Has anyone ever experienced this?

[CrazyRabbit]

I had a stent fitted in August 2018 due to coarctation of the aorta. Since around February 2018 I've been experiencing continuous chest pain that get incredibly worse at any given point. I have had more than a dozen trips to A&E due to this all with everything coming back as ok.

I went to see my lead cardiologist yesterday, after several of my local doctors requesting that I get checked for angina. My cardiologist refused this as he says that I am too young to suffer from this, and that the chest pain is all in my head. But wants to do a heart trace to ensure the surgery went to plan, even though the problems started before. And wants to refer me to a pain specialist to learn to cope with the pain and has recommended I just take over the counter pain killers as an end result.

Should I just accept this as an answer or should I be looking at getting a second opinion?

Thanks in advance

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

Sorry you are having such a hard time with this. I do understand that a coarctation is something you are born with. But you are understandably very worried about the pain you’re still getting after you’ve had a stent put in.

It sounds to me, though I’m just going on what you've written, that you may not be able to settle until you have another opinion?

If that’s the case, then do it.

But you have had pretty consistent opinions from quite a few medics, and they will also have had a really good look at the rest of your heart when you recently had the stent put in.

[IMAGES]

HI, I have recently had two stents fitted for blocked arteries not a coarctation as in your case. I was also getting out of breath with chest pain, I have always been fit and healthy since my schooldays, military service, physically demanding self employment etc. So I knew my own body, If I didn't keep pestering my doctor with "something isn't right" I would no doubt have had to suffer a major heart attack before they agreed there was "something wrong" I was sent for a cardio angiogram that highlighted the narrowing of the arteries and subsequently sent for the stents to be fitted. If I were you Rabbit, don't be crazy an accept their prognosis, nobody gets pain with out a reason, severe or otherwise right?. It's your health your body, get it sorted while you still can!

[sos007]

Go ahead and get a second opinion. Doctors are not Gods, they are fallible. Surgeries sometimes don't go as planned. Although the highest risk factor for cardiovascular disease is age (it takes decades for atherosclerotic plaques to accumulate), it can certainly manifest at ANY age, even in younger people. Read this:

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

and this:

heart.org/en/news/2018/11/1...

I had a triple bypass in spring of 2015 (age 53) and found out that it failed during the post-op follow-up visit (I did a stress test), one month after the surgery.

As a result, I had to have 2 angioplasties to insert 4 stents in the ensuing 2 months.

Then I was given a cocktail of pills to take for the rest of my life.

Being inquisitive and unrelenting in nature, I decided to approach my problem from a different perspective - resolving the cause of my condition rather than treating the symptoms (medical interventions are usually trying to resolve acute symptoms) which only provides temporary relief.

I researched the drugs I was taking, as well as the cause of cardiovascular disease and elevated cholesterol.

I radically changed my diet - eliminated simple carbohydrate, fried and processed foods, sugar and sugar equivalents and adopted the Mediterranean Diet mayoclinic.org/healthy-life...

I also gradually increased my daily exercise regimen (walking) from 5 minutes to 60 minutes daily. Eventually I incorporate resistance (weight) training in a gym and more intensive cardiovascular workouts on a treadmill.

Over a 10-month period (Jan to Oct 2016), my weight normalized (I lost 40 pounds) which resolved all of my medical issues (I monitored my blood-work every 6 weeks during this period).

This allowed me to wean off of all prescription medications by October 2016 and I have not taken any more drugs since.

I am now in the best shape of my life.

You have the ability to control your health - doctors are there for support but you are in charge. You can start by getting a second opinion, but also if you haven't already done so, make the dietary and lifestyle changes to allow your body to function as it was designed.

Good luck.