Heart attack
What will happen to me?
A heart attack is serious. If you've had one, you're probably worried that you might have another.
No one can tell you for sure what will happen to you. But treatments for heart attacks work, and they are improving all the
time. These treatments can help you survive a heart attack. They can also limit the damage done to your heart and help you
live longer. To learn more, see What treatments work for a heart attack?
A heart attack is serious, but modern treatments can help you recover.
If you're reading this and you've already had a heart attack, you've cleared the first hurdle: You've survived. Now your doctor
will keep a careful eye on you to see if any problems come up. But it's not just up to your doctor to keep you healthy after
a heart attack. You can make a real difference to how well you live and how long you live. To learn more, see Taking care of your heart.
If you have no complications after your heart attack, your heart will go on pumping normally and you will have a good chance
of recovering quickly. You might need one or two days of rest in the hospital. After that, you'll be allowed out of bed during
the four or five extra days that you spend there.
During this time, doctors will do more tests to try to find out just what happened. They'll also find out which part of your
heart has been damaged and whether the damage is severe or mild. To find out more, see Tests for a heart attack.
If all is well, you'll go home about a week after your heart attack. You'll probably be advised to slowly become more active. Most people who live through a heart attack and don't have any
complications can return to their normal level of activity within six weeks.
During your first few weeks at home, you can expect to feel tired but you shouldn't feel exhausted. You may be emotional,
too. You're likely to feel angry, frightened and anxious about the future. Some people describe this time as an "emotional
rollercoaster." Talking about your feelings to friends and family members may help you.
If your mood doesn't improve within a couple of weeks, you may feel depressed. If you feel low, it's important to talk to your doctor right away. Depression may make your recovery more difficult, and
good treatments are available.
1
Source:
Ziegelstein R.
Depression in patients recovering from a myocardial infarction.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 2001; 286: 1621- 1627.
Ziegelstein R.
Depression in patients recovering from a myocardial infarction.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 2001; 286: 1621- 1627.
How you get along over the next several weeks depends on many things, including how much of your heart has been damaged. Your
recovery also depends on how well you stick with your drug treatment and how much you stick with your plans to live a healthy
life. Talk to your doctor about what to expect during your recovery. To learn more, see What can affect your recovery from a heart attack?
Your doctor may want to discuss:
- How severe your heart attack was and which part of your heart has been damaged
- Any complications that could keep you from making a full recovery or might mean that you need more treatment. (For more information, see our page on Complications)
- Other medical problems that you have, including whether you've had a heart attack or a stroke before or whether you have a
type of chest pain known as
angina
Angina is the name that doctors use for a pain in your chest that you get when your heart muscle isn't getting enough oxygen.angina - What you and your doctor can do to keep you from having another heart attack.
- Whether you should consider an operation called a coronary artery bypass. This operation improves the blood flow to your heart. (For more information, see Having a coronary artery bypass.)
blood pressure
Blood pressure is the amount of force exerted by the blood on the walls of the vessels that carry it. You can think of it like the water pressure in your home: the more pressure you have, the faster and more forcefully the water flows out of the shower. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (written as mm Hg). When your blood pressure is taken, the measurement is given as two numbers, for example 120/80 mm Hg. The first, higher, number is called the systolic pressure, and the second, lower, number is the diastolic pressure. The systolic number is the highest pressure that occurs while the heart is pushing blood into the arteries. The diastolic number is the lowest pressure that happens when the heart is relaxing and is not pushing the blood.
Blood pressure is the amount of force exerted by the blood on the walls of the vessels that carry it. You can think of it like the water pressure in your home: the more pressure you have, the faster and more forcefully the water flows out of the shower. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (written as mm Hg). When your blood pressure is taken, the measurement is given as two numbers, for example 120/80 mm Hg. The first, higher, number is called the systolic pressure, and the second, lower, number is the diastolic pressure. The systolic number is the highest pressure that occurs while the heart is pushing blood into the arteries. The diastolic number is the lowest pressure that happens when the heart is relaxing and is not pushing the blood.
cholesterol
Cholesterol is made by your liver or absorbed from food. It is used by your body to make bile acids (which help your intestines absorb nutrients) and steroid hormones (like testosterone or estrogen). Cholesterol is also an important part of cell membranes, which are the structures that surround cells. "Good cholesterol" is called HDL; "bad cholesterol" is LDL.
