Are you at your first heart attack?

If you are at your first heart attack, no doubt you have a lot of questions regarding this condition. It's normally to be scared and to search for more information. I'm sure you already found many sites that give you advices and try to help you understand the heart attack (or myocardial infarction, which is basically the same thing).

Ok, so, if you are a heart attack survivor, than consider you to be a lucky one - only in United States each 20 seconds a person's dying because of a heart attack. Once you are diagnosed with a heart attack, after several tests (ECG, Radionuclide ventriculograpy). Many of them aren't painful, but very informational for medical staff - the most important problem is to establish the period of time between the occurrence and treatment, and, also, to understand what area of the myocardium are affected and which consequences may follow.

After the hospital discharge the treatment is not finished. You'll take special medication that will prevent you from a secondary heart attack, or other heart diseases, that may occur as complications to the first myocardial infarction you suffered. This include nitrates, anticoagulants and more medication that will prevent a secondary attack of heart attack

Many ask if they are allowed to exercise after the hospital discharge. Ok, today cardiologists incline more and more to believe that it is necessary to not force the patient to the bed regimen and to encourage them to start moving and continue their daily activities as they did before the heart attack, just with some reservations and with less effort.

The rate of visits to your doctor will depend mainly of the evolution and the recovery process. Your cardiologist will monitor not only your post/infarction evolution, but also your organism's reactions to medicine and all the vital signs such as blood pressure, and heartbeats. If discharged at home and feel some symptoms of a remittent heart attack or some signs that indicate you that a secondary myocardial infarction may occur, this is an absolute emergency and you should call your doctor immediately or ask someone to do this.

Some recomendations

I would recommend avoiding living alone this period, after a heart attack. You'll feel safer if one of you relatives will help you during the recovery with the household duties and stay close in case of something.
Also, always have aspirin at you and if you have a cell phone, keep it in your pocket. Almost all new models of mobile phones have the possibility to set emergency numbers that you can dial only by pressing one the 1 to 9 buttons, and not scrolling down through all the numbers. This may be very useful - set the emergency number as first and you'll be sure that in case of what, you'll dial with the emergency service in seconds.

Updated: March, 25 2008 20:28:02

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