I had a ct angiogram done as a precautionary measure after having some light right sided chest pain that lasted around 20 mins and ecg that showed inverted t waves... all tests other than that were normal trop t etc... anyway ct angiogram calcium score was 11 and it said mild calcification predominantly right coronary artery. It also said moderate mixed plaque circumflex left and mild diffuse right coronary also moderate to severe focal mixed plaque right artery... but my LAD LEFT MAIN and all the branches off the right artery and left circumflex normal ... so I hsvd now been referred for angiogram this Thursday to check if I need a stent... they also said something about checking blood flow through the artery... I’m so scared of having a stent and yet also scared of not having one... I don’t know what to expect or if it’s going to be painful etc... also I’m confused with the calcium score bring only 11 (mild) but having moderate to severe plaque? please help ty
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Hi Buffy my understanding is that plaque can be made up of various components, see attached link heart.org/en/health-topics/... so you could have a low calcium score but still have significant plaque in arteries. If you search on this board 'stents' you will see many positive experiences. I had 2 stents 2 years ago following an unexpected NSTEMI (heart attack) I felt wrecked waiting a week in hospital until a slot was available for my PCI (stents). The actual procedure was virtually painless and once the procedure was underway I felt confident that I was in good hands. I asked for a mild sedative which helped me. You really will be fine try not to worry and remember you can ring BHF Nurse on 0300 330 3311 if you have any questions.
Yes I have been looking at stuff from Ivor Cummings it’s very interesting but still a little confusing as he said something about even if it were a plaque without calcium it would be mild plaque as if it got bigger then calcium would show? I am going to have to watch it again to clarify to make sure that’s what I heard ..
I had an angiogram through my wrist AND a 'right heart study' through my groin at the same time November 2019. Some find the whole thing painless, others find it 'not so bad as I thought it would be'.
As for me, I have an absolute horror of needles. I begged for and received the maximum 'pain and anxiety' relief.
The pain and anxiety relief didn't fade for three days - and from there the resulting ache was so minor I only noticed if I tried to move too fast or rested my arm on the sofa in the wrong position. The bruises, er, well, those didn't fully fade for five weeks. But they didn't hurt, just looked horrid.
I didn't need stents - went in there that morning sure I was coming out with multiple stents plus a least a triple bypass (when I worry, I go big!). 'All' I have is an acute flare of my recurrent pericarditis - home the same day and on the sofa to recover.
Everyone is different - you may or may not need stents - if you do you'll be in just the right place for it, a fully equipped hospital with all the right things right there right then. So much better than being out on the pavements and collapsing because you need stents but will have to be blue-lighted to A&E for emergency surgery.
Hope this helps. Please keep us updated on how you get on!
Ty very reassuring .... can I ask why was it that you thought you’d be having stents? Had you had a scan or something else that said you had blockages or was it just your racing mind? My mind races all the time ... I try to do as much reading on trusted sites about my problem as much as I can as I prefer to be fully informed than not ... although ignorance actually is sometimes bliss lol
Part my racing mind, part my cardiologist being so sure my chest pain HAD to be only from some kind of blockages. He also suggested I'd possibly need bypass and my mind naturally (lol) went straight to assuming multiple stents and at least triple bypass.
I did have an echocardiogram a few months before the angio and right heart study, and the cardiologist really wanted the angio and right heart study because he was SO sure the angina I was having couldn't possibly be from recurrent pericarditis even though the echo didn't show anything suggesting blockages, just the pericardial problems.
I really was not keen - I knew the angina was from the pericardial problem but hey, he's the cardiologist and I'm just the patient And bonus - now he knows pericardial problems...can cause angina, and I know my arteries are clear.
Not the most fun I've ever had but could have been worse and again, now he knows, and I know, and that's not a bad thing in the end.
Yes good result... I personally don’t feel we are given enough info before having procedures... I get that they know what their doing and will do things like fractional flow IVUV if needed but they don’t discuss that with you beforehand... I’ve just been told angiogram on +- so got yo just wait and see.... btw what’s a right heart study?
