My mom had a heart attack...now what?

My mother went for a EKG , it showed irregularities so the Doc sent her for a stress test. It turns out that she had a heart attack at some point. We have no idea when...the only we know is that it was aleast 6 months ago and that it damaged the front of her heart. The doc has now set her up to get a Cardiac Catherization. She is only going to be 47 this year. Can someone please tell me what to expect and anything that they might know about heart attacks. My mother had no idea she had a heart attack. She only got the EKG because the doc wanted her to lose some weight and he wanted to give her pills. Shes not obese or anything like that..she only needs to loose about 20lbs.

How can someone have a heart attack and not even know it? Is it better to have had the heart attack 10 years ago or 2 years ago? I am very scared and confused. I need someone to break this all down for me so I can deal with it...thank you!

Hey...Try not to be too worried at this point. First, the EKG is not a definate answer that your mom had a heart attack. Second, a stress test is a good indicator of possible blockages, but stress tests espically on women show that they may have blockages but many times read "false positive". That means it says they may have blockages, but in fact their heart arteries are clear or negative.

The heart cath will give definitive proof that your mom did or did not have a heart attack and that she did or did not have damage to her heart.

When your mom has a heart cath, and if it shows blockage. One...a stent can be put in to fix it (if the blockage is suitable for stenting). If she has multiple blockages (too many to put stents into), the doctor can suggest by-pass surgery. From what you say....no symptoms....that sounds unlikely. Third...your mom could have mild blockages (not tight enough to stent and not very severe) that the doctor can treat with heart medications, and monitor her. Fourth, the heart cath could be completely normal (the false-positive thing mentioned above).

Try not to worry too much. Heart technology has come such a long way in the past 35 years. There are treatments that can be done for your mom that can fix, maintain, and control many heart problems. About 40 years ago anyone with heart disease was put into a Cardiac Care Unit. The treatment was rest. Now there are wonderful drugs, miraculous treatments and skilled cardiologists that can "make things better" with the patient's cooperation. I hope this helps you to feel better. If you have any more questions, please e-mail me.

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don't worry about the past worry about how to help her in the future

The doctors should be able to help her...does she have high cholesterol? If so, she needs to get it lowered by eating right and exercising. Does she smoke? If so, she needs to stop...NOW. Does she have high blood pressure? If so, there are medications that can help control that. There are also medications that are blood thinners that help prevent heart attacks.

The same occur to my father a couple of years ago. The doctor say the EKG show he had a little heart attack, my father is diabetic and think is only a low sugar episode.My father eat more hearty, walk 30 min a day, take an aspirin daily. The event of the attack don't occur again and he lost the 15 of overweight.Is she take care the life is possible to return to the normal.
Good luck

My source is myself, I had a lot of pain in my chest 4 times to be direct. first 3 they said it was stress, I took a ambulance all four times,. My last one my pain come and go for 2 days I went to the hospital, had it check, they sent me home, later that day I went back and they tried to put stints in me. I had to have 6 bypasses, which they take the vein out of your lower leg. I was heavy, over weight ab out 50 lbs. They sent me to classes on how to eat right, no carbs or fats. I have lost the weight now and feel great. but I have congestive heart failure, which I have to be sure and take my meds and not to drink alchol. Just help your mother keep on her right diet and do a lot of walking

Your mother had a silent heart attack. These are the ones that I find to be the most dangerous. However, when people sit and think back to the time there doctor thinks most likely, they tend to remember some out of the ordinary discomfort or extremely stressful time. The cath will help them find the blockage and determine if they need to stint it or bypass it. They will check for high cholesterol and lipids. They will probally give her meds to help her blood thin so that it will flow better thru clogged arteries. If she has a high fat diet, then make sure she changes that right away. She needs low sodium, low fat. Not very enjoyable but very important. She will need exercise approved by her doctor. She will need love and support and most of all prayers to help her thru the doubt and confusion.

Heart disease in women is not usually as obvious as in men, so heart problems can easily go unnoticed. Now that your mom is being treated for heart problems, her risk of another heart attack is lower now than it has been for probably a long time. Medications to reduce blood pressure work almost immediately - which substantially reduces heart attack risk, and statins that reduce build-up of cholesterol in the arteries start gradually unclogging the arteries over several months or more.

Whether she had the attack a year ago or 10 years ago has no bearing on the risk today, what matters is whether or not the factors that caused the heart attack have changed (which they probably have because of the medication). There is always a chance that she could have another heart attack, but the risk should continue to drop if the medication and other things work as intended. Ironically, many people that experience a minor heart attack end up becoming more healthy and physically fit afterwards because the whole thing is so scary.

People with heart disease need to change their lifestyle to prevent another attack, and changing life-long habits is not easy to do. Changes in diet and exercise are very important. What you can do to help your mom is to look closely at the nutrition labels on the food you are eating, and try to eliminate foods that have saturated fat, trans-fat and cholesterol. Experiment with cooking healthy meals that might also be fun to try. You might also help her maintain an exercise program by taking walks together each day.

The American Heart Association has all sorts of info on diet and exercise to reduce heart attack risk.

"Heart Attack" is a general term referring to heart damage caused by 4 different causes. She may have been asymptomatic because the Heart Attack was located in the front of the heart, or because it was a VERY minor one. Or she thought it was gas or heartburn. Or she was sleeping.
What has happened is that some of the cells in a small area in the front of her heart have died. As heart cells are muscle cells, they never divide or reproduce, and so the body has no mechanism to repair this damage.
The next step is to determine which cause led to it, and whether or not she is at risk for another. Then, the Doctor will prescribe measures to prevent, or reduce the likelihood, of another attack. This may include medications to lower anxiety, reduce blood pressure, prevent the formation of clots, and to strengthen the walls of blood vessels. A diuretic--a drug to make her urinate--may be prescribed, to reduce the workload on her heart.
As general measures, she should take low dose aspirin (81 mg) every day from now on...eat more green stuff and cut out anything with bubbles or caffeine. She should drink more water--UNLESS her doctor specifies an amount of water and other beverages per day. She should get light exercise every other day.
YOU should learn Community CPR; Professional CPR would be better. Others in contact with her should also learn CPR. Prompt, effective CPR is ALWAYS the best chance for a person who is having a Heart Attack.