Heart

Going home: the first few weeks
As a heart patient, it's important to resume physical activity when you get home. Although exercise is necessary to prevent another attack, it should be done in moderation.

Taking medication
Medication is an essential part of the heart patient’s life, but can be dangerous as well. Here's what you need to know.

The spouse: beware of over-protectiveness
Being over-protective after your partner’s heart attack could be a serious error. You should support him or her in doing more each day without taking over his or her role.

Healthy mind, healthy heart
Once your heart has been repaired, allow time for healing the mind, says Dr Sharon Frewen, who believes patients should attend at least one session with a psychologist.

Heart patient: handling stress
After a heart attack, your life will necessarily change to a certain degree. This can affect your relationship to loved ones and can possibly cause stress.

The spouse: being informed
Although the heart patient is in good hands at hospital, the partner will be in charge at home.

The spouse: coping with denial
You know your partner is in denial when he/she refuses to believe that the heart attack actually happened. Psychologists would tell you that denial is one way to deal with trauma.

Depression can break your heart
Depression can be dangerous to someone who has had a heart attack and untreated depression can increase the risk of another attack, writes Prof Piet Oosthuizen.