I’ve had one stent fitted nearly two weeks ago and I’m trying to get over obstacles one by one and accept my lifestyle changes and I’m doing really good with all of them... diet... excercise.... stopped smoking.... medication but one thing keeps me feeling anxious and that is ... why am I seeing so many posts of people that have to keep going back for stent after stent and maybe even bypass? How do they get to the point whereby they need another stent? Do they have to wait till a HA to be seen again or are they kept an eye on by their cardiologist? And how come those other suspicious lesions weren’t dealt with at the same time as the ones that were stented? Some of these people have another stent literally a year later.... does the plaque grow that quickly? This honestly is scaring me the most.... as nearly all these people did everything in their power to help but still had to go back time after time to get more stents.... I also still have some plaque that they did a wire test on and my factional flow was 0.93 so they didn’t stent it....but how am I supposed to know if it’s got worse... bigger etc ... how quick does plaque grow? It just makes me feel like I’m always going to feel on edge with this... how do I get around this thought? Sorry to sound negative but it does bother me
Stent after stent after stent - British Heart Fou...
Stent after stent after stent
Hi Buffy6956
You may not hear from people like my husband who had his stent inserted nearly 9 years ago in his 40's. He had angina and an almost completely blocked Left anterior descending artery ( LAD).
He's fine however he still lives with coronary artery disease the cause of the orginal narrowing of his arteries.
He takes his medication to prevent further problems.
He exercises and eats well.
He doesn't worry or become anxious and manages his stress.
Your recent experience is still very new . You have already done the most important positive change in your life by giving up smoking which is brilliant
The other lifestyle changes you have made will soon become part of your new normal.
Perhaps make contact with your GP and discuss how you are feeling ?
Another really good place for support is from the Cardiac rehabilitation nurses. Perhaps talk to them too?
Hi not that its a numbers game but 6 stents and counting just enjoy your life and don't over think things
But that’s my point.... why did you have to keep going back for more? Did they kerp an eye on you? Did it mean you had to have a HA before you got the next? I only have one but from what I’m seeing on here people keep having to go back for more and more... why though? If they were all sticking to excercise medication diet change and smoking cessation? Was it not working? I just don’t get it
Hi Buffy.I understand your concerns.
I had two stents fitted a year and half ago.
I take tablets for other side of heart.
Thankfully had no problems since.
Think have to be a bit opmistic though otherwise it really could affect ones state of mind.after all anything can happen anytime to anybody.
With state of NHS it is a worry though. Personally I would like a more detailed insight on what heart shows now on a scan . Also the type of stent that has been fitted and general information on condition.
Overall am grateful that I'm here and can do most thigs ok
Hi Buffy
I write as someone who hasn’t had a stent. Sadly, I think the answer is no one can be sure of anything. Based on many years of research, science and experience, doctors prescribe the medication and give the advice that they believe has the best chance of stopping or slowing progression. In many cases this works, but not always. There are myriad reasons for this I’m sure, but I don’t understand them. I suspect that this also applies to other major diseases such as cancer. As the research and science develops, the treatment and advice follows. Doctors do their best and have our interests at heart.
If or when they believe a stent or CABG is needed to relieve symptoms or remove severe blockages then they will act accordingly. If it’s not needed, then medication and lifestyle has been shown to be as effective as surgery in managing the condition. You may want to research the ISCHEMIA trial on this.
There are examples on this forum where further stents and re-stenting is required but I suspect that there are many more cases where it isn’t. As I say, all we can do is give ourselves the best chance by following advice. Where we are fortunate is that we have identified the problem before a heart attack - this undoubtedly gives us a better chance of avoiding one.
A hospital registrar looked at my CT result and said there will be many people walking around of my age (57) with the same condition who are unaware. Would you rather know or not know?
The irony is that I had probably been walking around with this for several years but n my mind this only started in January. The meds and changes I have made so far have hopefully decreased my risk of a heart attack but, once diagnosed, it is very difficult to get the thought out of my mind. Hopefully, that will come with time.
There are many people on here who were all seemingly healthy and totally unaware they had a problem.
The emotional consequences of this are huge. Don’t underestimate the physical effects of anxiety. As Milkfairy points out, maintaining a positive and less stressed mindset is important (if difficult).
I think you need to identify a team (cardiologist, nurses, GP) you trust and rely on them for advice. Research your condition to help understand it and ask the right questions but don’t “over research” - I am regularly panicking myself by reading complex medical studies that I don’t really understand.
I can’t pretend I fully understood my CT scan so I saw a cardiologist privately and asked him to go through it with me line by line. I found that helpful. I will now have an annual ECG and echocardiogram with him whilst liaising with my GP as well.
Sorry I don’t have specific answers to your question but I suspect there aren’t any.
Trust the experts and allow yourself time to relax and come to terms with everything. That’s what I’m trying to do.
