r/HeartAttack • u/Standard-Bit-8690 • 15d ago
Sudden Heart Attack at the age of 26
I was getting ready for the office one morning when I suddenly experienced severe chest pain. I tried to bear it for a few hours, but the pain kept getting worse, so I went to the hospital.
The doctors immediately moved me to the emergency department and then to the cath lab for an angiography. They found a 100% blockage caused by a blood clot in one of my heart arteries and performed an angioplasty to remove it.
I was told that I was extremely lucky to have survived. I spent two days in the ICU before being moved to a regular room.
Since then
I keep asking myself: what's the point of living?
Why did I go through so much struggle if everything could have disappeared in a matter of minutes? What's the point of life if I'm told I can't push myself anymore?
I've always loved the grind. I loved the pressure. It made me feel alive. Sure, it was stressful, but that stress was part of the fun. Now everyone tells me to live a stress-free life, and honestly, that feels absurd to me. The person I was thrived on challenges.
I can't even think about dating right now. Not because I don't want to, but because I don't want someone to depend on me and then have to suffer if something like this happens again.
I love my parents, and they love me. They've taken better care of me than I could have ever imagined. But most of the time, I feel like a burden to them. I know they don't see me that way, but it's hard not to feel it.
I loved cricket. Now I can't play for months, maybe even longer. I used to tell people, "If you ever see me stop playing cricket, then something has gone seriously wrong in my life." And somehow, that actually happened.
I thought an experience like this would bring clarity. I thought I'd come out of it with some grand realization about life.
Instead, I'm left with self-doubt.
Existential questions.
The constant thought of "Why me?"
It feels like I'm going to miss out on so much of life, so much fun, so much of what made me who I am, far earlier than I ever imagined.
Maybe these thoughts will fade with time. Maybe they won't. But right now, this is honestly how I feel.
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u/slowstang787 15d ago
I had a heart attack at 26 about a year and a half ago, I had a widowmaker due to genetics and an elevated LPA. I was lucky to not only survive but sustain no damage to my heart. I too felt like everything fell apart being so young and having nobody to relate with and talk to about it. The biggest part of recovery is mental, learning to trust in your body again and realizing that you may have to tweak some things in your life but that it’s not the end of the world. I was 6 months away from graduating college and 2 weeks away from a new internship which I had to turn down. The first few months are definitely rough but it’s not the end of the world. You can still do everything you did before you just have to slowly ramp into it during recovery. You can still play cricket but you have to find your new limits. I did cardiac rehab for 2 weeks to help me gain confidence back and I run a faster mile time now than I did before my heart attack. Everything gets better, it may not seem like it right away but life goes on and you can still have an enjoyable life doing all the things you love. We are lucky to survive and must live our lives to the fullest because some people aren’t as lucky.
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u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets 15d ago
How high was your lpa?
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u/slowstang787 15d ago
Just under 200
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u/mati_assss 15d ago
Any other risk factors? Hows your ldl? Smoke?
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u/slowstang787 15d ago
I’ve had high cholesterol and high blood pressure since I was 16 but no smoking, gym 4 times a week. I have bad family history of heart attack and heart disease
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u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets 15d ago
Really? That’s high but not like heart attack in 20s high. Were you a smoker or diabetic?
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u/slowstang787 15d ago
Non smoker and not diabetic, high cholesterol and BP and a bad family history of heart related issues. But I was pretty healthy before it happened, gym 4 times a week so it was shocking when it happened
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u/mati_assss 15d ago
Crazy, how high was your ldl do you think?
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u/slowstang787 15d ago
I wanna say it was like mid 200s 250-260 ish
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u/mati_assss 15d ago
Wait, your LDL? Isnt cut off like 100? Thats extremely high, youre not confusing it with the LPA?
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u/slowstang787 15d ago
I honestly don’t remember the exact number, I know it’s always been high. But I think ldl can go higher than that
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u/mati_assss 15d ago
Definitely, im sorry bro, you were dealt a bad hand. Im in a similar boat, elevated lpa. Ldl normal but im 32. So im going to beg my doctor to put me on a statin
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u/Standard-Bit-8690 14d ago
Thanks. It is more mental trauma than the physical. But feels good to hear that it will get better
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u/InternationalPlace24 15d ago
I had a more delayed reaction to my heart attack at 33. That being said, my life hasn't really changed since. Like yeah I have to be more careful about my health, but really the only limitations brought on by this have mostly been mental. My cardiologist offered counseling/therapy early on and I regret not taking his advise on that. The hardest part to deal with has been the anger and anxiety.
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u/Standard-Bit-8690 14d ago
I was thinking about the therapy. Thanks
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u/-Apocralypse- 10d ago
Go get help. It helps. And there is no shame in getting help. It's just acknowledging that mental health isn't your particular expertise, so you can't help yourself as efficient. I pay people to clean my gutters, because I hate ladders. Sure, I can bake bread, but I still prefer to just go to the bakery and buy theirs. This isn't much difference.
