So 3 days ago I had a stent put in 95% blocked LAD. No HA, this was a planned procedure following an angiogram 3 months ago. I'd appreciate hearing others' experiences of how they felt after a stent and how long it took to feel fighting fit again. Everything I read online (God bless Google) and heard from friends of friends indicated that it made a massive difference and I would feel better 'straight away'. One mate of a mate said he played a round of golf 2 days after his stent! Now I know we're all different, but I still feel really wobbly and worse than before in some ways. I found the procedure itself tougher than I anticipated, quite scary with the angina pain throughout, I certainly wouldn't say that you don't feel it! For the first couple of days after I had sharp pains and today it's like a sort of ache but not an ache, like I know something is in there. Weird. Completely whacked out with tiredness too. Every now and then I go a bit dizzy when I stand up quickly. But the worst thing is the breathlessness and pounding headaches, this is something I didn't have before. Have been on the usual meds for 3 months while waiting for this procedure - asprin, bisoprolol, ramipril, felodipine, astovastin - no issues with any of those. But the new one is ticagrelor and I did read one of the side effects is breathlessness. Does this settle down after a while? I know it's important to keep taking it. Left the hospital with no information on a follow up appointment - is this usual? I did see the rehab nurse and she is going to book me in but not for around 4 weeks.
Reading everyone else's stories on here really helps so would love to hear your experiences
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Clarky61012
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Hello Clarky61012. I had the same only mine was 90% blocked. I had the same procedure. I had mine in February and my follow up appointment was a couple of weeks ago. Your cardiac nurse will check for follow up appointment if you ask her. Mine did. The team are excellent and your rehabilitation will be very beneficial. I don’t know your age or your friend’s age but it sounds too soon to me a round of golf. I am 68 and have always been fit and active. Now I’m shattered all the time but I try to do everything in the mornings and rest in the afternoons.
I had the same procedure as you in July 2018, initially I felt tired and very anxious, you are not going to be running around in a few days, it will take time, now after 11 months I am feeling good in mind and body. I have climbed Pen Y Fan since and walk on the moors for an hour every day. It will take time for your mind to accept you have had a heart procedure, every ache or pain will make you anxious but I assure you after a while you will get used to it. I am 70 years old and now enjoying life to the full. take advantage of any rehabilitation course your NHS offers it does help, reference ticagrelor, I was changed to Clopidogrel because of the side effects, another four weeks and I will be down to Atorvastatin, Amlodipine and Aspirin. But this is just my experience, others may be different.
Everyone heals at a different speed! After stents you should not drive for a week and have the OK from your GP. If you Google (don't bother) you will see endless optimistic claims about recovery from stents, bypass surgery and valve surgery. Just before my bypass my girlfriend found a FacesAche entry where someone claiming they were driving and back at work needing nothing stronger than paracetamol in a week. Considering you have to refrain from driving for a month and only resume with GP's/cardiologist's permission this is a nonsense! You know how you feel. Do the rehab and move on from there!
I am sure things will improve. I am 49 and a week past Monday I had four stents placed in three arteries. Two in my LAD. I had severe stenosis due to calcification. My calcium score is 443. I felt the procedure happening, when they were inflating my arteries. I had an angiogram previously and I have to say my bruising and pain on my wrist and arm was less this time. I am off bisporol after discussion with specialist (they make me feel drunk) but I am religiously taking clopidrogel, aspirin and simvastatin (despite having low cholesterol). I took things extremely easy the first two days with just a couple of walks round the block. After my angiogram I had some mild chest pain but I have had none after stenting but I will say my chest feels differently almost like I am taking deeper breaths. Just over a week on I have been out for several walks around an hour and a half with no angina pains but I was walking well over an hour daily before my procedure so I am assuming previous fitness/activity may come into play? I will be heading back to yoga in a fortnight all going well. I have needed the odd nap in the afternoon which is new for me but I just assume my body is telling me to rest and sleep is a great healer. I think everyone hopes that there will be an instant fix but I do think that full fitness is to be worked towards especially if you have had an ongoing issue perhaps for years.
