My husband had a mild heart attack

[watercolors]

Three weeks ago my husband had a very mild heart attack. He had 100 % blockage in a very small artery. The doctor put a stent in. He is ok. I am so grateful.The doctor said it was non life threatening. My husband and I are counting our blessings. This has really caused major anxiety with me. He is only 52 years old. He has a family history of heart problems. We never thought this would start at such a young age. I am focusing on the positive as is he, however, I can tell he is scared. I don't blame him. I'm scared too.

I have been having a lot of pain in my shoulder and arm. I went to an orthopedic doctor who took x rays and did an ultrasound and diagnosed me with bursitis. He prescribed a course of steroids for the inflamation. I feel they are helping with the pain. My paranoia has kicked in. Usually when I go to a doctor and they diagnose me I accept it, but my mind is racing with "what if's'. What if the pain doesn't completely go away? What if I have to have a cortisone shot? What if that doesn't help? I cannot stop my mind from racing like this. I am on fluoxetine, am reading Claire Weekes' book. I have to rest my arm so I have a lot of energy from being so anxious.

[Fishmanpa]

I had my first heart attack and triple bypass in 2007 at 47. My 2nd heart attack and three stents in Oct. 2012. Diagnosed with Head and Neck cancer in Nov. 2012. My wife suffered a very rare serious form of encephalitis three years ago and has permanent cognitive issues.

Being concerned as you are, is perfectly normal when you or a loved one suffers a serious illness. To this day, when I get chest pain from Angina both my wife and I get concerned. To this day when my wife complains of a headache or exhibits a strange cognitive behavior, my mind immediately jumps to "Uh oh! Are you ok?". With anxiety, that makes it more challenging but that said, as time goes on and you both heal (and you will), it will become less and less of a distraction and you will adapt to the new normal.

As a side note concerning your shoulder.... My wife has arthritis in her hands (she makes jewelry so it exasperates the issue). Her hands sometimes swell and stiffen to the point she sometimes can't even straighten her fingers. The doctor said to take ibuprofen but she was taking it every 4-5 hours and often waking in the night to do so. I use CBD to help with my chronic pain so I went and got her some capsules. She took it 2X a day for two days and the swelling and pain disappeared. She now takes it once a day and hasn't had any swelling nor pain in over a month.

Positive thoughts

[watercolors]

God bless you and your wife. It is our new normal. I don't like it but I have to accept it. I don't know what to say...this anxiety is draining. Waking up every morning shaking, worrying about "made up" things in my mind, worried about real things. Thank you for your reply and advice. It is very much appreciated.

[Fishmanpa]

God bless you and your wife. It is our new normal. I don't like it but I have to accept it. I don't know what to say...this anxiety is draining. Waking up every morning shaking, worrying about "made up" things in my mind, worried about real things. Thank you for your reply and advice. It is very much appreciated.

As all of this is so fresh and ongoing, you may want to consider professional help, especially in light of your increased anxiety. After my 1st heart attack and cancer, I suffered from some depression and "scanxiety". I took meds and had one on one therapy and it truly did wonders. And yes, eventually, we all accept our 'new normal'. Its a PITA but what choice do we really have?

Positive thoughts

[Phill2]

Hi Fish
What is CBD?
I'd love some relief from my back pain.

[Fishmanpa]

Hi Fish
What is CBD?
I'd love some relief from my back pain.

CBD oil is a derivative of cannabis without the THC. It comes in oil form, pills and can even be vaped. Just note its CBD not hemp oil I'm talking about. There's been a few threads on the subject here as its been also shown to help with anxiety. Worth doing a little reading about. We told my wife's GP and she has no issue with it an in fact acknowledged she has several patients that benefit.

Positive thoughts

[Phill2]

Thanks mate
My wife and I were only discussing it last night now that it's being made legal here.
I'll see what my doc says about giving it a go.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks mate
My wife and I were only discussing it last night now that it's being made legal here.
I'll see what my doc says about giving it a go.

It's an interesting thing but there are lots of issues involved about the strength. Some people report it doesn't do what others say and find the THC of normal cannabis does but the drug companies are designing meds based on CBD so there must be something in there somewhere. It's worth a try, there may be concerns over the liver enzyme issue with some antidepressants though and it's very early days to sift through it, but some companies just sell it so low strength there's no point. It might be a matter of paying more to ensure a decent seller until the market opens up but it's been here a couple of years now and big companies like Holland & Barrett are even producing it so it's going more mainstream now.

Watercolors - sorry to hear about husband. It must feel very raw right now and as you come to terms with your new normal, and your husband the same, your anxiety is going to settle. It is bound to jump at the mere mention of a symptom from your husband but you can work on reducing that the more you get used to living with a chronic health issue and what is to say you won't both be sitting in your gardens enjoying the sunshine in your eighties?

[Phill2]

I'm a bit dubious because my first panic attack came about while smoking.
The drug companies are making it here without THC so it should be OK.
So many success stories mean there must be some good in it.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I'm a bit dubious because my first panic attack came about while smoking.The drug companies are making it here without THC so it should be OK.So many success stories mean there must be some good in it.

Yeah, lots of people seem to find it helps for pain and mental health so it's well worth considering. It's spreading globally for a reason and if drug companies are creating meds from it the science will start showing up in clinical trials to back up the user stories. Check out your new law, it has to be under a certain % content of THC here otherwise it's classed as cannabis. Basically all they are doing is cultivating the plant with a higher level of CBD whereas in the past they did that with THC to create stronger cannabis. The CBD was there to stop the THC going too far as well. You will likely see people calling it hemp oil even if it is CBD oil and some sellers trying to pass off normal hemp oil (which is just the cooking oil that's been legal forever) as we do over here. You can always test it with smaller quantities to be sure you don't have issues with it as it's so diverse being vaped or in droppers. Worth looking at reviews too, some companies seem better than others and some people I've seen complain some products have too little in.