Can you have a normal life after a heart attack?
Will I be an invalid for the rest of my life? In most cases, as a survivor, you are not an invalid. It is no longer thought that you have to “take it easy” after a heart attack. An early return to work and to full exercise is a new goal in advanced cardiac rehabilitation. This is an important point to keep in mind, and friends and relatives caring for you must recognize this as well. Invalidism can and must be avoided. Invalidism has both physical and psychological repercussions, and you will enjoy a fuller recovery if you have confidence that healing is possible and that you can return to a productive life. There are some exceptional cases that require extra care, and if you are one such case, this would have been discovered during your hospital stay. People who have had major damage to the left ventricle of the heart, the chamber that pumps the blood out into the rest of the body, are at risk for cardiac arrhythmias and may not be able to return to full activity. Your hea...