Very high bp after 5 stents and n semi ha

[Builderbob]

Hi wonder if anyone has experiences similar problems ,since having my ha and 5 stents a yr ago I have been struggling with breathlessness and intermittent chest pain which has taken me to a n e at least 6 times in the last 6mnth but every time no sign of raised troponin levels and keep putting the pain down to chest infections, the last time I had extreme pain like 10 /10 + and blood pressure was up to 220/180 for at least a hr and heart rate 120 I thought I was going to die never had such extream stabbing chest pain n called ambulance at 2am again troponin levels not raised and put it down as another uper tract chest infection that was 8 weeks ago then this Saturday at 1am again I had a similar attack blood pressure 225/187 for over hr but no chest pain just tightness but extream headache n tunnel vision ,I didnt call a ambulance waited until I fell asleep hoping I woke in morning I feel a fraurd n time waisted keep calling ambulance , my doctor asked for me to get a emergency heart consultation last Nov when these episodes started but still waiting I got app for april but they cancelled due to virus all they do is keep upping meds I'm a builder and it is effecting my ability at work to be honest I'm scared one of these attacks or what ever they are something is going to burst or blow ,i take gtn spray daily for pain ,isosorbide mononitrate 40mg x2,lansoprazole 30mg x2,ramipril 5mg,ranolazine 375mgx2,ticagrelor60mg x2,amitriptyline 10mg,amlodipine 5mg ,aspirin 75mg ,atorvastatin 80mg, bisoprolol 10mg,temgesic buprenorphine 400mgx4 ,butec 20mg buprenorphine patch .so tend to rattle at work but every time these episodes happen it's scary and very painfull any ideas I'm even considering paying private to get to see a cardiologist but am I just over reacting, im 52 n healthy apart from this n 30yr on pain killers from spine injury after fall from 30ft thanks pete

[MountainGoat52]

Wow, that's a drug list and a half! I wonder whether you have an allergy to something on the list which is triggering these severe attacks. I would get in touch with your GP again and push for that consultation. Someone needs to get to grips with what is going on and the sooner the better, even with the current situition in mind.

[Builderbob in reply to MountainGoat52]

Easier said than done even getting a call back from my doctors is like winning the lottery lol but I am planning on trying next week if only to let him know I've had another episode but problem is you tend to get another doctor who doesn't know your history and they just give you more smarties that's the reason I take so much

[MountainGoat52 in reply to Builderbob]

Well I've certainly found it necessary to be on my own case and stand up for what I want from the NHS. GPs see hundreds of patients so cannot know an individual's details. Reference to the records just provides them with the bare facts and their response is only as good as that information allows. Years ago I realised it was beneficial to try to see the same GP, but that's not always easy.

Do keep trying to get a consultation with your GP to get this situation resolved. Taking more smarties is not always the answer, so don't be fobbed off. All the best for getting this sorted. Most importantly, keep positive. This problem can be resolved! 😀

[Jwares]

I get ya mate. I had ha in 2015 (1 stent), ha in 2016 (4 more stents), ha in, 2017 (1 stent and (other 5 widened), ha in2018 (6 stents cleared out), 2019 (Double Heart Bypass), ha in 2020 (a further 5 stents fitted), bionic with 11 stents in total, 2 months later changed to advanced heart failure. They have never had my blood pressure or heart rate under control regardless what they give me. Started at 31 and am now 36.

[Builderbob in reply to Jwares]

Jesus mate, sounds like you've been through it a bit, when I had my first heart attack they fitted one stent and said they would do some more electives later n sent me home, but then too weeks later I got unstable angina so they said then put me in a geriatrics ward for three weeks because I kept getting bumped of the list because I wasnt showing anything bad on my ecg, when they eventually got me in the cath suite I was there 5 hrs, my first stent had blocked and had to re stent then had to stent other side and front to back said I had a full house but from the beginning all my ecg s have always been clear I only show on the bloods but it seems to me when i go hospital if my ecg ok they tend to stop looking at my heart

[Jwares in reply to Builderbob]

Have the ever done a back ECG on you? The first 3 showed on my ECG'S but not the last one, they had to do an ECG on my back to find it, the back bypass had blown. I was the same with 1 stent first and then elective but the elective never happened over the next 12 months and resulted in 5 years of hell and emergency treatment apart from the bypass which was planned as apparently they could stent no more. Still found room for another 5 the last time. Once was 4.5 hours and I woke up to a team around my head and someone doing CPR as my heart had stopped. Last time was 3.5 hours and I have never had so much pain throughout. They can only go femeral now as my arms are knackered, and every time they go in now it is just like being stabbed over and over in the groin, no amount of pain relief makes it better.

