The Student Room Group

Dads heart

hey there

so last week, my dad had a heart attack on sunday morning, and got rushed into hospital. (he also had a heart attack 20years ago so this was his 2nd)
Thankfully hes ok, and is back home now, he cam home on friday, but i cant stop thinking that hes gona have another one, im so scared. I cant sleep at night properly and have to keep checking on him through the night. Everytime i see his hand anywhere near his chest i think hes got pain when he hasnt.
I just cant stop thinking how lucky he was to get through a 2nd heart attack and live, and mayne that next time he wont be so lucky. I so scared for him, hes making a better lifestyle, hes gona lose a bit of weight (hes not too big anyway), hes quit the smokes, and is gona exercise. But im stil so so scared :frown:

xxx
Reply 1
oops sorry, knocked it onto anon
Reply 2
i'm sorry to hear that. my granddad and my uncle had a heart attack also before. there's nothing you can actually do for him except spend more time with him and pray for him. be brave..your dad needs you even though he won't show it. if you stay close to him, he'll know you're there for him. =)
Reply 3
i know. But surely me worrying will make him worry. He doesnt know how scared i am about this. Thanks for repliying
Reply 4
Sorry to hear that. :hugs:

A 3rd might be fatal, yes. Only thing he can do is do everything slower, being careful, eat and rest well... Don't think about it all the time. :smile: Anyone could die at any moment, makes you crazy if you keep thinking about it.
Reply 5
You have to try and not think about it so much. Maybe if you spoke to someone about it they could put your mind to rest a bit :smile:
Sorry to hear about that.

One thing to remember is quite a lot of people have heart attacks once or twice and never have them again - indeed they have a lot to do with lifestyle and having one does not necessarily mean you will have another.

Try and find someone you can trust to talk to to discuss your concerns.

I think one of the best things you can do for your father - apart from positively encouraging a change in lifestyle - is to try to make his life just as happy, normal and day-to-day as possible.

Good luck and take care
Reply 7
thanks for all the advice, i know someone i can talk to that i trust, that may well help. I agree with you;s, i just need to somehow cope with it all, i mean hes alot healthier now ..and hopefully it will carry on, i know hes ded cert that hes gona be heathier :smile:

Thankg you guys
Anonymous
hey there

so last week, my dad had a heart attack on sunday morning, and got rushed into hospital. (he also had a heart attack 20years ago so this was his 2nd)
Thankfully hes ok, and is back home now, he cam home on friday, but i cant stop thinking that hes gona have another one, im so scared. I cant sleep at night properly and have to keep checking on him through the night. Everytime i see his hand anywhere near his chest i think hes got pain when he hasnt.
I just cant stop thinking how lucky he was to get through a 2nd heart attack and live, and mayne that next time he wont be so lucky. I so scared for him, hes making a better lifestyle, hes gona lose a bit of weight (hes not too big anyway), hes quit the smokes, and is gona exercise. But im stil so so scared :frown:

xxx


I know how you are feeling at the moment :frown: - It's the same with my granda he took stroke after stroke and had ended up totally dependent on others. We have to stay during the night and no one can sleep because they are too worried to sleep. I go up during the day sometimes but with school I can't :frown: But I really know how you feel :hugs: I'm scared for my granda as well because it would be the first major death to happen to me and I need him here not anywhere else because we're so close :frown:
Reply 9
sorry to hear that Tammy. Its horrible you dont think about it happening to anybody in your family till it actually does.
you have to be brave and show your dad that you've got the courage and determination and love to support him through his recovery. dont show him that you're worried cause it might stress him out, which might not be too good at this moment. Be supportive, thats all you can do. And if he gets depressed or anything, make sure you liven his spirits; help him with his diet, encourage him if he ever feels the temptation to smoke again etc
hope he gets better very quickly and try not to worry so much x
CassieCoo
sorry to hear that Tammy. Its horrible you dont think about it happening to anybody in your family till it actually does.


Yeah i know what you mean exactly and thanks cassie :smile: :hugs:
I sorta know what you're worried about. My dad has suffered 2 major head injuries (1 technically fatal), and has had 2 strokes.

When he had one head injury, he stroked on the operating table, and his heart fully stopped for a time, and just pulled through, then when recovering, he stroked again and his heart suffered quite a bit of damage then.

He keeps going though, and he sits at the base station when I'm snowboarding, and he'll go sledding and dog-sledding with me easily enough.


From my experience, is if he was in good health before hand, with a strong heart, he should be OK.

I also have a mate who's dad was stabbed straight through the heart with a screwdriver (for a frickin leather bag :eek: ) and he's fine.

With any medical condition, it all depends on the individual. I hope that your dad doesn't have another one, but at least they were a while apart.
Reply 13
My dad collapsed in a bar and i spent ages checking up on him through the night, thankfully his operation to put a stint in was a success and his lifestyle has changed so much. He isnt even fat, its all cus he smoked.
Reply 14
having a happy family life will do wonders so make sure you make him proud in everything you do. not getting stressed is important too.

quitting smoking will also add years to his life.

even fairly simple increases in exercise like walking to the shops more often will be good too.

he doesnt need to become a health and fitness freak. if he improves his lifestyle a bit you'll probably not need to worry.

im only just into my 20's but im already worried about my diet and lack of exercise in the last few years. i dont know anyone else my age whos even thought about their health - indeed most people i see are actively ruining their health.

planning to sort that out once i finally get my education finished and can get a job. then i'll have enough cash to join a good gym and afford better food for myself.
He might want to think very carefully about excercising...usually its not a great idea for heart patients to be leaping and bounding around.

Someone already said it, they need to put their life down a gear and take everything slightly slower. maybe go on holiday (someone in the UK so you drive and not go on planes) and make sure he relaxes and stuff?
Reply 16
It sounds like your dad is taking the health advice he has had seriously which is good. It is important that you try not to get to stressed about it (i know that this is easier said than done) if you feel the need to talk to some maybe go and see a councillor of some type who can talk through your feelings about your situation, i went to see a psychologist a few years back because of stress and worry that I had about a number of issues including my mums illness and it really helped. Just try and talk to you dad and support him through this difficult time, make sure he is doing what the doctors advice and that is really the best that you can do, hopefully things will improve. But whatever you do don't keep these feeling bottled in.
Reply 17
thanks for all your advice, i actually had a better nights sleep last night, and i talk to my "agony aunt" about it. And as you lot say, aslong as he keeps to his health advice, hel be OK.

So thanks you guys

Cass xx