You’ve survived
a heart attack.
Now it’s time to get back on the
road to a healthy life and to do
all you can to avoid more heart
problems.
“A heart attack changes
everything,” says Alecia Hylton,
MD, internal medicine provider at
Memorial Health Center (Medford).
“It changes how you feel about
yourself and your relationships
with others, and it changes your
lifestyle.”
It’s important to acknowledge
this, she says, and to realize that
these changes can pave the path to
recovery.
Changes ahead
Lifestyle changes are crucial after
a heart attack, Dr. Hylton says. You
will need to:
➜
Avoid tobacco.
➜
Become more active.
➜
Choose
good nutrition.
Quitting smoking is often
Rehab for a
healing heart
A heart attack can bring changes that
can seem overwhelming, especially if
you’re still coming to grips with the fact
that you had a heart attack in the frst
place.
Enrolling in a cardiac rehabilitation
program can help.
Cardiac rehab is a medically super-
vised program of recovery for people
with serious heart problems. It wraps all
the pieces of better heart health together
into one package.
Research has found that cardiac rehab
can reduce the risk for future heart
problems. It also can give you added
confdence and independence at a crucial
time in your life.
Call
715-748-8187
for information
about Memorial Health Center’s Cardiac
Rehab program.
American Heart Association
the biggest
challenge,
Dr. Hylton
says. But if it’s
too hard to
quit smoking
at this time,
try to cut back
on how much
you smoke and
focus on other
changes, such
as adjustments to your diet and
exercise habits.
You can expect to take new
medications after a heart attack.
Tey may prevent blood clots,
lower cholesterol and reduce the
workload on your heart. It’s crucial
to take all of them as directed.
But the new routine of daily
pills can exaggerate feelings of
lost confdence in your body and
health. It’s a reason depression is so
common after a heart attack.
After a heart attack:
Changes for
the better
After being diagnosed with heart disease
in 2005, Robert Horenberger, of Medford,
committed to staying active so he could
continue to enjoy outdoor activities. Here
he’s shown with a mule deer shed antler he
found during an early September elk hunt
out west.
Don’t hesitate to let your doctor
know if you feel depressed. It might
help to talk with a counselor. You
might also fnd valuable support in
Memorial Health Center’s cardiac
rehabilitation program.
A heart attack can cause stress
at home too—shaking up emotions
and family roles. For instance, it can
be upsetting when a woman has a
heart attack and her husband takes
up her caretaking role.
On the other hand, a man who’s
had a heart attack may begin
resenting a wife who reminds him
to take his pills and who monitors
his diet. A spouse can suddenly seem
less of a helpmate and more of a nag.
“Try to remember that your
partner is acting out of love,”
Dr. Hylton says. “And consider
asking your doctor about family
counseling.”
American College of Cardiology; National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute
Alecia Hylton,
MD
Well
aware
•
Memorial Health Center
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