Cholesterol is made by your liver or absorbed from food. It is used by your body to make bile acids (which help your intestines absorb nutrients) and steroid hormones (like testosterone or estrogen). Cholesterol is also an important part of cell membranes, which are the structures that surround cells. "Good cholesterol" is called HDL; "bad cholesterol" is LDL.
If you've had a heart attack, you may wonder whether having sex can trigger another. Sex is safe for most people after a heart
attack. Some people feel ready to have sex just a couple of weeks after a heart attack. Talk to your doctor about when it
will be safe for you. Sex is a form of exercise, so you should tell your doctor if physical activity brings on chest pain
or makes you feel short of breath.
Women, whatever their age, are less likely to have heart attacks than men. But when women have heart attacks, they're often
more serious. Women are more likely than men to die from a heart attack.
2 Women who live through a heart attack are more likely than men to have a second heart attack within four years. This is probably
because their heart disease is often more severe by the time they have their first heart attack.
Source:
Marrugat JM, Sala J, Masia R, et al.
Mortality differences between men and women following first myocardial infarction.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998; 280: 1405-1409.
Marrugat JM, Sala J, Masia R, et al.
Mortality differences between men and women following first myocardial infarction.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998; 280: 1405-1409.
If you're a woman who has lived through a heart attack, it's especially important that you help your heart recover. To learn more, see Taking care of your heart.
Women are less likely than men to have chest pain, which is the classic symptom of a heart attack. So it's important for women
to be aware of other possible warning signs, such as feeling short of breath. To read more about warning signs, see What are the symptoms of a heart attack?
Believe it or not, once the pain and shock are over, positive changes can come from a heart attack. In one survey in New Zealand,
70 percent of people said they had made positive changes in their lives after their heart attack. One-quarter said they became
closer to their loved ones.
3
Source:
Petrie KJ, Buick DL, Weinman J, et al.
Positive effects of illness reported by myocardial infarction patients and breast cancer patients
Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 1999; 47: 537-543.
Petrie KJ, Buick DL, Weinman J, et al.
Positive effects of illness reported by myocardial infarction patients and breast cancer patients
Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 1999; 47: 537-543.
There's even evidence that positive thinking can help you recover from a heart attack.
4
Source:
Agarwal M, Dalal AK, Agarwal DK, Agarwal RK.
Positive life orientation and recovery from myocardial infarction.
Social Science in Medicine. 1995; 40: 125-30.
Agarwal M, Dalal AK, Agarwal DK, Agarwal RK.
Positive life orientation and recovery from myocardial infarction.
Social Science in Medicine. 1995; 40: 125-30.
Doctors keep statistics on people who have heart attacks. So we know how many people die after they have a heart attack, how
many live through it and how many people live but still have problems with their health.
You may be interested in these numbers. Or maybe you'd rather not look at them. If you do read them, keep in mind they can't
predict your future. They're drawn from the experiences of large groups of people and they don't refer to you as an individual.
And remember, while nearly half of all people who have a heart attack die from it, most people who don't live through a heart
attack die before they reach a hospital. We know that 9 in 10 people who reach the hospital after a heart attack are still alive a year later.
5 To learn more about the numbers, see Heart attack facts and figures.
Source:
National Institute of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Act in TIME to heart attack signs.
Available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime (accessed on 11 November 2008).
National Institute of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Act in TIME to heart attack signs.
Available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime (accessed on 11 November 2008).
Sources for the information on this page:
- Ziegelstein R.Depression in patients recovering from a myocardial infarction.Journal of the American Medical Association. 2001; 286: 1621- 1627.
- Marrugat JM, Sala J, Masia R, et al.Mortality differences between men and women following first myocardial infarction.Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998; 280: 1405-1409.
- Petrie KJ, Buick DL, Weinman J, et al.Positive effects of illness reported by myocardial infarction patients and breast cancer patientsJournal of Psychosomatic Research. 1999; 47: 537-543.
- Agarwal M, Dalal AK, Agarwal DK, Agarwal RK.Positive life orientation and recovery from myocardial infarction.Social Science in Medicine. 1995; 40: 125-30.
- National Institute of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Act in TIME to heart attack signs.Available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime (accessed on 11 November 2008).
This information was last updated on Apr 09, 2009
This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.
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Source: ConsumerReportsHealth.org Copyright © 2005-2008 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.
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