Best wishes
Ty so much I found that really helpful.... your right in what you say for example some people survive cancer whilst others don’t some it goes away completely snd never returns others it doesn’t... it is complex and we don’t know why do we... I’m the same as you I research then I research a complex medical trial and don’t understand it... how the experts do us beyond me lol.... I had a ct scan first before my angiogram and ct calcium score as well so I’ve had one stent for a blockage that showed in ct scan and I’ve had a fractional flow test on the other plaque in my Lcx that was not needing stent as my result was 0.93 which is considered as non significant so they will just keep an eye on that one.... I was also told that most people of my age have mild to moderate plaque in their arteries ... and my thoughts were similar to yours whereby I thought to myself... I must of had this blockage for at least two to three years and didn’t worry and my heart now is in a better condition now than it was before stent.... I still panic about every twinge I get though.... maybe ignorance is bliss but maybe not in our scenario
I found the Angina management clinic to be very helpful. The specialist there was lovely and regularly rings me to check how I'm doing. They explain it in simple terms ,give diagrams and reassure you that you are probably better off than many of the population who don't have a clue then suffer severe problems. I'm a year on and my specialist said I'm doing fabulous and doing everything I can to prevent further issues. You can only do so much. If you eat healthily,exercise and take meds as prescribed you're in a great place and way more informed that those who walk around with no knowledge of their artery or heart condition. Anxiety can cause issues. I'd suggest a chat with your doctor and ask about the angina management clinic.
👏👏👏
Only just noticed this post, brilliant reply👍
Hi Buffy I know your post was 6 months ago but you sound exactly like I feel now. I am 5 weeks post stent in my LAD and like you I keep reading about people having to have more than one stent. I spoke to my consultant last week and he was very positive said I have a very low risk of re stenosis as I don’t smoke and not diabetic. But I don’t understand why it happened in the first place. I didn’t eat badly and exercised regularly. Like you I also worry about every little twinge in my chest area. I wondered how you are feeling now 6 months on?
Hi lizbeth
Well I guess I’ve realised that “little twinges” are just that and really shouldn’t be fussed about as I’ve learnt that there are a couple of things that could go wrong the first being (instent stenosis) which is where a clot forms inside the stent... but if this happened you wouldn’t be getting little twinges as this would block off the artery completely and cause symptoms the same as a heart attack.... the second is (restenosis) where the plaque grows back usually between 3-6 months but unusual with the new drug eluding stents and again this would cause angina symptoms if it was blocked and not really little twinges....also the anti platelets and asprin would prevent any clots forming to a great degree regarding instent stenosis.. I’ve learnt that it isn’t my heart that had disease and that my heart is actually healthy (I didn’t have heart attack or damage) it was the plumbing that was diseased and that has now been unblocked.... I figure that plaque grows slowly over decades actually and taking the right medication excercise and eating healthy and not smoking can keep it at whatever degree it’s at already.... I’ve learnt that it’s not always the large blockages that are the most dangerous... on the contrary it’s the small 20-30% soft plaques that are more dangerous and prone to rupture so even people with seemingly none or very insignificant heart disease are at risk if they don’t take steps to lead a healthier life style and keep their blood thin.... personally if I’ve ever had like a sudden arm pain or something then I get up and do my cardiac rehab excercises as I figure that if it was heart related it would get worse in excercise and that would give me my answer on whether it was heart related but that’s just me lol hope this helps xx
That's exactly the advice my cardiologist gave me regarding the exercise when you have chest pain.If the pain worsens with exercise then go to hospital, if not then go back to the tv 😊
Hi Buffy thanks so much for taking the time to reply. Your words are very encouraging and like you I didn’t have a heart attack thank god. I agree with you that if it was angina again it would be worse whilst exercising and this isn’t the case with me. I’ve had a good week with minimal “Twinges” so that makes me feel positive for the future. As you say eating healthily and getting enough exercise is the key. Thanks again so good to have found others on this forum going through the same thing. Really helps x
Hi buffy I had heart attack cardiac arrest artery completely blocked 3 stents in yr on feel great walking 3 miles every day no smoking good diet positive attitude stopped most of my medication even the statin s even thow doc advised against this still take the aspirin and bisplol that's it just glad all going used till read an awful lot on heart issues but not so much now stay positive
I’m so glad you feel great... I personally don’t like being on pills but I know that the statins not only lower my cholesterol but also stabilise my plaque which then prevents plaque breaking open and causing a clot which in turn causes a heart attack do as much as I don’t like taking them I still will
Hi highnoon can I ask you do you take lansoprazole to protect your stomach from the asprin as I do but I have become very suspicious as two doctors have asked me why I take lansoprazole when I said I was put on them after heart attack to protect my stomach from aspirin their reply was oh yes, but I now have stomach problems I’m waiting on an endoscopy to be done. I’ve been waiting 14 months for this. Since my doctors questioned why I’m on lansoprazole I looked into it and I’ve read that you shouldn’t be on these meds longer than 3 months I’ve now been on them 2 yrs. I’m debating stopping them myself but very unsure. I know of two other people that have been on lansoprazole who developed pancreatic cancer and have since passed away they both had taken lansoprazole for a very long time. My doctors have been very good but now I’ve become suspicious I thought they would of known why I take lansoprazole but unfortunately they didn’t
Sorry didn't get back till you I take them as well but always had a bad stomach had 3 uncles all the same I've totally given up on doctors honest will b going of all medication very soon just going till take my chance without them back smoking again I know that's silly but that's the way it is sorry I wasn't much of a help till you take care
So to explain stent after stent, I have 6 stents, 3 in each of 2 coronary arteries. They were done in 2 batches, 8 weeks apart, with the first 3 put in 2 days after my heart attack. It takes time to put them in and the cardiologist tries not to overburden the kidneys with too much contrast dye or for you to spend too long in the cath lab. Also in my case they said they wanted to give various drugs time to work on softening the plaque in my 2nd artery.
I can relate to this . It’s an interesting question . I was stunted 3 weeks ago , as rca was 95% blocked . Told 1 was normal , and the other 2 mild disease , so like you I wonder if the mild ones are going to get worse and if so how long does it take ?
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