Aim To explore the meaning of recovery from the perspective of patients who have had a myocardial infarction (MI) and their carers.

Method Constructivist grounded theory was used, incorporating individual and group interviews. Twenty-four cardiac support group members (15 patients and nine carers) participated in a group interview. Ten patients were individually interviewed six to nine months after MI.

Findings Following an MI, participants felt different from how they were ‘as a person’ before the MI. Recovery was therefore an ongoing process that involved learning to live with that difference. ‘Watchful insecurity’ emerged as a core category in explaining recovery from the participants’ perspective. Recovery was depicted as a series of ‘peaks and troughs’.

Conclusion The individual nature of each person’s recovery pathway can be used to develop acceptable and accessible services to support recovery following MI.