'A Fluke Heart Attack at 27 Nearly Killed Me - but Running Every Day Helped Me Come Back Stronger'

From Women's Health

Neena Chauhan, 35, from Birmingham, suffered an unexplained heart attack when she was just 27. The combined effects of PTSD and weight gain from medication after the fact meant she gave up on taking care of herself – until she decided enough was enough, and took control of her health again.

I had just returned home from a shopping trip with my best friend – in March 2013, a month before my 28th birthday – when it happened. I was having a chat with my mum and sister, when this wave of sudden exhaustion came over me. I went to the bathroom where I started sweating profusely, so I splashed cold water from the sink in an attempt to cool myself down.

Then I got into bed, where the excruciating chest pains started. I shouted for my mum, who came running into my room with my sister. I could hardly breathe at this point, and my panicked sister called an ambulance. The pain in my chest was unbearable – like thousands of needles piercing my heart.

The paramedics put me in the back of the ambulance and gave me morphine to ease the pain. All I remember is the blaring sirens of the ambulance, my mum’s terrified face and the paramedic hovering over me, trying to keep me conscious. I was having a heart attack at the age of 27.

At the hospital, I was rushed straight into surgery, where doctors inserted a stent, a short wire-mesh tube, into one of my arteries to allow blood to flow more freely.

I was in hospital for 2 weeks recovering from my heart attack and subsequent surgery. To this day, the doctors can’t explain to me why it happened. I was young and relatively healthy, and heart disease does not run in my family. I call it my ‘fluke’ heart attack.

According to Harvard Health, 4% to 10% of all heart attacks occur before age 45. Heart attacks in people 50 and under are twice as likely to be fatal for women, possibly because women often ignore early warning signs, a Yale University study found. Here's more info on how and why heart attacks happen + early warning signs.

The long road to recovery

Weeks of cardiac rehabilitation followed, which I found to be quite generic – it was guidance on healthy eating and gentle exercise, most of which I had already been doing.

Strangely, getting back on my feet wasn’t the toughest part of my recovery – the mental battle was the hardest. In the blur of the ambulance and the emergency room, I’d believed I was going to die – that’s not the kind of thing that’s easy to move past. I started seeing a psychiatrist, who diagnosed me with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Still, I lived in fear of it happening again, and I stopped exercising and taking care of myself. This, combined with the effects of the medication I was on, meant I found myself 3 stone heavier 3 years later. At 9st 9lb, and at 5”1, I was within the ‘overweight’ range.

Enough is enough

It was only after I got back from a holiday with my friends and family in 2016, and saw a picture of myself, that something just clicked inside me. I looked so unhappy. Enough is enough, I thought. I needed to take control of my life and not let this take control of me.

The first step in my journey was getting back to exercise. I got a treadmill and started to run every day. It was scary at first, but I was amazed at how well my body coped. Eventually I was up to 5km. I was still suffering from anxiety, and didn’t feel up to the gym just yet, so my best friend brought me some boxing gloves and we started working out together at home twice a week, with pad work and circuits.

Those first workouts were tough – I didn’t know how much I could push my body and what my limits were. Gradually, I built up strength, fitness and confidence. I started to learn my limits and felt comfortable pushing them.

Six months later, my friend and I joined our local gym together. I started doing strength workouts at gym 3 times a week, 1 boxing workout and two 5km treadmill runs a week.

How I workout

Now I’ve seen just what I’m capable of, my goals are more focused. I want to build muscle and strength, so my workout schedule has changed somewhat.

I weight train at the gym 6 times a week, and I try to get 10,000 steps a day. I don’t really weigh myself anymore – I look in the mirror to see the physical changes as muscle weighs more than fat.

• Monday: Chest and cardio

• Tuesday: Back

• Wednesday: Shoulders and cardio

• Thursday: Legs and abs

• Friday: Boxing

• Saturday: Swimming

• Sunday: Legs and abs

By 2017, I had lost 2 and half stone, and since then I’ve been focused on building muscle and getting stronger. My whole body shape changed, but the mental shift was even greater.

What I eat in a week

I’ve always been a pretty healthy eater, but I really focused on eating whole, unprocessed foods when I decided to take charge of my health.

• Breakfast: Rye bread, avocado and a protein shake.

• Lunch: Chicken and rice or a chicken salad.

• Dinner: Grilled fish and veg

Final word

I’m so proud of how stayed focused throughout my journey, despite how tough it was at times. I feel so much more positive – like I could do anything I put my mind to.

Cut through the noise and get practical, expert advice, home workouts, easy nutrition and more direct to your inbox. Sign up to the WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWSLETTER

You Might Also Like

• 13 Buys To Help You Feel Great From £5

• 16 Speedo Swimsuits that Won't Flash Your Bum When Getting Swim-fit

• 11 Best Gym Trainers for Different Types of Workouts