Look forward and not backward.

Talk to your spouse about the future division of responsibilities and planning for future - who will take care of what, how the day-to- day responsibilities will be divided, etc. You have to draw on your friends to help you go through the initial period, especially if you have small children.

Some people may feel depressed. You may also experience anger, frustration, doubt, and fear. Some people may lose their self confidence. Your loved ones may also experience similar feelings. These will slowly disappear with time. Talk with your family and friends about how you feel. Sometimes talking about your heart attack and recovery may help. Joining a support group and getting counseling may be a good idea. The role of the husband and wife will change permanently after one of the partners had a heart attack. It will never be the same again.

Ultimately, the responsibility for getting on with living rests with the person who has suffered the heart attack. Before it is all over, both parties are liable to feel angry. In fact, anger in a recovering heart patient is as normal as depression. The person who has had the heart attack and the person who is providing the care can both feel sorry and angry at the same time. They may feel sorry for what has happened, angry that it has happened to them, and helpless (or remorse) that they could not prevent it. Accept the feelings for what they are. Talk it with your partner. It will help. Don”t get into a shouting match. It can strain the heart in more ways than one.

If you have suffered a heart attack, or if you are considered at risk for a heart attack, modify your diet.

Make sure your diet is high in fiber. Not all types of fiber decrease the risk of heart attack, however. The most beneficial fiber appears to come from whole-grain breakfast cereals.

Eat lots of foods that are rich in vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid, which are needed to keep homocysteine levels in check. Vitamins B6 and B12 come naturally from leafy green vegetables and fruits. Folic acid can be found in some breakfast cereals, asparagus, spinach, chickpeas, and beans.

Include almonds, brewer”s yeast, grains, and sesame seeds in your diet.

Enjoy onions frequently. Onions-especially red onions- contain valuable antioxidants. Chop them and allow them to stand for ten minutes before cooking for optimal benefit.

Add kelp and sea vegetables to your diet for necessary minerals. Drink fresh vegetable juices.

Do not eat red meat, salt, sugars, or white flour. A diet high in red meat can elevate homocysteine levels. Eat soy- based protein foods instead. Soy protein can effectively lower high LDL cholesterol levels.

Avoid salt, sugars, and white flour. Refined sugars produce adverse reactions in all cells by causing wide variations in blood sugar. The high surges are followed by hypoglycemic drops, causing dangerous instability in vital intracellular sugar levels.

Eliminate fried foods, coffee, black tea, colas, and other stimulants from the diet.

Refrain from excessive alcohol use, as it has an adverse effect on the heart.
Sip barley water throughout the day for its heating and fortifying properties.

Fast three days a month to cleanse and detoxify the body.

To relieve stress and promote relaxation, add a few drops of lavender, sandalwood, or ylang ylang essential oil to a bath, or simply place a few drops on a tissue and inhale the aroma from time to time throughout the day.

Arnica is a homeopathic remedy used to support recovery from a heart attack.

Do not smoke. Avoid secondhand smoke.

Start on a sensible, moderate exercise program. Walking is good. You can do other simple steps like joining a dance class, walking the dog, gentle yoga stretching exercises, etc. Caution: If you are over thirty-five and/or have been sedentary for some time, consult with your health care provider before beginning an exercise program.
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Take Co Q10: Studies have shown that people who take supplemental coenzyme Ql0 following a heart attack are less likely than those who did not to have a second attack within five years.

Eat walnuts: Researchers have found that eating just an ounce of walnuts a day (about seven nuts) may reduce the risk of a heart attack by 8 to 10 percent.

Reduce your weight if you are overweight: Obesity can result from the combination of limited physical activity and a diet high in fat. It strains the heart.

Stress: Learn how to manage your stress. Regular physical activity is a great way to relieve stress. Other ways include relaxation techniques, a warm bath, and soothing music.

High blood pressure (hypertension): Hypertension can lead to blood vessel damage because the heart has to work harder to pump the blood through narrowed or hardened vessels affected by atherosclerosis. This blood vessel damage can lead to the formation of blood clots inside the blood vessels, which can cause heart attacks. Take steps to lower your blood pressure.