Author Topic: Walking After Heart Attak  (Read 1205 times)

Marianne

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Walking After Heart Attak
« on: 09:40:40, 20/03/21 »
Anyone here resumed medium sized walks (6-10miles) after a heart attack to include hills? Thanks!

shortwalker

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Re: Walking After Heart Attak
« Reply #1 on: 10:09:04, 20/03/21 »
I found it as much about confidence as anything else. It took me a while to feel confident walking anywhere by myself.


Physically I found the post heart attack physio more of a strain them any walk.


But we are all different, and how we recover varies a lot.


It is a dodgy knee that limits my walks, not my heart.
Let your soul and spirit fly Into the mystic.

Van Morrison

Marianne

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Re: Walking After Heart Attak
« Reply #2 on: 10:32:27, 20/03/21 »
Thanks Shortwalker. I can understand confidence being a stumbling block! I initially wrote a fuller post but for some reason the site wouldn’t accept it - but in short, it was my husband who suffered the severe heart attack four weeks ago. He’s progressing well, has had four stents inserted and will need to take pills indefinitely. He has also suffered some permanent damage ... but we have always loved walking and just wondered if anyone has suffered a similar problem and managed to get those boots and rucksacks on again to tootle around the Peak District or such like.... a slow process I understand, but can it be achieved? We’re in our seventies so need to be realistic I guess 👍😊

jimbob

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Re: Walking After Heart Attak
« Reply #3 on: 11:42:34, 20/03/21 »
Marianne, it's all down to getting the correct information and building confidence.
Get in touch with the GP practice or even the cardiologist who treated your husband, insist that he goes on  cardiac physiotherapy course. There you get hooked up to heart monitors and they put you through your paces, that us to suit the actual condition. They also give diet advice, not so much for losing weight but for heart health and advise on your iwn targets. They got me doing all sorts of things, all of which were  sensible. Then my target for daily personal exercise was gradually stepped up from a mile a day to 4 miles a day, which I can do very easily now. I have had big set backs along the way due to loss of blood pressure when my heart stops beating, but a pacemaker has sorted that out.  I have walked some very long distances now.
All thanks to those physios. (As well as the surgeons, of course).

So, correct exercise for the condition plus loads of targeted advice is hugely helpful, then it's a case of building up confidence in himself.
By the way loads of GP practices actually host local walking exercise clubs, maybe yours does.

 

Too little, too late, too bad......

barewirewalker

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Re: Walking After Heart Attak
« Reply #4 on: 11:58:04, 20/03/21 »
Hi Marianne,
I had a heart attack about 6 years ago, then had a stent fitted and was told by the Consultant to get out and not stint on the exercise. After building up the distance over a few weeks we found ourselves in one of our favourite locations where there are plenty of liberties to be taken with the terrain and those green dot that command your direction. Towards the end of 7-8 miles, a simple linking of the possible ways found us in a deep ravine with some very high trees. I jokingly said the air ambulance would find this a bit of a tricky problem, Mrs BWW was starting to get a bit stressed, but I realised that I was coping with terrain better than I would have over the 2 years running up to my heart attack.
One of the advantages of walking with a trained acute surgical nurse, are my symptoms are being closely monitored. On this occasion it was accepted that I was was well capable of getting us out of the situation bought on by curiosity for interesting terrain. I am slowing up a bit now, but I am glad for those few extra years.


The day before yesterday I walked 6 miles comfortable, once we are out lockdown hope to start building up on that.
BWW
Their Land is in Our Country.

Jac

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Re: Walking After Heart Attak
« Reply #5 on: 14:35:14, 20/03/21 »
In 2009 my walking partner had a heart attack resulting in three stents being fitted. Within a month he was back walking on the southwest coat path and in 2010 we completed our final stage over 5 days walking and wild camping from Swyre to Wareham which included the very steep ups and downs around Lulworth and the steps up to St Adhelms head.
Since then we've trekked in the Alpujarras, Alps, Pirin, Tatry and Kackar mountains and completed the Pembrokeshire coast path and Wessex Ridgeway.

He has just this month turned 80 so though he has some excuse for being a little slower as we're never in a hurry, taking time to enjoy the countryside, regularly walks up to 12 miles locally with plenty of hills - not many flat options in Devon.

