having suffered a heart attack and thankfully surviving is not the end one should consider the further manifestations and understand what symptoms are normal and what notconsidering that the patient has an angioplasty or a stent they ought to have almost no heartassociated signssymptoms corelating to heart problem viz chest pain shortness of breath leg swelling must not be neglected and must be addressed immediatelythe most important aims of the recovery process are to gradually restore your physical fitness so you can resume normal activities known as cardiac rehabilitation and to reduce your risk of another heart attackalmost all of the patients recuperating from a heart attack will encounter some amount of weakness simply getting up washing up and dressing might debilitate at first once you return home its usually recommended that you rest and only do light activities such as walking up and down the stairs a few times a day or taking a short walk once youve made a sufficient physical recovery from the effects of a heart attack its recommended that you do regular physical activity gradually increase the amount of activity you do each day over several weeks how quickly you can do this will depend on the condition of your heart and your general healthafter a heart attack its normal to feel fearful depressed and anxious family members may worry that another heart attack may soon follow do not ignore such concerns and try to face them by discussing with a support group or counselor if the condition persists consult your specialisthaving a heart attack can be frightening and traumatic and its common to have feelings of anxiety afterwards for many people the emotional stresses can cause them to feel depressed and tearful for the first few weeks after returning home from hospital its important to seek advice because serious types of depression often dont get better without treatment your emotional state could also have an adverse effect on your physical recoveryeveryone who experiences a heart attack will face different problems and challenges and any guidance or advice you receive will be tailored to your needs reducing your risk of having another heart attack involves making lifestyle changes and taking a longterm course of different medicationsrecovering from a heart attack can take several months and its very important not to rush your rehabilitationref1 the article has been contributed by dr a jagadeeswari md dm consultant interventional cardiologist kongunad hospital coimbatoreemail jeswariyahoocoindisclaimer the views and opinions expressed by the doctors are their independent professional judgment and we do not take any responsibility for the accuracy of their views this should not be considered as a substitute for physicians advice please consult your treating physician for more details