A heart attack can be a life-changing event. It’s quite natural for people to feel scared, confused and overwhelmed after a heart attack. Most people survive a first heart attack and go on to live a full and productive life, provided you follow the instructions given by your doctor to the tee. You’ll need rest and relaxation upon returning home, and a return to all of your normal activities, including work, may take a few weeks to 2 or 3 months, depending on your condition. A full recovery is defined as a return to normal activities, which will depend on how active you were before the life-altering event (your heart attack), the severity of the attack, and your body’s response to it. You will recover faster if you avoid stress, temperature extremes, and conditions that place an added load on your heart, and of course if you strictly adhere to your doctor’s instructions.
Here are some tips that you should discuss with your doctor for a healthy heart attack recovery and to protect your health over the long term. It’s just as important that you learn how to tailor your approach to fit with your goals and desired lifestyle:
Take Your Medicine- There are many medicines that treat heart attack, angina, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other heart conditions. It is your cardiologist, along with your doctor, who’ll decide the best medicines for you to take at home, which will help you manage your heart condition and help prevent future problems. Talk to your doctor or cardiologist to understand the medicines you need to take. If you have medication concerns, such as the inability to pay for them, bring these concerns directly to your doctor.
You must keep taking these medicines. See your doctor for more prescriptions as you’ll only have enough medicine for a short time.
Make Lifestyle Changes- Adopting a healthy lifestyle is an essential part of your overall recovery plan. For example, if you smoked before, make it a priority to quit. In addition, following a heart-healthy diet, getting regular physical activity will help lower your cardiovascular risk. Exercise can also ease stress and ward off depression. Talk with your doctor about an exercise regimen that’s right for you.
Though it is important to be active, rest is as (if not more) important. Doctors recommend heart patients to rest before they get tired. Make sure to get a full night’s sleep and take naps if you get tired during the day.
Ease Into Work- Do not get back on the job until your doctor asks you to. Give adequate time to recovery before jumping back in.
Check Out Cardiac Rehab- Ask your doctor about cardiac rehabilitation (a medically supervised program) that provides personalized support, including information about your heart condition and treatment, getting back to your usual activities, managing your medicines, changing your lifestyle to improve your heart health, quitting smoking, knowing warning signs, what to do in an emergency. The biggest benefit of cardiac rehab is that it provides everything you need for recovery in one location. Moreover, experts believe heart attack survivors fare better with cardiac rehab than without.
Have A Plan In Place- If you’ve had a heart attack, you’re at an increased risk of having another one. But you can prevent recurrence by following your recovery plan. Aside from living a heart-healthy lifestyle, take charge of your health and develop an emergency action plan, which should involve having a wearable medical alert device if you live alone, knowing the warning signs- talk with your doctor about warning signs to watch for and when to call 911, and regularly visiting your doctor, which is essential to monitor your heart health and medicines.
To sign up for a course at the AHA certified CPR Kansas City, either register for a course online or call on 913-998-7499.
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