Stent after 100% LAD Blockage at 34

[jamin100]

Hi All,

Just found this place after looking for advise on travel insurance. Anyway, i'll look for that later. A bit about me.

I'm 34, never smoked, drink very little, eat relatively healthy (cholesterol was 3.6 day before my stent) and exercise quite a lot (3 times a week minimum)

Last year I started getting chest pains when walking to work in the cold and when at cycling training. It seemed to impact my breathing (or so i thought) and after about 6 months of going back to the Doctors and them telling me it was asthma, i got referred to a BUPA respiratory specialist. He very quickly ruled out any form of Asthma and did an EKG which came back slightly off.

The next week I was booked in to have a Echo Cardiogram and a CT angiogram. The cardiologist told me after the CT angiogram to take aspirin immediately and not do any exercise as it looked like my LAD was completely blocked. I was booked into to have a coronary angiogram and possible angioplasty 3 days later.

The coronary angiogram confirmed that I did have a 100% blockage in my LAD and that very luckily i was only alive due to my heart creating its own collateral arteries around the blockage. So i was stented (only 1) at the same time. The op took a while as the artery in my arm went into spasm so they needed to go in through my groin, but the cardiologist was fantastic. During the op, I barely felt anything. The worst part was having them trying to stop the bleeding in my groin for 8 hours and lying dead still on my back until it stopped.

I was out of hospital the next day and back at work 2 days later. Im on 5 lots of drugs a day and my cholesterol is down to 2.0. Im back at training and can ride further and faster than i could before (so far)

Im glad they found it when they did otherwise i may not be typing the here now

[Zena166]

Hi Jamin

Thank goodness they sorted you. Likewise I was diagnosed with asthma first then had heart attack. Don’t do too much too soon as much as you feel so much better. Take care. As to the insurance All Clear appear to be quite flexible. But I am sure others here have some other suggestions

Take care

Zena

[jamin100]

Thanks Zena,

Honestly I actually feel fine. Went to action hearts gym about 2 months ago, they managed to get my HR up to 196bpm during an exercise treadmill test and the woman said that in the 18 years she’s been working there she’s never seen anyone get up to 18 minutes like I did..

Then at the gym sessions where they give you an exercise program and hook you up to a EKG whilst your exercising they couldn’t get my HR up to my target zone of 155-165bpm. I was on the maximum speed (for walking) and incline on the treadmill and the hardest level on the bike but the most they got was around 140bpm... there not used to someone my age I guess...

If this would have happened last summer I would have been on the bike much sooner as I don’t feel any ill effects at all.. not even from all he drugs which is good and i hope it continues

[rouluer]

Hi Jamin, glad your doing well and were attended to on time! I had less luck with a LAD HA with no warning other than feeling light headed but luckily 2 off duty Doctors applied CPR in a coma for 24 hours and I was saved with a drug elating stent in the LAD was 100% blocked like yourself, other than broken ribs I was fine after 3 months...3 years later I'm competing in a Ironman in France in a few months time.

So this shows like yourself life can go on normally. 34 is very young, this type of blockage seems to be quiet common than you think in younger people and they are not quiet sure what causes this build up other than a possible genetic link, like yourself I had normal cholesterol at the time, exercised and eat healthy.

keep taking your medicine, eat healthy, exercise and carry all. you can't do anything else and your doing exactly that by the sounds of things.

best of luck.

[MrMusic]

Congrats!! Was that the “widow maker” artery? You are a very blessed man. Do you have trouble sleeping at night? I do after my triple BP... just wondering... again congrats

[jamin100]

Yes in the widow maker 😬

I’m ok sleeping wise, to be honest I feel better than I did before the stent

[pullman]

Hi Jamin100, Just read your message, and firstly want to say that it is excellent that you are doing well with the Stent and enjoying your hobby. I too was diagnosed with 100% blockage of LAD - but they said any surgery, such as Stent would not be possible due to the area being no longer receptive. This apparently was because too many hours had passed, and that prevents any operational procedure being successful.

Did they mention this can be a problem? Was your situation quickly diagnosed in time to have a Stent inserted.

I am just curious to know and understand any differences.

Many thanks,

pullman

[jamin100]

Hi,

From when I was first having pain to the date the stent was fitted was over 11 months. Initially doctors kept saying it was asthma, which I obviously wasn’t.

Only thing that could be different is I went private through bupa. From them doing the first CT angiography and the stent being fitted was about 3 weeks

[pullman]

Hi Jamin, Appreciate your quick response and information.

Thank you

[IgottaStent]

Interesting story . You were so young to have blocked artery but what a great recovery. That can motivate a lot of people to get on with exercise and healthy life after such a major event. I am convinced that PMA, Positive Mental Attitude is great medicine and improves quality of life. Good luck going forward

[Stent2024]

it sounds you had such a lucky escape . Glad you’re doing well .