“Is it normal to feel exhausted after a heart attack?”
I am a 52 year old female. I had a heart attack 3 months ago. I feel very tired. Is it normal to feel exhausted after a heart attack?
1 Answer
It can be part of the normal convalescent stage. It usually is multifactorial in that a heart attack can cause heart muscle damage and depending on the amount of muscle damage can bring about fatigue and feelings of feeling exhausted. Make sure you understand and know the number called “ejection fraction” % of your heart. This is a number that quantifies the amount of blood ejected from your heart after each contraction. The normal ejection fraction percent is 55- 70% signifying that 55-70% of blood that is in your main chamber of the heart is pumped throughout the body after each contráction. If this is damaged through a heart attack that could be a cause of feeling exhausted. Additionally, many people have new medications that are prescribed for heart projection that are aimed at lowering the blood pressure and blocking certain type of hormones (norepinephrine, epinephrine, etc) that can cause damage to the injured heart muscle. These medications will helpful and needed after a heart attack can temporarily make one feel tired and
Exhausted. Eventually this subsides and a patient will get used to the medications. One last issue that is often not addressed is the entirely normal feeling of depression, anxiety, and stress that arises after a heart attack. One is suddenly a “heart patient”’and this can be a cause of depression. There are brain chemistry changes that occur after a heart attack and feeling “blue” or having sleep disturbances can occur contributing to one feeling tired or exhausted. The good thing is that with good medical care and compliance with medication and self in involvement with disciplined good nutrition and daily exercise 5 days a week (45 minutes) one can lead a normal life span and make a full recovery. Open and close discussions with ones primary care provider and cardiologist are paramount to maximize one’s clinical function and to be able to make changes to therapy should there be untoward side effects, etc.
I hope this answer was helpful.
Joel R. Garcia, M.D, F.AC.C.
Exhausted. Eventually this subsides and a patient will get used to the medications. One last issue that is often not addressed is the entirely normal feeling of depression, anxiety, and stress that arises after a heart attack. One is suddenly a “heart patient”’and this can be a cause of depression. There are brain chemistry changes that occur after a heart attack and feeling “blue” or having sleep disturbances can occur contributing to one feeling tired or exhausted. The good thing is that with good medical care and compliance with medication and self in involvement with disciplined good nutrition and daily exercise 5 days a week (45 minutes) one can lead a normal life span and make a full recovery. Open and close discussions with ones primary care provider and cardiologist are paramount to maximize one’s clinical function and to be able to make changes to therapy should there be untoward side effects, etc.
I hope this answer was helpful.
Joel R. Garcia, M.D, F.AC.C.
