Dealing with Depression, Anxiety and Panic Attacks after a Heart Attack

The recovery process after a heart attack varies from person to person. How people deal with the "ups and downs" during this period is not the same for everyone.

For me, I found rediscovering an old hobby, photography, went a long way to helping me deal with depression, anxiety and panic attacks. I talk about this when I give talks at our local cardiac rehab group which is what I did just a couple of days ago at my first presentation for 2016.

Depression and anxiety after a heart attack is not uncommon and but talking about it is something people are usually reluctant to do. My raising these issues from the standpoint of someone who has been through the process usually is the stepping-stone for some present to open up and talk about what is bothering them as they start their road to recovery after their heart event.

I usually start the discussion off along the lines that it was rediscovering photography that helped me deal with many months of depression and anxiety after my heart attack and bypass surgery in 2007. I explain that at the time of my heart attack my wife was involved in looking after injured wildlife and that now, having free time on my hands, I soon started helping my wife. I go on to explain that where we live we have lots of wildlife that visit us daily and that picking up a camera and starting to take photos soon became a daily activity.

A few years ago I created a Facebook page where I could feature some of my photos where I continue to feature photos of various wildlife that visit us where we live in the Gold Coast hinterland in Queensland, Australia - https://www.facebook.com/Wildlifeinnerang/

In my talks I suggest to people that their recovery period is an opportunity for them to rediscover or pick up a hobby that maybe they have not thought about for years be it knitting, gardening, cooking, tennis, golf, swimming, etc.

Having introduced the topic at last Thursday’s talk, two people present told how cooking has become an important part of their lives and another person talked about getting involved in designing.

In my talk on Thursday I added that in addition to my photography which I am still passionately involved in, a second activity I undertake on a daily basis is walking (exercise). Not only does it help me with my diabetes (and my heart) whenever I feel “down” or an episode of depression coming, I explained to the group that simply going for a walk usually helps me deal with the issue.

Five Things You Should Know About Delayed Healing and Diabetes

There are many things you have to worry about when you live with diabetes, such as being unable to heal properly.

Courtesy:  Information About Diabetes

Don't let a small scrape or sore turn into a serious concern.

Here are five things you should know about delayed healing and preventing infection.

1. Poor Circulation

High blood sugar levels can harden the arteries and cause blood vessels to become narrow. If this happens, it can lead to decreased oxygen and blood flow to a wound. A wound that does not receive enough nutrients and oxygen will heal much slower than normal.

High blood sugar levels can also negatively affect how red blood cells carry nutrients to tissues, especially in the lower extremities, such as the feet. When sugar levels are high, white blood cells are not able to fight infection as efficiently as they should.

2. Neuropathy

When blood sugar levels are not controlled, the nerves in the body can become affected, which can result in a loss of sensation. This is called diabetic neuropathy, and it is another important risk that diabetics must keep in mind when dealing with injuries, as wounds can often go untreated or ignored because the awareness of pain has changed or been lost. Patients will not feel when a blister, infection or surgery wound has become a problem.

3. Ischemia

Ischemia occurs when there is short supply of blood to body tissues. Ischaemic ulcers can often be the result of ill-fitting shoes and generally happen where the foot and the shoe make contact. One example is at the tip of the big toe or underneath the toe nails. Wounds like these may worsen with pressure and develop a pale discoloration and reddening.

4. The Immune System

When blood sugar levels are high, the immune system is not able to protect or repair the body like it should, which raises the danger of infection. Studies have shown that certain enzymes and hormones that the body produces as a response to high blood sugar levels may be responsible for negatively impacting the immune system.

5. Obesity

Obesity, which is often associated with type 2 diabetes, can also have a negative effect on healing. One of the reasons why obesity can undermine the healing process is because fatty tissue does not have all of the nutrients that the blood cells need in order to recover.

How to Prevent Infection and Improve Healing Time

Maintain a healthful diet full of nutrients that help you regulate your blood sugar levels. Make sure your diet is full of essential vitamins, such as vitamin C, which help with the healing process.

Be aware of your body and check for open wounds and pressure points, especially on your feet. Keep an eye out for signs of infection and contact your doctor if the wound does not appear to heal.

