Any advice? Any words of wisdom or encouragement?
Listen to your Dr. I know they use the walking up the stairs without getting winded standard for bedroom activity. Maybe the same standard?
I would say it depends on what kind of heart attack and what consequences you had from that.
I had a heart attack six years ago, from a birth defect no one knew I had.
Took two weeks and sending me off to Dallas for tests to figure what happened and what to do for it.
Once back to riding, when a horse acted up a little and we got thru it, then I was out of breath for a minute or two and then was fine.
It took long for that to go away and still have today some of that shortness of breath when exerting in a hurry.
I say each person is a bit different and, depending on what kind of residual effect from the heart attack you are left, I have an arrhythmia from it and the medications you may have to take, that will determine what you can do and how soon.
I always thought a heart attack would be this dramatic clutching of the chest and a sharp pain. Mine was quite calm actually and happened after I had to get after a spoiled horse at work that had gotten away with a few shots for a few years and thought he was the sh*ts! After going a round or two with him I could not catch my breath and started to sweat profusely (but it was a 95 degree day too).
I felt a lot better once at home and then I got a cold that just hung in my chest. After a chest X-Ray I was admitted with congestive heart failure. Had the test where they put a tube in the groin through the artery and shoot dye in the heart.
Found out I have mild damage to the heart and 2 arteries that are blocked by 30%. I feel very fortunate and now am on meds. I still have a shortness of breath but this happened last week. I wonder if I’ll my breathing will get stronger. I am diabetic by the way. All questions for my doctor I guess.
It is good to see others that have gotten back to riding and I appreciate you girls taking the time to reply. Thanks so much.
I was at the local horse sale, where we get together with friends to visit once in a while and look at horses.
We just had lunch and were talking and I was feeling like something I ate was not agreeing with me, getting nauseated, so excused myself and was going home.
While driving by the hospital, I was getting so sick, had a terrible headache and sweating buckets, so stopped there and it was a heart attack.
I also had a cardiac catheterization, which showed perfectly clean arteries, but one main artery was missing and part of my heart never had sufficient blood all those years, that catching up now with getting older.
Thankfully, there was little damage done, other than the arrhythmia, but I still do get short of breath easily now.
I hope yours was caught also early and they could help you not have any other side effects.
They told me that if I didn’t have another heart attack in the next 3-4 months, I should be fine then.
I just had a checkup and all the blood work was fine, so no medication for that, other than for the missing beats.
Ask your doctors what they think, each person is different.
If you had blockages, you may have high cholesterol numbers and need medication for that.
None of this, controlled diabetes and heart trouble, should keep you from riding, really, but let your doctors tell you.
Generally, other types of health problems are what keeps people off horses.
I was riding right after that, just can’t exert as much as I used to, so have to take it easy now.
Bluey:
You are one fortunate girl! So glad you caught things quickly and pulled into the hospital when you did. Now that I realize that the signs could be just that simple I would be more aware.
Yes they said I could ride and do as I did before but I was thinking they might just be tellinf me that to keep me from freaking out. LOL!
I have been on high blood pressure meds and colestrol meds along with the diabetic meds and now heart meds. The diabetes never slowed me down but I was worried that the heart thing would,
You have been very encouraging. I have a doctors appt in a few days and will have a bunch of questions for her. Thanks again.
One of the most important things your Doctor can do for you, assuming your local hospital has such a program, is get you enrolled in a cardiac rehab program. That will help you regain/attain/maintain fitness. Because it is Doctor ordered, and medically supervised, most insurance companies pay for it.
Jeanie (an aortic valve replacement success story)
Thanks Jeanie I’ll certainly look into this.