As others have said. are different causes of heart attacks, different treatments and medications and different people will have varying recovery times but it certainly does not necessarily mean an end to walking adventures. Try not to be too anxious. I have now stopped asking him every five minutes if he feels ok, stopped looking for problems and worrying every time he is lagging behind only to find he's stopped for photograph something or I can't see him because he's popped behind a tree!  I hope will soon feel confident too.
« Last Edit: 14:43:49, 20/03/21 by Jac »
So many paths yet to walk, so little time left

Skip

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Re: Walking After Heart Attak
« Reply #6 on: 14:51:31, 20/03/21 »
That's a really uplifting post Jac   :)
Skip

Marianne

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Re: Walking After Heart Attack
« Reply #7 on: 15:31:07, 20/03/21 »
Wow! Thanks for such good posts - and Jac, that was most uplifting  O0  The rehab physio usually available at the hospital would have been a great help, but right now it's not running due to Covid - though there is a phone number if we have any concerns, and the British Heart Foundation also offer online support. Even our GP is still virtually inaccessible - which is why I figured this site - plus the BHF site, including their forum, might keep us informed. As acting 'Matron Marianne' I have taken on the advisory role for diet, exercise and care with the help of research and wise words - such as your own. It's a learning curve but softly softly I feel cautiously optimistic and am certainly learning loads!


Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Walking After Heart Attak
« Reply #8 on: 18:13:53, 20/03/21 »
A relative of mine, a very keen regular walker, had a quadruple heart bypass at the Heath hospital in Cardiff, back in 1993.
He took things very gently for the first few months, but found that the regular gentle exercise, benefitted his recovery, and the Lord only called it a day, when he was aged 93, so a good innings.


By what i can remember, he was not afraid, or overwhelmed by his sudden serious illness, actually he was over eager to return to his hillwalking, but was advised by the hospital, to take it easy, and gently ease himself back into full health.

The majority of us, are not physically active, you only have to look at the girth of most people, to realise this.

Any form of exercise is beneficial to ones health, and i very much doubt any Gp would discourage a gentle return to regular exercise, after a heart attack.

Just use a bit of common sense, and slowly return to walking.

Just imagine how many people, who once they have a heart attack, either a major or minor one, feel scared or apprehensive of returning to a past time as beneficial as hill walking.

Seek professional advice, but moderate exercise is encouraged by the majority of health experts, its just how you go about it.
« Last Edit: 18:22:00, 20/03/21 by Dyffryn Ardudwy »

Casual Ambler

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Re: Walking After Heart Attak
« Reply #9 on: 20:04:14, 20/03/21 »
I always considered myself fit and healthy was a keen swimmer  always a bike rider. So when I started getting out of breath on several rides and getting a bit sweaty after climbing up the flights of stairs I just put it down to being a bit unfit after a lazy winter. The subsequent heart attack was a bit of a surprise at 46!  I only had two stents in the same location. When I enquired as to the severity of the MI the consultant told me they don't consider them as mild or severe they just get treated all the same.
It's unfortunate you don't have the rehabilitation facilities available because they are superb, very supportive and just bloody good at their jobs (which goes for all the interactions I had within the NHS)


I did struggle for the first few months with the different drugs and the twinges and niggles I felt and you end up thinking is that going to be another one. My consultant did tell me I wouldn't have another one so that did help but the angina was still rather unpleasant. It didn't help that I pushed too hard at times and suffered some setbacks which knocks your confidence a bit. Walking was a huge part of the rehab and the hills around Torquay were a definite challenge!  It wasn't always obvious when I'd pushed too hard because the angina didn't kick in until several hours later which was very annoying and made sleeping difficult at times. ( you'd suddenly be wide awake after a big twinge that would make you get up and walk around just to calm yourself down)  Always have your gtn spray with you it REALLY helps.


Your husband has to get used to the drugs and will possibly end up changing one or two before it settles down. He'll  have to change his diet to a Mediterranean one ( I thought I ate healthily but the rehab nurse put me straight on that, too much hidden salt apparently)
If you can get your head around the fact you've had the heart attack, it's been fixed and you WILL recover then within 6 months you'll be back doing pretty much what you did before if not more. A positive mental attitude is imperative even when you suffer minor setbacks.


You're over the worst and it does get better and easier, good luck.
« Last Edit: 20:08:46, 20/03/21 by Casual Ambler »
quod tibi non vis fieri, alteri ne feceris

tomjackliam

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Re: Walking After Heart Attak
« Reply #10 on: 23:02:55, 23/03/21 »
Anyone here resumed medium sized walks (6-10miles) after a heart attack to include hills? Thanks!
Hi Marianne sorry to read your thread and hopefully my experience will allay some of the fears you have.
Last year I was diagnosed with having LVSD. Which is Left Ventricle ? Disease and being a keen Walker and Cyclists I asked the Cardiologist whether I can continue to do both. He said that I could but not to exert myself too much. So that would be my advice to your husband as well. Best wishes to you both.

 

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