New to Group

[Steve2018]

Hello, I am new to group as I am two weeks post stent fitted, sitting at home wondering what happened !

When will my rehab group get in touch because at the moment I do not have a clue as to what I should and should not be doing.

[stevejb1810]

Hi, welcome to the group. You’ll find a lot of people here happy to share their experiences with you. Just be mindful that for the most part we, like you, are patients and are not medically trained. So, with that bit of formality out of the way, I was contacted about a week after I got home post op. If you have not heard from then in about 10 days it might be worth being proactive and giving them a call. In the mean time a call to the BHF cardiac nurses might help in deciding what you should and should not be doing at this stage.

Steve

[Steve2018 in reply to stevejb1810]

Ok thank you for your reply

[Dhomewood]

Hi Steve

Try the BHF site which states:

It’s best to avoid doing any demanding activities, such as heavy lifting, for a week or so.

You shouldn’t drive for at least a week after having angioplasty – longer if you also had a heart attack.

If you’ve had a planned angioplasty with no complications you may be able to return to work within a few days, depending on the type of work you do.

If you’ve had an emergency angioplasty or a heart attack you may need to take a few weeks off.

Full link here: bhf.org.uk/heart-health/tre...

After my stent I felt great apart from some discomfort and twinges every now and again, I was back to work within a week and following my normal routine.

I’m not sure about your circumstances, my stent was as a result of unstable angina - fortunately I didn’t have a HA.

Chase up your rehab classes though they are very useful.

Best of luck mate

Daren

[Steve2018 in reply to Dhomewood]

Thanks

[kc1953 in reply to Dhomewood]

Dhomewood. I’m a new follower of this group, and am from U.S. Recently (3 weeks ago) had a heart attack and stent inserted. I follow the CLL group on healthunlocked (I also have that specific form of leaukemia) and found that group helpful so here I am. My point of responding to your response is to contrast practices in different countries. I was in hospital overnight and sent home next day. My cardiologist told me not to drive for a day or two, to ease back into regular exercise over a 2 week period, go back to work after a week, and do 4 weeks of cardio rehab. Perhaps I’m able to get back into things earlier than the sources you cite because my blockage was only in a “minor” artery. In any event, I’m happy to be here. So far I’ve survived a PE, cancer, and a heart attack (I’m 65), so I guess I have 6 lives left!

[Dhomewood in reply to kc1953]

Hi KC

I was lucky enough to have some warning signs and had the stent before I had a HA (just in time according to my surgeon)

I guess a lot depends on the individual circumstances.

Glad to hear you are ok after all that you’ve been through.

Daren

[Steve2018 in reply to kc1953]

Good to hear from you, all seems very quick on the back to work front, take care.

[alana- in reply to Steve2018]

Twelve years ago I had unstable angina and 5 stents fitted. Two years later I had a massive heart attack so another stent in place. I’m fine, working full time , nae problems.

[kc1953 in reply to alana-]

Have you had anxiety issues, like waiting for the next shoe to drop? If so, how do you deal? It seems to come and go with me. Plus all the new meds (High dose Lipitor and Plavix) make me feel a little sick from time to time.

[alana- in reply to kc1953]

Very anxious all the time. Pills for that too, which help somewhat, atherosclerosis and moderate heart failure will do that for you

[kc1953 in reply to alana-]

What do you take for anxiety? I had a bad experience with benzos (Ativan) when I was undergoing cancer treatment. Used them for 6 months and it took 7 months to taper off...and it was a very unpleasant experience.

[alana- in reply to kc1953]

Fluoxetine, Ativan highly addictive

[kc1953 in reply to alana-]

No kidding! And prescribing doc never warned me, and was of no help in the tapering process. I was on my own. Luckily lots of net resources on that.

[mandm65]

Welcome to the forum Steve, a great place to seek help.

I can certainly understand what you are going through as I found myself similar situation to yourself, I have documented my whole journey, you may find it helpful.

healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

I would strongly suggest that you remain positive and try not to let any negativity in your mind. There are many inspiring stories out here, I have also documented my achievements post stent.

healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

I strongly recommend the rehab classes and like the earlier post suggested, do chase your rehab team if you don’t hear from them.

I wish you all the best and speedy recovery. Keep us posted as you make progress.

[Steve2018 in reply to mandm65]

Many thanks will do

[GBerserker]

Hi Steve, welcome to the group. Sounds like we are both in the same situation. I am coming up to two weeks post stent and am waiting for the rehab team to get in touch. Likewise I’m trying to get my head around what happened as well. One of the ways that I am doing that is to write a blog about it 9daysinOldham.com. Please keep in touch if you want. We are all in this together!

[Steve2018 in reply to GBerserker]

It is all a bit hard as two weeks ago I thought I was fine, now one twitch and my stress goes through the roof and then BP goes high. Everybody on hear seems very good and helpful, understanding the meds is a start !

[Adrian1949]

Steve.... If a car driver you must notify your insurers. It won't affect premium, they will just remind you not to drive for at least a week. But if you haven't notified them, they could refuse a future claim.

Rehab for me started four weeks after angioplasty. It was twice a week, for as many weeks as they felt you needed. In my case ten weeks. I would strongly urge you to take full advantage of it. Hospital saved my life, but rehab gave it back to me. Over those ten weeks my fitness improved massively. You might think you are a lot better post stenting, but there's a long way to go yet, and rehab will get you there. At the end of rehab they will encourage you to keep up with the exercises by joining a gym. I've done that, and as an NHS referee I get very cheap rates for a year.

Just a little warning though. The first session of rehab will leave you feeling shattered, but keep at it, it gets easier as you recover - even though they will keep ramping up the exercise you do as you get your health back. Persevere, its really worth it.

[Steve2018 in reply to Adrian1949]

Thanks I will chase them up Monday