Hi. I have been diagnosed with severe stenosis in my LAD and await an angioplasty. It has been cancelled by the hospital twice now, my next appointment is due in August total wait 13 weeks providing they do not try and cancel this one.
Is this standard to wait or have others had a shorter experience to get their procedure done?
i think it’s a post code lottery. i was admitted to hospital sunday night and had angio lunch time monday. i think it moves quicker as an inpatient though. the doctor did say there was only 1 patient on the list for monday and no electives. having said that i was stuck in hospital 7 weeks ago with unstable angina and had to wait 2 weeks for angio. good luck❤️
Hello and welcome to the forum! Unfortunately as said it had now become a postcode lottery. I think much as I dislike targets some need to be put in place for cardiolgy. After having an angiogram in May 2017 I was told I would have stents on about four weeks. This never happened and, after further tests and a peer review I was referred for a quadruple. After numerous delays this eventually happened in June 2018. I hope your delays get nothing as long. Would your GP chase it up for you?
Thanks for your comments. Should they cancel this on the third occasion I will be requesting my GP take this further. Apart from the shortness of breath and accompanying chest discomfort on exertion I would have considered the severe stenosis a priority however a postcode lottery it sounds.
Unfortunately it does depend on what hospital you use and their waiting lists. Often cancellations are due to emergencies with admissions. Where i am the wait is currently around 40 weeks. Build up in arteries usually takes years, so a few more weeks does not usually have an impact
I have to ask, how did they diagnose severe stenosis of the LAD? The reason I ask is that what sounds bad to the lay person whilst needing treatment is not as urgent as other cases. As an example, I had an MI, two arteries completely blocked and third more than 80%.
They stented two but the third has been left untreated. As my cardiologist said at the time “you’ve got blood flow, that’s enough”. (I found out after it was because I couldn’t have the third stent at that time so it would mean bypass and I was too poorly to tolerate it).
Anyway, my point is, what us patients (and even non-cardiologist doctors) think is severe, isn’t a drop dead urgent situation for a cardiologist which is why I asked how it was diagnosed as severe. Did you have an angiogram in which case, why wasn’t the angioplasty done there and then? Are there other health issues which might cause it to be delayed (we must never under-estimate that this is a serious medical procedure even if it is commonly done so you need to be well). Sorry for the long post 😀
Hi. I was diagnosed 6 years ago with a mild stenosis but not bad enough to stent. I went to my GP in January because I had difficulty breathing on exertion and had chest pain lasting up to an hour. Relieved by GTN spray but none the less getting worse
After all cardio tests and finally a CT angiogram they diagnosed severe stenosis.
Hi, to clarify your question. I had a CT angiogram, which is an X-Ray or scan which diagnosed the severe stenosis. I am now due another angiogram ( catheter via my wrist or groin) but with a view to confirm the areas of stenosis, stenting at the same time.
I see. I’m assuming they must be seeing blood flow through the LAD or you would have been stented immediately. Try not to get too anxious (easy to say, I’m currently getting as stressed as hell awaiting my next Angiogram on the 13/8). Believe me if they believed it was life threatening you’d be done immediately- they do t mess about. Why not ring your cardiologists secretary and e Laing how stressed you are at the repeated cancellations. It might help
Have already spoken to the cardiology nurse who assured me I have been flagged as being cancelled twice before. Fingers crossed it is this time it will happen. I am trying not to stress over the wait just finding my angina is bothersome and the shortness of breath an issue especially in the hot weather.
Have no named cardiologist the way they do things in this trust so have to contact the cardiology nurse if I need to know anything.
They have been good but not like a face to face consultation.
Think I’m lucky. The Lancashire Cardiac Centre is rated one of the best in the world and their holistic patient care is part of that. I’m given my consultant secretary’s direct number and they always deal with concerns rapidly. Fingers crossed for you
Thanks and you for your angiogram on the 13th.
That’s the one I had done and that’s what my cardiologist called it 😀
I was blue lighted 6 times in one month and still the cardio team didnt believe there was anything wrong with me.The paramedics knew there stuff . countless times I was sent home only to be rushed back in.I kicked up a stink and was eventually given a CT scan only to watch there jaws drop as they approaced my bed to say your right Mr....We have found a large blockage I'm your LAD just like you. It took them 3 attempts to finally get me down for an angiogram after cancellations and emergencies coming in.But I was just chopping at the bit to get to the cathedral lab.I found the whole thing very intresting and no where near as daunting as some people had suggested it would be. Sadly I now have a form of angina to deal with Daily that is blighting my life.But the angiogram is fine and you will be on the mend after.Just take your Meds as prescribed and look after yourself 😊
Seaview8 - I sympathise as I was in a similar position. Thanks for the link to the Mayo Clinic article; since my diagnosis, I've done a lot of research and it was interesting to read it even though it was published nearly 20 years ago. I think BarneysDad is correct in what he says about the different perspectives, It's natural for us as the patient to be much more concerned and the doctors are juggling probably hundreds of candidates for the procedure. When I was told that there was a 100% blockage in my RCA and two 90% + one 70% in LAD and LCX, my anxiety level shot up! I expect it's the same for all of us that we think we're going to have an instant heart attack. I had an angiogram but the doctor decided that a triple bypass would give a better outcome for me so didn't stent. I was given an appointment with the heart surgeon for this week, only four weeks after the angiogram which is probably pretty fast for the NHS. However it wasn't fast enough for me and as I'd been paying into a Critical Illness policy for 25 years, that enabled me to see the surgeon privately on the 18th July and he carried out the operation 6 days later. He told me that if I had continued with the NHS route, the operation wouldn't have happened for 'many months'. This illustrates the enormous challenge faced by the NHS to try to meet the demand. I'm writing this from the Royal Brompton on (hopefully) my last day before discharge tomorrow. The level of care, skill and empathy displayed by the whole medical team has been exemplary and it's exactly the same whether NHS or private. I am in awe of the surgeon and eternally grateful.
Hi. I wish you a speedy recovery from your operation you have had a good outcome, now you can look forward to feeling well again.
As you mention the stress of when? does not bode well for cardiac patients already experiencing symptoms however once the correct procedure is carried out the NHS and private sector equal each other in expertise and care.
It has to be borne in mind that all figures for percent blocked are estimates. Arteries are not exactly circular and do do narrow with an annular ring of plaque forming. The degree of blockage also varies along the length.
The important thing to remember is that medication is prescribed to keep you safe whilst waiting and stopping any without medical advice (not off the interweb) is foolhardy!
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