New unexpected diagnosis with coronary artery disease

[gutteringflame]

Hi, I'm new here, diagnosed on Friday, out of the blue with coronary artery disease and having a stent placed tomorrow.

Struggling to get my head round it,

[Hidden]

Dear gutteringflame

So sorry that your having problems with excepting your diagnosis, its hard but at the moment action is being taken to help you.

I really hope that everything goes well for you, and if you need support we are here for you.

Take small steps at a time and try not to worry yet about your diagnosis until you have all the answers in front of you.

Good luck for your stenting and please keep us informed

Take care

[gutteringflame in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Blue1958.

I know that really I'm fortunate this has been found in time before I have a heart attack and that the stent will be fine.

Just struggling to bend my mind into a new shape.

Thank you for your good wishes.

[GardeningFlowers in reply to gutteringflame]

I am feeling the same. Feel like we are all in the same boat. How are you doing now. I hope you are okay 👌 💕

[Hidden]

Hello & Welcome

I am sorry you have found yourself here after receiving such a shock that you have coronary artery disease and it is a shock and takes some taking in and maybe even after you have had your stent you will still need time to process it all which is normal for so many of us that have found ourselves in the position you are in at the moment

But for now and I know maybe not easy try and turn this round as a positive

They have found that you have coronary artery disease and they are going to put that stent in which will get the blood flowing nicely back through the artery and keep your heart working as it should

They may not have found it in time and that would not be good but they have

The procedure is not to invasive at all and people recover quite quickly and feel so much better after

Take things one day at a time , know how you feel is normal but at the same time know how lucky you are they are dealing with this so quickly

You will be ok so many have had stents and they do them every day with very high success rates

Let us know how you get on x

[gutteringflame in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Bekind28

I know this is a common and routine procedure with a good success rate and kind of feel I'm making a fuss about very little.

Just too many difficult things have happened in my life recently and it feels like this is the last straw. My daughter is seriously ill. My mother died a few months ago. A couple of weeks ago my little companion dog who was always with me died too. Various other stuff at home and at work has been very hard over the last year or so - like for everyone else in the world.

Then I think how selfish I am, as, compared to those poor people in Ukrania whose homes have been bombed my problems are nothing.

My head is all over the place.

Taking one day at a time is good advice - although perhaps one hour at a time might be better. Perhaps I'll get my head straightened out after the stent is done.

Thanks for your support.

[Hidden in reply to gutteringflame]

Hello

I am so sorry to hear about your Daughter been seriously ill that must be so hard to deal with , I cannot even imagine

I hope she gets better

I am sorry to read about your loss to you have been going through such a lot there is no wonder you feel as you do you are human after all

I know there are bad things happening to others , happening in the world to and we all emphasize with them and wish we could do more to help

But I always think as much as this is true we can only feel our own pain which feels the worst as we are trying to live and deal with it so there is no reason whatsoever to feel you are been selfish as you are not or if you are then I am to as I have had my share of pain and sadness which has caused so much emotional and physical pain but I do not believe or I hope I am not selfish

With all you have had to deal with there is no wonder your head is all over the place mine would have perhaps exploded to be honest

An hour at a time is fine , I have had to do 10 minutes at a time some days but as long as we get through the day that is all that matters

I will be thinking about you tomorrow and look forward when you feel well enough to hear how you are doing x

[gutteringflame in reply to Hidden]

Hi Bekind28

Thank you for all your kind words, encouragement and support.

[Hidden in reply to gutteringflame]

x

[Larneybuds in reply to gutteringflame]

Sometimes it feels like everything happens at once doesn't it? Having your daughter poorly and your recent loss is most probably making your diagnosis seem worse. I think we all feel the shock and disbelief of having a heart condition....I know it knocked me for six. This is such a supportive and caring group, many of whom will have the same wrong with them as yourself so it's always good to hear about how they deal with things or recover and you can at least feel you are not alone. I really hope your daughter feels better soon....the loss of your mum will take time to heal but I am sure she will be spurring you along. Each day is a new one so just try to deal with them as that and don't expect too much from yourself. I really hope you start to see a bit of sun shine through. Take care

[SRDS]

Hi gutteringflame It is very normal to feel like how you are feeling right now. As the other lovely people have said, it is good that the problem was identified early. One stent is quite quick and non invasive. You will see how much better you will feel after that. And of course we are here to listen to your questions and worries. All will be well

[gutteringflame in reply to SRDS]

Hi SRDS, Thank you.

