What should I do now?
Call 911
Call 911 for new or unexplained chest pressure that lasts more than a few minutes or returns, especially with sweating, nausea, breathlessness, or faintness. Do not drive yourself.
Contact your care team
Contact your care team promptly for a change in your usual symptom pattern, reduced exercise tolerance, or medication problems. New or persistent chest symptoms need acute assessment.
Keep your care plan
Keep your treatment and follow-up plan. Bring questions, readings, and your medication list.
SECTION 5
Living well with coronary artery disease
CAD requires ongoing care, even when you feel well or have had a stent or bypass surgery. Daily habits, medications, and follow-up visits help protect your heart.
Keep taking your medications
Take medications as prescribed. Contact your care team if side effects, cost, or questions make it difficult to follow your plan.
After a stent, antiplatelet medications help prevent a clot from forming inside the stent. Do not stop them without instructions from your prescribing care team, including before dental work or surgery.
Build heart-healthy habits
- Avoid tobacco and ask for help quitting.
- Choose vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, fish, and other heart-healthy foods.
- Stay physically active within the plan approved by your care team.
- Work toward your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight goals.
- Make time for sleep and stress management.
Small, consistent changes are easier to maintain and can make a meaningful difference.
Return to activity with a plan
Ask when you can resume exercise, work, driving, and sexual activity after a heart attack or procedure. If you qualify for cardiac rehabilitation, participate: supervised exercise and education can help you recover and regain confidence.
Pay attention to changing symptoms
Tell your care team if usual activities become harder, chest discomfort becomes more frequent, or you develop new shortness of breath.
For a possible heart attack, call 911. Do not drive yourself, wait for symptoms to become severe, or wait for an office appointment.
Care for your emotional health
Anxiety after a heart diagnosis or procedure is common. Share your concerns with your care team and loved ones. Counseling, support groups, and cardiac rehabilitation can help.
Keep regular follow-up visits to review symptoms, medications, and risk factors.
Updated October 2026. Educational information; your own care plan may differ. Medical illustrations are simplified examples for teaching.