For anyone who has suffered a heart attack, you'll know how difficult it can be to get back on your feet. Not only do you have to make lifestyle changes to prevent the risk of another heart attack, there are emotional as well as physical demands on your body. It's not just a matter of surviving a heart attack; it's the effects a heart attack has on your life that can be just as big a problem.

Depending on the severity of a heart attack, the options open to someone will be very different. A major heart attack will mean some huge changes to your current day-to-day routine, while a milder heart attack will offer a bit more leeway. However, any kind of heart attack is a serious warning about your overall health, and the need to make life changes to prevent one from happening again.

Medical Aftercare One of the first things that will happen is that you will need to go for more regular check-ups at your doctor or family physician's. Here you will get advice about how to reduce the chances of a follow-up heart attack - unfortunately, people who suffer a heart attack are 50% more likely to have another one within 12 months if they don't make changes to their lifestyle.

You'll be encouraged to give up smoking if you haven't already; what to eat, and what to avoid, will also be covered; and you may even have to go on a heart attack prevention course of medication. These can include drugs to control blood pressure, as well as anti-stress medication. Anything that controls the symptoms of a heart attack will be covered with your medical follow-up.

Normal Activities Although you'll probably want to get back to normal as quickly as possible, the very fact that you've suffered a heart attack will prevent this to some degree. Depending on the severity of the heart attack, it's likely that you will be fine for walking after a week or so. However, other day-to-day activities such as sexual intercourse or driving may have to wait a few weeks more, to make sure there are no complications or follow-up chest pains.

Changes to the Family Life Perhaps the biggest hurdle anyone that suffers a heart attack needs to overcome is the emotional and psychological effect it has. This isn't just on you, either - your family and loved ones will have gotten just as big a scare as you by your heart attack. So it's only natural that they may act differently around you - more refrained, for example.

You need to ensure that they know that you realise it's been a shock, but together you can ensure that it's less likely to happen again. By getting everything in the open, and discussing the reasons for your heart attack, it will make sure that everyone is in a better position to help you prevent what caused the heart attack in the first place.

Talking about it will also enable you to get back to normality quicker. One of the biggest problems after a heart attack is depression, and fear that you'll suffer another heart attack. Having the love and support of your closest friends and family will help you through this difficult period, and hopefully prevent future symptoms or heart attacks from happening again.