Ailments and Situations - Heart Attack - What to Expect

What to Expect:

A heart attack can be mild or severe. A mild heart attack, for the most part, involves only a small area of heart muscle that infarcts. A severe heart attack, which depends on the location of the blockage and the number of occlusions (blockages), involves a greater potion of heart tissue and is permanently damaging. Some people have collateral circulation, where certain parts of their hearts are supplied by two or more coronary arteries. Although this configuration can protect you from damage caused by an occlusion, most people's bodies are not equipped with collateral circulation.

Simply put, a heart attack is a vicious assault on your body. A part of your heart has been destroyed that can never be replaced. Your heart must then adapt -- not only to replace the dead tissue with scar tissue, but to learn how to circulate blood throughout your body with a smaller, weakened, pumping system. This usually takes about eight weeks, but in the meantime, your chances of going into heart failure are high. Heart failure occurs when your blood backs up and pools into your lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

As discussed earlier, a heart attack is most likely caused by atherosclerosis. If your arteries had restricted enough that a complete "clog" occurred, remember that your arteries remain diseased after the infarction. It is for this vital reason that you must drastically change your lifestyle and diet habits so that you can begin to reverse the course of the disease.

Emotionally, a heart attack is a very traumatic experience. After all, it is life-threatening. A sense of fear is normal, as you may suspect that it may reoccur, or that every single twinge in your body is a symptom of possible recurrence. Anger is also common. You may be angry that this happened to you and especially angry that you are a "burden" to your family and loved ones.

Depression is especially common for those who experience a heart attack. As a result of this assault on your body, you may think that your best days are behind you, amongst other worrisome ideas. Most people will experience mood swings and even more will experience an overall change in their emotional constitution -- the way they see the world around them. Although a heart attack is undoubtedly a life altering experience, many people use this opportunity to make the best of their situation, to make changes for the better.