A right heart study feeds a wire up through to your right heart to measure pressure and blood flow through your pulmonary artery - and it sounds to me from your OP that you'll be having that at the same time they do your angio.
I was not happy to hear that was going to be done at the same time as the angio, especially when I heard them say the angio would be through my wrist and the right heart study through my groin - lol, I thought 'both ends, gee thanks!'
But it got it all over with in one ride to theatre so I'm not complaining now it's over.
The BHF publications page at the main site has a fair bit of information on these procedures, and your hospital will send you a packet (warning, the booklet they send can be, er, disturbingly graphic. I found it helpful, actually, but my husband leafed through it and went three shades of paler).
Other good sites for reliable information are the NHS site, the US Mayo Clinic site, the US Cleveland Clinic site, and the US American Heart Foundation site. Johns Hopkins (also USA) is quite good but the site is experiencing lag owing to all the coronavirus traffic.
Exactly right ^^. Yeah it's not a walk in the park and some of these procedures are a bit unpleasant but the main thing is you are "on the radar" and not going to collapse in the street like many do with the resulting problems.
Stents don’t hurt and easy to recover from. Main thing is when they say not to move for an hour or so whilst the incision heals in your groin DON’T MOVE. I did and it hurt then but that was me being stupid trying to sit up.
I had a similar experiance. I started to be checked as I was having odd pains back in Jan 2018, loads of stress tests and a CT found a 60% narrowing in LAD, I changed my life around, lost weight, started running, more fruit and veg, stopped drinking and so on, then got checked in March 2019 and found that the plaque was unstable and got worse and was now from moderate blockage to severe (that CT saved my life in my opinion). I was due to have a wire test to see what the blood flow was before and the other side of the blockage in the artery, but like you worry extra about everything, I knew I had the severe blockage while waiting for the angio. Next thing I know was dizzy spells, off to A&E 3 times but no Tropnin leak and let go, all ECGs normal BP good and so on. Then 23rd May 2 days before the appointment I felt really dizzy and ambulance to A&E and found Small Tropinin result and as such I was having an NSTEMI and straight to Angio. That's not all to scare you but just to say be aware of any strange feelings not just chest. The Angio ward was impressive, total confidence in the staff, a painless PCI lasted about 30 minutes through the wrist, these people know what they are looking at and what they are doing. your semi awake, slight sedative like having one extra G&T but your aware which all is fine, really. 1 stent later 10 months ago and fine, I run 5K last week best time ever, it saved my life and I am so pleased with NHS, they deserve the acknowledgment especially at the moment. My plaque was close to rupture and within hours, I would have had a major or fatal HA. The most difficult will be the year after getting use to the medication, do the rehab, it boosts you and worth it and you meet people in a similar situation, dont be worried to speak out if you think some pills make you feel odd, they will swap around until they are right for you. The other posts are correct, the dual antiplatlet normally make you bruise easy but, what's that against being alive. You will be fine and you will end up feeling better and having more energy. Good Luck!! tell us all about it after.
Hi tks Phil for input.... you say that you had a 60% blockage in your LAD so you decided to do a good diet exercise stop drinking etc but within a year even after doing all that it still got worse? Yet that’s what they tell you to do if they say it’s not big enough for a stent... that plus medication... I don’t know if you were medicated at all during that year period where it got worse but I’m guessing you probably were... I’m glad it all worked out for you eventually after a rather rocky ride and well done on your 5k run... wow it’s great to see how you have fabulous confidence and quite rightly so now your all fixed
Buffy, I am fortunate enough that work paid for me to also see a private cardiologist and he is the same guy that did the Stent fitting through the NHS, al lot do both, private and NHS, so he has some of the best in the world working for them. he said that with teh CT they can be sometimes a little inaccurate when it comes to percentage, but not so much the type of plaque, that they see better, so he said, what they say was 60% could have well if checked again been 65% or a little more, the CT scan a year later said 60-70% I was one small asprin and a very low Statin 20mg. First they try to see if you can go on without the Stent and I understand now I was on the let's see range how I go, all my stress tests looked good so all assumed was well, the heart was getting enough blood oxygen to deal with stress tests without angina, it can sometimes happen apparently. but dont worry about all that, they have said you should have a stent and you will find it much better after.