Hi - I had an emergency procedure Oct 19 99% LAD blockage and like you was bewildered in terms of all the other positive outcomes that I read about - within days if not hours of the procedure. I was emotionally wiped out and really struggled with the side effects of various meds - it took a good 2 - 3 months to regain some confidence and begin to feel like me again. I just think we have to be kind to ourselves, go at your own pace and gradually things resolve.
It’s the new med I think. I started with breathlessness after about 2-3 weeks of taking it after stent which was fitted as emergency during heart attack early April. It is scary as you start to think about heart failure. A huge huge problem for me has been lack of follow up from hospital- Barts - as the NHS is just overwhelmed. I only knew about the breathlessness and the med as one of my neighbors is cardiac surgeon at Barts and he told me. I have found the emergency treatment amazing but hospital care from doctors and nurses there very poor plus rubbish follow up including cardiac rehab. Luckily I have insurance and have given up and gone private - surprise surprise follow up happening now - and will be done back on NHS. I would press for follow up as suggested and if you get nowhere get in touch with PALS and holler about anxiety- I wish I had and sooner. It holds back recovery.
I had 2 stents fitted in 2 operations about a month apart - no heart attack. Learned from the first that I had to be patient and not to overdo things. The second one cleared up the angina symptoms - eventually. It took a couple of months. I was then allowed on the rehab course. That taught me that my lifestyle for the last 50 years had been too sedentary as I had a desk bound job.
Now nearly 11 months on from the start and in my early 70's. I'm getting to exercise 2-3 times a week in the phase 4 classes. That's now the only place I get breathless. If you exercise in a gym, I strongly recommend that you do it only with instructors who have a good understanding of people with heart problems.
Things have now settled down, and I suppose I realised that about 6 months ago. But there have been changes in me. To give you an idea ..... Colds and anything that affect my chest causes occasional twinges, angina-like. (Checked with doc, but not linked to heart really). I feel the cold, particularly breathing in cold winter air, so am glad its summer now. Lifting above my head doesn't seem to me to be a good idea, so I try to avoid it. You just need to learn to recognise the signs; they don't mean there's anything wrong, it's just that you've been altered.
The biggest change has been in my head. That is still recovering - I didn't believe it could happen to me; I am slim and had, I thought, a good diet. (Only been in a Macdonalds once, 45years ago). How wrong can you be! I hadn't realised the effect of refined food, particularly sugar. So now I'm reading and learning what I should have been doing for the last 60 years.
In the end, we all will do what we can. We need to keep cheerful. Remember, we are all survivors.
Thanks everyone who has replied, it's reassuring to hear I'm not alone in not bouncing right back. Went for a walk by myself for the first time today, just 20 minutes round the block. Still feel a little heaviness and tightness in the chest but not the angina burning pain as before. Back to work next week as I only booked one week off - feeling a bit overwhelmed by that, but SSP doesn't cover the bills! On the plus side - got a call from the rehab nurse and have a pre assessment next week and first session the week after so that's a lot quicker than I thought. Onwards and upwards!
I found the effects of ticagrelor didn't settle down, in fact when my GP refused to change it I stopped taking it. I just couldn't tolerate it any more. I could breathe ok but it made me feel as if I was having an asthma attack and couldn't get air in. When I stopped taking it, it was just under a week before I was due a pressure angiogram so I knew the cardiologist would sort it out which he did. He wasn't happy that I'd stopped and he had to give me a loading dose of clopidogrel before he could do the angio. Clopidogrel was so much better but after several months I started to get breathless again, even walking across a room.Not the same kind of asthma breathless, more like panting with mouth open. GP was sure it wasn't angina and wrote to the cardio who just prescribed very strong angina tablets. In the meantime GP stopped the clopidogrel slightly earlier than recommended because I was having dreadful stomach pain and lo and behold, about a week after, the breathlessness just vanished. I was supposed to take anti platelets for 12 months after a heart attack but ended up on just aspirin after 10 months. Don't do what I did and stop any tablets without speaking to your GP. There are alternatives.