[Builderbob in reply to Jwares]

No they have never done ecg on back feels like got to just live with it chest pain every day , or do what I dont want to do n pay private ,but that way I get to c a specialist but alot of heart tests can soon add up , and I've always believed it shouldn't come down to how much you can pay to get treated ,everyone should get treated farely but thinking perhaps that's not quite right , the first time they tryed in my right arm but had to change there plans after half hr trying to find vein and had to go in left harm which really want comfy holding my arm in mid air across my body for a hr but next time they went strait for the groin it was agony when they put sheath in took twenty mins and when they put angi plug in again extremely painfull ,I was only touching table with my heels n head not something I would want to go throu again but the way I'm going there might be no alternative hopefully they will give me somethink to relax or for the pain next time if I do need one

[Jwares in reply to Builderbob]

I have stopped any further invasive treatment, even bloods now as I have had enough of it all but I agree it should not be based on ability to pay. Are you on Nicorandil or anything like that as a GTN alternative?

[Builderbob in reply to Jwares]

They did put me on that at 20 mg day but stopped it n put me on others ,to be honest it gets confusing what there all for feel like stopping everything except my pain tabs then I might get to c who I need to get things sorted it's like banging your head against a wall

[Jwares in reply to Builderbob]

Yup I get you. I have put all meds down the toilet in a fit of rage before now. There is only so much pain you can put up with when you are rattling with pills.

[Qualipop]

I'm surprised you are still on ticagrelor as well as aspirin after so long. It's usually stopped after 12 months. As someone else said I would question whether all those tablets are necessary now. Ticagrelor is known for irritating the stomach and you are on a double dose; could your upper chest pain be reflux? There seem to be high doses of other things too. Get your meds checked right away.

[Jwares in reply to Qualipop]

A lot are using 30mg Ticagrelor for life after the first 12 months of 90mg as I was on that setup. There are a few different trials going on.

[Qualipop in reply to Jwares]

Of course and your condition is nothing like mine which is why I said get it all checked by your GP. There should be ONE GP who is ultimately responsible for overseeing our medication, especially when others keep adding to the mix. I would ask if that's possible. I have one person who does my medication review even though I can rarely get to see him but if a change is necessary I can ask for a message to be given to him specifically. I remember my mother in law being on BP tablets for years and every time she had something wrong or went to the surgery they'd check her BP just nce and up her tablets. Then she started having blackouts and falls which they put down to age until one day she blacked out in the road and was taken to hospital. They took her off all tablets and started again and discovered she had never had high BP at all. She had white coat syndrome where it went up in a medical setting. The tablets were dropping her BP so low she was passing out. It just shows what can happen when different doctors keep adding things.

[Builderbob in reply to Qualipop]

I think the biggest problem is the nhs are so over worked and have so much shortage of staff , I've been on a class A pain killer temgesic for 28 yrs n codeine and only got my first review last yr were they took me off the codeine, and that was only because a pharmacist noticed I had never had a review , every yr when I was supposed to have one I used to ring up and woukd be told they havnt time to do that and would just repeat the meds , the system is nearly broken

[Jwares in reply to Qualipop]

I have a one Dr practice and 1 person collating all of the info for you and explaining it makes such a massive difference.

[Qualipop in reply to Jwares]

We have 8 doctors and often get trainees too so it all depends on which day you phone and who is doing calls but I still have one specific GP coordinating my medication. Now if a new one suggests a change I ask them to please check with him first.

[Builderbob]

I'm on double dose lansoprazole 60mg day because I have duodenal ulcers for the last ten yr had reflux n food regurgitation since I was 18 and only just reduced ticagrelor to 60 mg x 2 this mnth was on 90mg x 2 for first yr because the first stent blocked n on 60mg a day for another 24 mnth , I think because I cant get appointment with cardiologist all the docs can do is try to keep me stable with more tabs or higher doses I was there when doc dictated letter for referral in Nov and he said this patient needs a urgent cardiologist referral but I surpose were all in same boat with waiting lists and the urgent list in Lincs is 6mnth long

[Jwares]

It is so bad though. I threw Ticagrelor in the bin a long time ago. After the stents blocked the first time it clearly wasn't doing its job. Just another blood thinner, like we ain't all black and blue with bruising as it is.

[Ianc2]

Time for you to do a bit of homework. Your first job is to ask around to find the name of the two best cardiologists in the area that you live in. Next step will be to get your money bags out and pay for a private appointment. The GP's are generally jack of all trades who don't have access to all the tools and gizmo's that cardiologists do.

It my be painful to have to shell out your hard earned cash, but a fresh pair of expert eyes can be invaluable and you can drop back into the usual NHS provision with a better idea of where you are trying to get to.