Life After a heart attack or heart surgery

Over the last decade or so there have been numerous advances made in the field of medical science. New and improved medicines, and surgical interventions, are giving patients a much greater chance of making a full recovery.

So having recovered from your heart attack you must be determined to reduce the risk of any further problems by modifying your lifestyle, replacing bad habits with good ones.

If you are a smoker, make every effort to stop

Smokers have up to four times the risk of dying from a heart attack when compared with non-smokers. Most doctors will have access to quit smoking support, so speak to your GP

Keep a check on your blood pressure

High blood pressure makes the heart work harder, accelerates fatty blockages of the arteries and increases the risk of further heart attacks. High blood pressure can be controlled with exercise, medication changes in diet. To keep a check on your blood pressure, ask your GP to measure it for you.

Cut down on your total fat intake and do not drink too much alcohol

It is not necessary to become obsessed about food, but try to cut down on your total fat intake, avoiding saturated fats, e.g. red meat, lard, and dripping. Cut down on sugary foods, and go easy on salt, as too much can contribute to high blood pressure. Restrict alcohol intake to smaller quantities. Too much alcohol increases weight, raises blood pressure, increases irregular heart rhythms, and promotes fatty blockages in blood vessels.

Check your weight and avoid becoming “obese”

Becoming obese (very fat) tends to increase blood pressure, blood sugar levels and the fats within the blood itself. Check on your body fat by “pinching an inch”, together with watching what you eat and increasing weekly exercise.

Anxiety, tension and stress

Many patients suffer anxiety and tension following a heart attack or surgery, but normally these feelings are short-lived. The value of learning to relax properly can help. This can be achieved by sitting in a peaceful environment and deliberately concentrating on relaxing the major muscles of the body. Coupled with this, slow, controlled breathing will often help to instil a feeling of ease and relaxation.

Sometimes heart disease can run in families

If your parents suffer, or have suffered, from coronary heart disease, diabetes or high cholesterol, it could be more likely that you will. The important question, though, is have you inherited these problems, or just the bad habits that cause them? Remember that your family doctor can give you valuable advice here, together with making the positive changes that have already been recommended on these pages. There are several other factors that can influence the likelihood of heart disease, like age, gender, race, diabetes, and may be out of your control. However, realising that they exist will make you more aware of possible risks when assessing your own situation.