Maintaining a regular exercise routine can help to lower blood sugar levels, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce chronic inflammation. It may also help with cardiovascular health, which is important for maintaining good circulation for the healing of existing wounds and can help prevent future ones as well.

Sources: WoundCareCenters.org and NursingTimes.net

The Need to Exercise

I posted this on April 21, 2012 as a 'note' on my Facebook page and feel this is as relevant today as it was two and a half years ago when I first posted it.

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Having checked my weight earlier this week and seeing it had blown out to 100.8kg I realised I needed to do something, and do it soon, about my weight gain in recent months.

At the time of my heart attack in July, 2007 my weight was around 95kg and thru diet and exercise changes after my bypass, I was able to get it down to 85-87kg and was able to keep it at that level until early in 2011 when I started on insulin due to my diabetes worsening.

Within 2-3 months I was back up to 90kg and in July, 2011 I started on a second insulin. By October/November, 2011 my weight was back up to 95+kg, my heart attack level.

When I queried my weight gain at one of my regular reviews at the diabetes clinic at our local hospital I was advised that insulin can result in weight gain – would have been nice to have been told this when I started on insulin, not months later.

And during the period since starting on insulin, my diet and exercise regime had not changed – in fact, when I noticed my weight was increasing shortly after commencing on insulin and before being told insulin could cause weight gain, I had increased my daily walking from 30 mins a day to 30+ mins twice daily but still the weight kept increasing.

About two months ago, I had an issue with my left heel. When I saw my podiatrist he commented that more than likely it was something called 'plantar fasciitis' and the best thing for this was to rest the foot and do some heel exercises which he gave me. Dutifully I did this, the pain was excruciating at times making it very hard indeed to walk on and resulting in my needing to take a pain killer like Tramadol. So for a couple of weeks I did very little walking and then slowly started to do a bit more but without any vigour as the pain was still there.

Then early this week I weighed myself and found I was now over 100kg and I realised I needed to do something about this NOW!!!

When I came out of hospital after my heart attack and bypass surgery and after being given the all clear to start exercising, I pulled out a piece of exercise equipment I had not used for years called an Airofit Air Walker – it is very low impact and allows you to control how much energy you want to exert and the intensity of your time on the equipment.

Well I used that piece of equipment just about every day until around the end of 2010 when it literally fell apart so we discarded it and instead I started doing my 30 mins a day walking. So when my left foot started playing up I started looking on eBay and Gumtree and in our local paper for another Airofit Walker and yesterday we found a second hand one in very good condition for $20.00 – from memory we paid $199.00 for ours new in 2002.

Airofit Walker

Well talk about a duck taking to water, I jumped on board it yesterday afternoon and did 40+ mins and again this morning did another 30+ mins and had sweat pouring off me probably due to my lack of conditioning and my ‘fatness’. I am confident this equipment will help me get my weight back under control.

It is my intention to use this now twice a day for at least 30 mins a day with the aim of getting my weight back under 90kg within a month and maybe even back to around 85kg within 3 months – I will keep you posted on this.

I am hopeful that if I can do this, get my weight down with increased exercise then maybe my sugar levels will improve and then just maybe I might be able to reduce some of my diabetes meds – need to live with hope these days, don’t you?

However, whatever happens, I am sure that not only will l lose some weight and possibly tone my body a bit due to the variety of exercises you can do on this machine, but also I will feel better for improving my stamina and breathing.

As they say, exercising is an essential activity everyone should be doing daily, especially those of us with a heart condition and/or diabetes but sometimes what holds us back is finding an exercise program we enjoy. Finding my $20.00 walker is doing it for me, and maybe something similar could do it for you!!!

Since first posting this in April 2012, I have amended my exercise regime to that of mainly walking, 20-30 mins in the afternoon and a similar amount in the morning when I have the time. Today, November 30, 2014 I weigh 88.7kg but I need to mention my insulin dosage has been amended and I now take a second injectable medicine for my diabetes called Byetta which is known to be an aid in weight reduction - a nice side benefit when you are a bit overweight.