Hi yes, I went in 3 times in a week with dizzy spells knowing and telling them that I had the CT results but no Troponin leak so sent back home, 4th time was in the middle of the night, no chest pain just dizzy, troponin finally showed at 190 so very low but enough for them to send me direct for the angio, during the process it got up to about 700 from what they said which apparently happens when they do an angio as the heart does ho through a stress when they do the procedure, which again I was told was still low and as such I was very lucky, Troponin I have been told can hit 5000 or more in serious attacks.
From.waht I understand there are different. measurements, depends of where the blood test is done, I had an A&E visit abroad once and they measured in ml per litre, Spqin had a different way also, I got private check done on cholesterol done once, micro mililiters and milileteres be litre. I will dig out my results and confirm.
Hi Buffy angiograms really are a walk in the park. Such a moderate procedure not much more than a blood test. You won’t feel a thing. The interventional cardiologists are very skilled and really expert so relax and don’t worry. Let me know how you got on. Mike
dont worry I have had another 3 stents fitted in Dec I also had 2 fitted in 2011 although I knew what to expect its a doddle it took a little more time to recover this time probably because I am older then the last time or because they used a lot of contrast and had to keep me in overnight and was very tired for a few weeks after but a couple of months later ime fine you dont even have to take your clothes off.
Hi. it’s natural to feel concerned and worried but from my own experience of having an angiogram (angioplasty) and then 2 days later 2 x stents fitted.
i’d rather go through that again, than have root canal surgery at the dentist!!
the worst part was the local anaesthetic injection! the angiogram / stent itself felt ‘odd’ and was slightly uncomfortable but (for me) didn’t hurt.
I've had 2 angiograms; one o fit two stents and one th e test you are having. Felt absolutely nothing at all. They sedate you but it wears off quickly. I went in at 9 am and was home by 12.30. Lots of bruising on my arm for he first one; absolutely nothing second time. The tea and toast afterwards taste great! LOL
I had a CT cardio angiogram in January following an abnormal ECG and an EKG that showed mild aortic valve stenosis. This showed minimal (1 - 24%) blockages in five vessels and mild (25 - 49%) blockages in the proximal D1 and RCA. My calcium score was 133. I have seen two cardiologists since who have prescribed atorvastatin 40mg and aspirin plus lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, stress reduction, BP and blood sugar control).
I have had a few aches, pains, flutters in my body since diagnosis. My only symptom before was light headedness which is likely related to my aortic valve. I'm not sure whether these are heart related, anxiety, statin related or just aches and pains that I would have ignored pre diagnosis.
My limited research on "eccentric calcified", "partially calcified" and "non calcified" plaques seem to indicate that calcified plaque is less likely to rupture (potentially causing a clot) than non calcified. This seems to be the majority view although I have also read articles to the contrary! My understanding of the use of a statin in CAD treatment is that it plays an important role in stabilising and reducing plaque and making is less likely to rupture. To me, this seems even more important than its ability to reduce cholesterol.
I haven't had an angiogram or stent but others have given you their experiences of that.
What I would say is that you are in the hands of the professionals who do this day in, day out. They are the experts and will give you the best advice for your health. We are in a fortunate position of being able to proactively manage our CAD rather than having to react to an emergency. Good luck, you'll be fine.
Hi Buffy, just to add to all the positive comments, I had 2 stents after HA 7 weeks ago today. I had no sedation & despite being in there over 2 hours due to the surgeons having difficulty removing the blockages, my first time being sick & needing medical intervention, at no time did i feel any pain, the staff are very reassuring. By the way I'm 57.
Hi buffy. I had a heart attack 2 years ago. Was taken to hospital diagnosed needing a stent with 2 other arteries 30% blocked but had good blood flow. That same day I had the procedure. I can only say that I feel a bit of a fraud because I have had no after effects and apart from tiredness and breathlesness I feel great. I am 70 years old nearly.
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And bonus - now he knows pericardial problems...can cause angina, and I know my arteries are clear. 
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