Forgot to say I had 2 stents fitted after a heart attack. The first two weeks I felt wonderful and, despite being disabled and a wheelchair user, I actually started walking again; only a few yards but getting better all the time- until teh side effects of teh tablets kicked in then I went riight down to hardly being able to move from my chair. Almost every tablet had to be changed. BP ones dropped it too low; beta blockers made me like a zombie, others affected my stomach and one gave me hallucinations. NO follow up from the hospital at all and no rehab-they won't take people n wheelchairs. Now, 10 months later I am just starting to feel normal and able to do a bit more. I felt nothing at all during he procedures- I had two angiograms, 3 months apart. Just hellish bruising with the first one and absolutely nothing with the second. I had two stents in he artery at he back of the heart; I forget the name but it was 100% blocked. The mental effects of coming to terms with it have been very difficult and I have panic attacks at the slightest chest pain- which is often because of my spinal damage. Talk to your GP about possible side effects of your meds.
I've had angioplasty 4 times now and have 10 stents in my heart, each time has been different recoverys, my last was a heart attack 2 weeks ago, just do what feels OK for you mate, as it is easy to feel great one minute then absolutely crap the next, just listen to your body.
Hi Clarky. I read your post with interest and some horror !
Reason being that I also went for a pre-planed stent procedure a few weeks ago. It was the worst experience I have ever had, and as a woman, I've had a few - the PAIN OMG !! the roughness, pushing and shoving and the total lack of any pain relief during the insertion (although I had been promised this would be happening - it didn't). Unfortunately for me I could hear every word that was spoken, so I started to freak out when I heard the words "No, I just can't get it in - she'll need a quadruple bypass" Well that was it for me . . . I actually passed out, for a few mins. I am told.
I'll cut a long story short but suffice to say that when I went last week to meet my bypass Surgeon, pre-op, the experience was somewhat unbelievable . . .
After all the meeting and greeting the surgeon said to me "so you've come to see me before I do your bypass surgery yes" I was a bit taken aback by the way he said it but meekly replied "well yes". Then he jumped up out of his chair and said "WRONG" - I'm thinking what the . . .? My heart must be so bad, he's sending me home to die ! He must have read my face as he said "don't worry, it's actually your lucky day" By this time I'm wondering if I had traveled to another dimension.
Then he went on to say why he wasn't going to do the bypass - It was his opinion that 1. I was too young, 2. I didn't need to join "the zipper club" and sport a massive scar, and 3. Surgery of this magnitude and the time it takes to do it may be very high risk for me as I'm a long time diabetic, and might not even make it, and 4, because he said it was his professional opinion (and he was the head of surgery), that the Cath Lab i.e the stenting team (which is an entirely different department from surgical cardio) had got it all wrong. A bypass was not the only way.
I could hardly take it all in, I thought I was going to pass out there and then OMG the palpitations.
He went on to say that he believed that stenting was still the way forward, but with a more competent and experienced technician. I'm like WOW . . . I told him about my experience at the hands of the other team and told him that under no circumstances was I going back to them, he said no it won't be the previous team. So I asked if he would be doing it, he said no - he's strictly a bypass surgeon, but he said he has a surgical colleague whom he would get to do it.
I need 2 for sure stents, with a possible third. My arteries are also 95% blocked and I wan't to have it done under GA as I don't ever want to feel the pain I had previously experienced, especially after being told that the procedure was not painful, just a bit of discomfort. All I got from that procedure was a badly bruised arm, right up to my elbow along with the acute anxiety of living for 3 weeks believing I was going to have a quadruple bypass, for me it felt like the end of my world and I actually made a will, seriously . . .
So here I sit, waiting to be given the date to go in and meet the surgeon who will be doing the procedure.
Whilst I am MIGHTY pleased and grateful that I can avoid open heart surgery and all the complications that come with it. I'm still fearful of the stenting procedure, especially as I have recently seen quite a lot of posts, suggesting it is not quite the "holy grail" that it is perceived to be.
Your experience sounds awful. I too am taking all the same medications as you, other than that last one and I don't have any problems with them. Your post kind of supports what I have been reading lately and frankly doesn't sound too good, I certainly would be concerned if I had similar issues post-stenting. It's kinda difficult with looking at all the possible side effects for medication, as they list all sorts of reactions, even ones, that you thought you were being treated for LOL Think you really have to speak with your consultant to get to the bottom of this. Let's hope the things you are suffering are temporary, but it's always a worry.
