Stent and chest pain past 10 weeks

[Sodp]

Recently had 4 stents (10 Weeks) put into my heart . Quite fit person prior , non smoker and drinker. Following rehab, medicine and diet as suggested.Now even at 10 Weeks I am getting chest discomfort, which I thought will go away in 6-8 weeks thinking it was stretch pain. It pops up suddenly across the whole chest sometime it is on left near nipple area it comes and goes away . Sometime feel pain around lower ribs on both side.

Fine during exercise, walk and doing house work. Not much other symptoms, I use ECG on my Fitbit sense occasionally to verify for sinus rhythm. I try to think it is an anxiety but it comes back often when not expected .

I have booked in with sport cardiologist. In 3 weeks and my interventional cardiologist on 4 weeks for 3 months follow up. Until then don't know how to manage my situation.

-Is anyone going through any discomfort and pain as i am and how long it went for?

- Any suggestions to deal with my situation ?

- What should I ask my sport cardiologist and interventional cardiologist ?

[firstlight40]

I'm sorry to hear you still have discomfort. It could be worth trying gtn spray when you get the pain to see if it goes away, but if you think you now have 4 metal tubes in your heart it might well be some residual pain from the stents being put in. I've got six and didn't experience any issues like that although I've got hypersensitive to any chest / shoulder pain thinking the worst. I guess you are on ticagrelor which causes lots of bruising. Some of the pain I get is due to bruising caused by ticagrelor / aspirin.

[Sodp in reply to firstlight40]

Thank you firstlight40 GTn used today, doesn't help much. Discomfort (mild pain) stays for hours ... Don't have an appointment for few weeks so wondering if it's normal at this point almost 10 weeks from stenting. Yes I do take brillianta 90mg and rosuvastatin 40mg along with metroprolol and aspirin.

[Sodp]

Thanks thatwasunexpected, I have used GTN spray couple of time and didn't make much changes. Yea it is dull aches and it doesn't stop me from what I am doing it's just feel the discomfort is there. I will monitor and see. How it goes.

Thanks again

[Hidden]

Hi Sodp

Your body has been through some trauma so give it some time to settle. I met a guy in the cardiac ward who went into cardiac arrest when his second stent was done so with 4 that is quite a load of new hardware to adjust to. Your heart is also normalising to the changes in pressure and in a recovery phase so it is also finding it's feet. It might be reasonable to read the pain but don't over react either. And do not ignore it, please. They should have a rehab consultant assigned to help. Make contact and let them know of your concerns.

If they think you have an issue , you should get a scan done to check everything.

[Sodp in reply to Hidden]

Thanks FloydEchoes, reassuring yes seems like it may have caused by anxiety and also stent is settling. Unfortunately here in Australia we do not have hotline or cardiac nurses to get in touch. I have appointment with my cardio in 4 weeks. Hopefully it's not heart Thanks

[Hidden in reply to Sodp]

interesting?, I am in SA and I had a vist from a cardiac rehab nurse before discharge. I still can contact her if required. Each state has its own health system but I would have expected this to be universal. Which state are you in?

[Sodp in reply to Hidden]

I am in Melbourne, during rehab we have access to cardiac nurse once a week. Unfortunately not in ViC..

[Hidden in reply to Sodp]

I had one stent in 2014 and had to confront mortality as you are probably doing as well. That can be overwhelming without then coping we the physical healing. I think it took about 6-12 months before those nigling pains ebed away. They discovered that I had a bi-cuspid aortic valve while in there and 20 months ago I was pushed to get it replaced. And that chest pain cycle started again.

[Stentrunner]

I had three stents a couple of years ago, and had (and still have from time to time) pain across the top of my chest and lower down as you describe.

I was assured it was mostly muscular, digestive or bruising. It wasn’t ever affected by exercise (and like thatwasunexpected I now run a lot) and tended to be sharper pain than my angina had been. If it isn’t brought on by exercise and doesn’t respond to GTN, I wouldn’t think it’s heart.

At the coronary care unit at my local hospital, there are cardiac nurses whose telephone numbers are on the hospital website. I’ve contacted them before and got advice immediately. Might be worth checking yours.

[Sodp in reply to Stentrunner]

Thanks Stent runner, it is around my side ribs and it is sort of discomfort..poking randomly I can feel the pain so sometime feels like it's an anxiety other time maybe mascular pain. Unfortunately we do not have cardiac nurse hotline so I have an appointment with cardio in 1 months

[pasigal]

I have had the same symptoms but they are getting better over time. I have 4 stents in various arteries, from 2 intervention. It's taken about a year for from my last stents to feel more normal than not, if that makes sense...

[Sodp in reply to pasigal]

Yes , reading comments I just need to be patient and wait to recover . In meantime monitor my pain etc.Thanks pasigal

[Mlinde]

Same here. Having an angiogram beats your heart up, so it reacts to the abuse. I'm surprised they didn't advise you to take it easy for a few weeks after the procedure (but don't stop taking daily walks for example). I take Paracetamol when I get the occasional heart pain, in fact it was prescribed to me in hospital and it works.