What To Expect After A Heart Attack

by HerbalBloom on Saturday, September 4th, 2010 | No Comments

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by Djenan

What To Guess After A Heart Attack

When a name suffers a heart attack, it can turn his world upside down. Although a heart attack always presents challenges, keep in mind that every heart attack is different. Symptoms vary, causes differ, and treatment depends on many factors. There’s no set timeline for recovery, and a uncomplaining may experience all, some, or none of the following issues.

Weakness, fatigue, and shortness of breath

What you can guess:

Near all patients recovering from a heart attack will experience weakness, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

What you can do:

· As soon as you get the doctor’s okay, encourage the uncomplaining to get moving. Just being paid out of bed, taking a shower, and dressing may be exhausting at first. In the first week, he should commence walking five minutes, five times a day. Although this won’t seem like much activity to you, it may be very hard for him. Acknowledge that he’s having a hard time while encouraging him to continue. After a few days, you should notice a significant reduction in fatigue and shortness of breath.

· Be uncomplaining and encourage him to do the same. He’s just been through a major ordeal and you should both guess his recovery to take time.

· Within a few weeks, he should be able to commence a modified exercise curriculum. If he has always been honestly sedentary, he may resist this thought. You might motivate him to exercise by helping him set specific, realistic goals; exercising with him; keeping a journal of his progress; being paid him moving first thing in the daylight; and helping him find exercises he likes to do.

· Recognize that it’s not all up to you. You can encourage him to exercise, but ultimately he’ll have to choose he wants to do it.

Leg swelling

What you can guess:

Leg swelling is very common, especially after bypass surgery. If the surgeon removed veins from the uncomplaining’s legs for use as bypass grafts, fluid may accumulate in his ankles and lower legs. The swelling can be very uncomfortable and even painful.

What you can do:

· While he’s resting on the bed or couch, place several pillows below his legs to elevate his feet higher than his heart. Do this for an hour at a time, at least three times a day.

· Encourage him to walk as much as he can. Even small jaunts around the house or yard can promote circulation.

· Support stockings can minimize swelling. You can buy these at any medical supply store and at some drugstores.

· If his leg swelling worsens much, say his doctor immediately. Fluid buildup in the lower extremities is also a symptom of heart failure.
Abnormal heart rhythms and palpitations

What you can guess:

After a heart attack, a uncomplaining may develop a slow or abnormal heart rhythm, or he may be at risk for developing one. The abnormal heart rate may improve as the heart muscle heals, or it may be permanent.

What you can do:

· Palpitations are the most common symptom of arrhythmia. If the uncomplaining is experiencing palpitations, say his doctor immediately in case treatment is necessary.

· Try not to panic. Palpitations can result from too much caffeine, tobacco, and even some over-the-counter medications such as cold and cough remedies. Stress can also be a culprit — and the person you’re caring for has been through an extremely stressful experience.

· Learn CPR. Some arrhythmias show up as cardiac arrest, when the heart suddenly stops pumping. By promptly applying CPR, you can keep a uncomplaining alive until an emergency medical team arrives. Courses in CPR are available in virtually every city in the United States. Question his doctor or nurses for information, or contact a local branch of the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.

Congestive heart failure

What you can guess:

In some cases, a heart attack may destruction the heart muscle so much that it can’t fully recover. If a uncomplaining’s heart can no longer adequately pump blood, he may experience shortness of breath, edema (buildup of fluids), and coughing. In some cases, heart failure can improve as the heart muscle heals, but more evenly the affect up is permanent.

What you can do:

· Don’t panic. Although the term “heart failure” may sound like a fatality sentence, what it means is that the heart isn’t pumping efficiently enough to keep up with the body’s needs. But with the proper treatment and lifestyle changes, people with heart failure can lead relatively active lives for many years.

· Talk to the doctor in this area lifestyle changes. The person in your care will need to limit his intake of salt, fluids, and alcohol; exercise lightly; and quit smoking.

· Discuss medications with the doctor. Several drugs are useful in treating heart failure. Among other medications, the doctor may prescribe diuretics and/or aldosterone blockers to reduce fluid buildup, digitalis to help the heart contract more vigorously, or ACE inhibitors to make it simpler for the heart to pump.

Rage and anxiety

What you can guess:

It’s normal to feel mad and worried after a heart attack. A uncomplaining may be frustrated that he can no longer perform tasks that were once simple for him. He may feel nervous and worried that he’ll have another heart attack. He may also feel depressed.

What you can do:

· Let him talk in this area his fears. Don’t brush off his concerns; keeping his feelings bottled up will make him feel worse. If it’s hard for you to listen to his worries, help him find a support group or an online community.

· Encourage him to keep a journal. Sometimes just writing in this area negative feelings can defuse them.

· Remind him — and yourself — that his rage and anxiety are most likely temporary. As recovery progresses, he’s likely to feel more like himself again.

· Encourage him to get back into a normal routine as soon as possible.

Dressing first thing in the daylight, being paid out of the house and walking, and resuming pet leisure activities and social activities are all brilliant strategies for relieving dread and anxiety.

· If his rage and anxiety persist for more than four weeks, talk to his doctor. The doctor can arrange for counseling or antidepressant treatment.

Depression

What you can guess:

Depression is one of the most common emotions to change people who have had a heart attack — even if they’ve never been depressed before. One out of three patients reports touch nervous or depressed after a heart attack or heart surgery. Sometimes it takes time for symptoms of depression to appear; it may be a while before the implications of a uncomplaining’s heart attack really sink in. He may feel his life is over or will never be the same, or he may feel the recovery process is taking too long.

What you can do:

· Watch for these common warning signs of depression: frequent crying episodes; feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness; poor appetite or increased appetite; sleeping too much or not enough; increased confrontation and restlessness; loss of interest in life; expressing thoughts of dying or suicide.

· Say the doctor if you believe the person in your care is depressed, as it’s a serious problem that requires evaluation and treatment.

· Help him be as physically active as possible. Talk to the doctor and remedy team in this area what exercises are appropriate.

· Structure the day around activities that give the uncomplaining pleasure and a sense of purpose. For model, meet friends for lunch or delight in a leisurely walk through the mall.

· Try to stay positive and upbeat, but don’t foster unrealistic expectations. Instead of adage, “You’ll be hiking again in no time,” you might say, “If we keep walking together every day, you’ll notice that it gets a lot simpler.”

Decreased mental function

What you can guess:

After a heart attack, a uncomplaining may not seem as mentally sharp as he once was. Heart attack can seriously stress the entire body, including the brain. Bypass surgery has also been linked with cognitive decline, although recent studies have called this finding into question.

What you can do:

· Give the uncomplaining time to recover. The changes in his mental function are most likely temporary. Don’t guess him to perform mentally stressful tasks, such as balancing a checkbook, in the first weeks of recovery.

· Talk to the doctor. Some medications, including beta-blockers, can fall mental function. His may be able to prescribe another medication.
Sleep problems

What you can guess:

Sleep problems are common during recovery from heart attack. A uncomplaining may experience insomnia or bitty sleep because of discomfort, stress, and a change in routine. But rest is an essential part of recovery, so the more you can help him get a excellent night’s sleep, the better.
What you can do:

· Minimize pain and discomfort at night. Arrange pillows to help him find the most comfortable sleeping position. Question the doctor if the uncomplaining can take analgesics such as aspirin or ibuprofen 30 minutes before bedtime.

· Keep him busy to preclude his napping too much during the day, but try not to let him get overtired.

· Eliminate caffeine in the late afternoon and evening.

· Play relaxing music.

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What to guess after a heart attack