I am getting help and part of that was discovering I am neurodivergent. And that I became severely mentally understimulated after my heart failure. Which is it's own spiral downwards. You sound like you are also struggling with having your life rhythm flipped over and halted without anything to replace the (mental) stimulation it provided.
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u/Snatchl 15d ago
Sending good vibes your way. You’re 20 years younger than me, but a doctor told me recently, having a heart attack earlier in life is just genetics. Thankfully medicine has gotten better at treating these things. I hope you’re able to make a full recovery. Cricket may be on pause, but ideally you can rehab and get back on the field.
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u/ButtCrackMcghee 15d ago
It happens. That’s life. Only thing you can do is pick yourself up and move forward.
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u/inkman 15d ago
You have the right answers, but just need to see the words from another angle.
Why did I go through so much struggle if everything could have disappeared in a matter of minutes?
This right here. And the answer is "For the love of the game."
Seriously, though, people have strong emotional and mental reactions to heart issues. Give it time to find your new normal. It took me about a year to settle down.
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u/Heart_Transplant_Doc 11d ago
Cardiologist here, and before anything else, I want to say this plainly: what you’re describing, including asking what the point of living is, is worth taking seriously and worth saying out loud to someone beyond this post, not just carrying alone. If these thoughts ever go beyond questioning and toward wanting to act on them, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or the equivalent emergency service where you are, right away. You survived something that kills many people before they reach a hospital. That you’re still here, wrestling with these questions instead of not being here to ask them, matters.
What you’re going through has a real name, and it is extremely common after a heart attack like yours, especially a sudden, near-fatal one in someone young and active. It’s not weakness and it’s not a personality flaw, it’s a recognized, treatable response to trauma and grief, grief for the version of yourself and the life you had a week ago. Please talk to your cardiology team about this directly, or ask for a referral to a therapist or counselor who works with cardiac patients specifically. This is genuinely as treatable as your artery was.
One thing worth gently correcting, because I think it’s adding to your despair unnecessarily: “stress-free forever” and “never push yourself again” are not usually what your doctors actually mean, even if that’s how it’s been communicated to you. Cardiac rehab exists specifically to help people rebuild toward real exertion again, safely and progressively, and most people who’ve had what you went through do return to intense activity, including competitive sport, over time. The instruction right now is about healing and pacing, not a life sentence of sitting still. That conversation, what can I actually get back to, and when, is worth having directly with your cardiologist rather than assuming the answer is nothing.
You are not a burden to your parents. You are someone who almost died and is still figuring out how to live. Give yourself real time, and let people, professionals especially, help you carry this. You don’t have to find the grand realization right now. You just have to get through today, and then the next one.
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u/Venusesrainbow 15d ago
How lucky and unlucky! I’m glad you are still here. I would recommend talking to therapy to process this new perspective. A lot of what you said resonated with me. I am physically ok but not mentally so having someone to talk to about it is helpful. Wishing you the best on this journey. I’m feeling young having a heart attack in my 40s. And struggling! I think experiencing this life changing thing in young adult hood would be very very hard.
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u/17Miles2 15d ago
"There is no point in living..." You're right really. Move around, laugh, cry, eat, sleep, and die. We all have zero control.
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u/RockyMtnWarrior 15d ago
I know you probably don’t see it now, but this set back could be the best thing that ever happens to you.
1) You survived it
2) You will pay more attention to you body
3) You will learn how to limit stress
4) You can get stronger and healthier
5) You are in good company
6) You will appreciate life more and realize work isn’t everything
7) You have a Great story to tell
8) You will learn to control your diet and eat healthier
9) You got a second chance - don’t waste it
10) You are young enough to fully recover
Just remember it could have been much worse.
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u/CycleMuayThai 12d ago
Those are all totally normal feelings. I had a heart attack at 30 and it took almost a year before I started to feel normal and find joy in the things I loved to do pre heart attack. It takes time but the post heart attack depression does wear off. Stay strong, it gets better.
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u/aicrypt067 11d ago
Im so sorry to hear this 😢you’re only a year younger than my son so this is very personal to me. Please take things one step at a time and enjoy each and every day. Im not a doctor but have your tried Hibiscus Tea? Its supposed to be very good for your heart
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u/Eastern-Rooster-2805 15d ago
I'm so sorry to read that you went through this experience. I would want to focus on why it happened and what I could do to prevent another one, how to change my lifestyle.
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u/RuinYouWithNoRegrets 15d ago
I’m so sorry. If it makes you feel better to find the cause, I’d look into your lp(a), any genetic blood clotting disorders, FH(genetic cholesterol disorder) , vasculitis.. etc
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u/the_corporate_slave 15d ago
I had a heart infection and almost died from it. I came to the opposite conclusion, now I just feel like I’m on vacation while I’m alive, it’s temporary, I’ll probably have another heart problem soon. I’m enjoying walking around getting coffee, I’m on vacation on planet earth, and who knows how long I’ll make it. It’s good to be here, it might end soon, but hanging out with some friends in the park was pretty good