If you’ve had a heart attack, know that all of these feelings are normal. “I think most people feel shaken. Their world has been turned upside down,” says Bruce Andrus, MD, a member of the American College of Cardiology’s Prevention Council and codirector of the Lipid Clinic at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. “And I think they’re understandably nervous about the future and when the next shoe will drop.” Recovering from a heart attack is a process that extends far past your hospital discharge. But there is life after a heart attack.
Follow your medication plan. After a heart attack, you may be prescribed medications, such as beta-blockers, statins, or aspirin. While it can take some time to get used to taking these regularly, devising a system to help you remember can make it a habit. Consider using a pillbox that you preload with a week’s worth of medication so you don’t need to remember what you’ve already taken, Dr. Andrus suggests. Or set a reminder on your smartphone when it’s time for a dose.Participate in cardiac rehab. This program is designed to improve your heart health through medically supervised exercise training, diet education, and other risk management, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). It also teaches how to deal with stress, so it can help prevent post–heart attack depression and anxiety, too. “The program gives you a feeling of control over your future, in the sense that what you do and how you do it matters,” says Andrus. Working with staff trained in heart attack recovery can also help you feel that someone has your back.Let yourself grieve. “It’s common to go through a bit of a grieving process after a heart attack — denial, anger, bargaining, and acceptance,” Andrus says. That’s why a support system is key to feeling better. This includes your family and friends, as well as other people going through cardiac rehab, since they, too, have suffered a heart attack or other major heart event and understand what you’re feeling.Know your numbers. Being informed can help you see where you are now and where you ideally need to be in terms of your heart health. Knowing your cholesterol and blood pressure numbers can help you engage with your doctor. It’s also good to know your body mass index (BMI) and your A1C numbers if you have diabetes.Be open with your doctor. If you’re struggling in your recovery, your doctor needs to know. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions about your treatment plan. “A trusting relationship with honest, clear communication is key,” Andrus says. “You’ll get better results if you partner with your doctor. Don’t just say, ‘Yes, ma’am’ or ‘No, sir’.”Make any recommended lifestyle changes. Every person who’s had a heart attack is different. For example, if you’re not a smoker, you don’t need to focus on quitting, but you may benefit from meeting with a dietitian. “We tailor recommendations to the problem areas that each individual has to address, [according to their] outstanding risks,” explains Andrus. For a good overview of lifestyle changes that can help improve heart health, check out Life’s Simple 7 from the AHA.Know your unique warning signs for heart attack, and share them with loved ones. Even as you make healthy changes, it’s also good to be prepared, should you have another heart attack. While the symptoms — from the classic “elephant on the chest” feeling to arm, abdominal, or jaw pain — can be different from person to person, “For each individual person, it’s usually the same each time,” Andrus says. “So if you get jaw pain with your first heart attack, if you have a second, you’ll likely have jaw pain again.” Let your loved ones know which symptoms you had with your first attack, so if you show these symptoms again, they can immediately call 911.
A heart attack is difficult to go through, but it doesn’t mean your life is over. “People these days can live 30, 40 years after their first heart attack,” Andrus says. It might take some time, but eventually, you may even feel healthier than you did before your heart attack.