If I may ask, how long did you spend in hospital having this done? Take care and hope you soon feel better.
Oh gosh, I'm so sorry to hear you've been going through this! Please don't be put off by anything I've said, all things considered I would still go through it again as at least now I am actually on a road to recovery. As we can see from the replies here, we all recover at different rates, and I definitely feel a bit better today Still a bit of an ache between the shoulder blades at the back but the breathlessness is better.
I had it done in one day, arrived at 8am, booked in and then relaxed until the procedure at 12.30. Was in the lab around 1 hour and then several cups of tea and rest until I was allowed home at 6pm. The team looking after me were fabulous, that helped I think. The cardiologist spoke to me beforehand and throughout the procedure he chatted away. When I said it was painful he explained it was just because he was blocking the blood flow while inserting the stent, he reassured me he was watching my heart all the time and all was fine. I had a little sedative at the start but maybe not enough - be sure to ask for this when you have yours!
I think my own expectations about this have been far too high - I thought I would samba dance out of the cath lab like a 21 year old but I'm no spring chicken (59) and have had to be far more realistic and kind to myself these last few days. And remind myself I am one of the lucky ones
Hi. It was good to hear you felt a bit better yesterday. I guess it's day by improvement.
When I went in for the "stent that never happened"
I didn't get spoken to by any cardiologist - just the cath. ward nurses, so I had no idea what was to come or expect.
In fact I drove myself to the hospital and fully anticipated driving back home after the stent was done. As it never happened it didn't turn out to be an issue on that day, but I had no idea that driving after having a stent was not permitted. I recall from another thread, that you can't drive for 3 months ??? - I thought the 3 month rule was for bypass patients, so I'm a bit confused, and I need to drive as soon as possible as I live in a rural location.
To be honest, from what friend's had told me (before I even joined this site) I genuinely thought having a stent would be like a walk in the park, having been told about numerous tales of how Aunties, Uncles etc. had sailed through having a stent and were now "like new" again.
This is not what I'm finding on here . . . .
I've just read of someone who said they had 4 Angiogram's and 10 stents - which to me sounds somewhat crazy. Then also read of someone who had relatively new stents inserted and then out of the blue had a heart attack !!!
I had thought, a bit like Puppies, stents were for life . . .!!
I was even thinking about getting a car sticker to bear testament to my survival. Now I'm thinking Hmmm, maybe not such a great idea.
But seriously, at our age, I'm a young 57, I had no idea that they might need replacing.
I'm seriously nervous now - I don't handle pain well, at all and the thought that it's not necessarily a one-off procedure and may need to be repeated, has really thrown me.
Were you aware of this? Do doctors actually tell you this?
I'm starting to feel anxious as there seems to be so many things about having stents, that I just don't know, and the things I do now know - I just wish I didn't LOL
If I may ask - how were the first few days after the procedure? Were you able to do things for yourself or did you need assistance with doing normal daily tasks?
Apparently now, or so I am told, there are different type's of stents, made with different materials and some that just dissolve over time, and some that have medication in them - god only knows how this works.
Do you know what you have, and did you get to choose?
I quite like the idea of a "designer stent" haha.
Well enough of my question's. I hope you have a great day and look after yourself. Julia
Hi Clarky61012, I had a stent fitted 3 weeks ago after having two myocardial infarct s, blocked right coronary artery. For the first two weeks I panicked at every little twinge I felt, even though I was told I would experience some discomfort for a couple of weeks due to everything settling down. However, I feel absolutely worn out and very tired, don't know if it's all the medication, I take the same as you funnily enough. Thought I would be feeling better now I have come to terms with what happened, but don't feel as though iam getting any better. Maybe iam an impatient patient! Hope you feel better soon, let's cross our fingers. I am thankful just to be alive at the moment.
I’m 6 months after 2 stents into 95% LAD block. Took a full month to feel like I wasn’t made of glass. Three months to feel normal day to day. Six to be robust.
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