[Heather1957]

Welcome to the club, although it is a club that no-one wants to join.

The medical side is pretty straightforward, the medics are pretty adept at fitting these and once fitted, all being well you'll be good to go the next day.

The more difficult part is coming to terms with how vulnerable we all are and 'why me'?

I never gave this any thought before I had my bypass in 2017 but I have been surprised by how many of us suffer with depression, some worse than others and some for longer than others but there is no doubt any heart procedure has much more than a physical effect on us, the emotional effect can be even worse.

If it isn't to much trouble let us know how it goes tomorrow, I am sure you'll be fine physically but we are here if you need to talk about the emotional feelings.

[gutteringflame in reply to Heather1957]

Hi Heather1957

Yes, you're right. There's 'Why me?' and there's 'Why shouldn't it be me?'

In a bizarre way it's comforting to know that other people have emotional struggles with this. Not that I would want people to struggle, but since they do it makes me feel less pathetic that I'm finding it hard to get my head straight.

Thanks for your encouragement.

[Fish4Info]

Mmm. I keep saying this here: mostly by way of encouragement. I had a quadruple bypass 15 years ago when I was 47. It wasn't the greatest day of my life ... but if you listen to everything people say (e.g., during rehab), talk with people, and try to look at the 'up' side rather than the 'downside'. For me, if heart disease hadn't been discovered, I could have gone another 5 years and keeled over dead. I didn't - and at 63, I'm relatively healthy and still 'with it'. I'm looking forward to tomorrow being the same.

[Qualipop]

Had stent fitted at 9 am, home by 1pm. Nothing to worry about but it is hard getting your head round heart problems when they come out of the blue. Mine popped up as a heart attack. Give it time. It will take ages to get used to all the tablets and side effects. Don't hesitate to ask your GP and ask for counselling if it gets difficult. Being suddenly faced with your own mortality is hard but in a few months you won't even think about it ( |Well, almost not. It's always there but you stop worrying).

[Heather1957]

I hope it all went okay and you are either recuperating at home or overnight on the ward.

[fairgo45]

I know how you feel.Mine was found by chance when I was having an echocardiogram it was a bit of a shock but a year later I'm hear to tell the tale..

Hope all goes well for you come back on if you need support

[misty081]

Hi Gutteringflame

I had my stent fitted 4 weeks ago. I'm a 57 year old woman who did Crossfit regularly and no one can believe it. I started having angina attacks at the start of Feb and had an angiogram at the end of Feb where the blockage was discovered. A surprise to all. I was just happy the source of the pain had been found after a number of false diagnosis. I see it a bit like a reset but I'm not overthinking it. I took a couple of weeks off work and have been back to the gym and its all been OK so far. Perhaps don't think about what could have happened. Just look forward, make the changes if you have to . I wasn't given any advice on diet or lifestyle but was told by a cardio nurse to be mindful of internal stress levels so that's what I'm trying to do. Not always easy. Hopefully your issues have been sorted. Its just a blip in the road. Take it easy and enjoy life.

[BuonaSalute0823]

Hi & I hope you stenting went well … I’ve five in-situ & much as it felt like I’d been kicked by a horse in the groan I was soon up feeling better.. I had two stents inserted via a cut in my wrist which was really impressive but I was knocked out with general anaesthesia as I’m allergic to local but my very first stent & the two I had later on after the procedure in my wrist was again done through the groan & but the benefits out way the initial pain so fear not you’ll be back to normal in no time just take it slow & all the best on your recovery