How do I take care of myself?
Surviving sudden cardiac arrest is the start of a long recovery for many. Depending on how long your brain was without oxygen, you’ll likely have brain damage.
If a rehabilitation program is available, you can use it to regain your abilities. It can take months to relearn once-simple activities like walking and getting dressed. Many people return to their daily lives, but some need ongoing help.
Be patient with yourself while you slowly get back to being able to do things you did every day. Researchers have seen improvements in cardiopulmonary arrest survivors’ quality of life after six months.
Surviving a life-threatening condition can cause mental health challenges (post-intensive care syndrome).
You may benefit from mental health services to help you cope with:
Source: Cleveland Clinic
For Survivors
Looking for real time support?
Join our private Facebook group, But Did You Die: Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Survivors Only
Be sure to join our e-list for information about our Adult Survivor and Teen Survivor Zoom huddles.
What do you wish you knew?
We asked sudden cardiac arrest survivors what they wish they knew when they were released from the hospital. Here’s what they told us.
CF said: “Idiopathic” No real reason why you had your SCA. It’s, just one of those things that happen, for no apparent reason. It’s so hard to come to terms with and having “no reason why” is scary. Having an S-ICD “just incase” it happens again. Coming to terms with, no reason and now having a back up. I’ve found this so hard.
KT said: It will take time. Time to recover. Time to heal. Time to get your strength back. Time to feel like yourself again. You literally hit the Master Re-Boot. You have to give your body the grace to recover. Everyone’s time is different. For me it was a year (and a chance to get through that first Re-Birthday). No one can predict your “time”. Give yourself Grace. And surround yourself with people who will foster that. Oh, and bra straps hurt at first. Find a comfy sports bra that won’t rub on your defibrillator scar.
SH said: That the exhausting fatigue will go on and on. The first time you get to wash your hair yourself after ICD placement is glorious!
RH said: I wish I would have been told by my hospital care givers to find a support group of other SCA survivors!!! Physical, even with the pain of 5 broken ribs, was & is still, nothing compared to the mental & emotional support that is needed for something like this…and I’m almost 4 years in on this…get a handle on something & life happens & takes you right back to 10% survival rate & starts all overI thank God, for some of these online groups, because really, I know no one in my life that I can actually look at, touch, feel or talk to , in person, that has ever been through this…
JB said: The affect of my SCA to my loved ones especially my wife who saved me and my kids who witnessed it. I really think that gets over looked and how much that affect us survivors have as well.
JP said: You’ll be learning as you go along every single day. The first six months will be merely surviving. The second six months will play with your mind in unimaginable ways when you realize exactly what you survived. You need a therapist to work through things from the start. While everyone’s story is different, you’ll want to find a support system of survivors that you can learn from and lean on. This is crucial.
Are you a cardiac arrest survivor who wants to return to exercise?Cardiac Athletes is a community for heart patient athletes medically cleared to participate in competitive sports. If your cardiac recovery has been so good that your cardiologist has agreed to let you return to your favorite sport "so long as you don't over do it!" then Cardiac Athletes, launched in 1997 is for you.
Visit the Cardiac Athletes website and Facebook group to learn more.