I have just been told by my cardiologist that I need to have an angioplasty with stent because there is a narrowing of my LAD.
I am freaking out - I’m 42 this year and have an 8 year old daughter and a wife who I love very much.
I have heard CVD in the LAD is very serious - a widow maker.
What is my likely prognosis - I am otherwise healthy (don’t have any other illnesses) although T could do with losing weight and lowering cholesterol.
I was diagnosed with the same problem three years ago, underwent an angioplasty and have remained well ever since. It is a very common procedure and you shouldn’t be too concerned about it. I am 75 years of age.
Hey Harry
I'm 24 had two HA and just had a stent. I know it's scary being so young but we've got this
V x
Hi maybe I am late to the club. Great to hear you are doing well. I am 34. found out that I had severe blockage on LAD during heart screening few months ago. Really caught me by surprise. I did Angioplasty with Stent. I was very active been playing football my whole life weight training and stuff.
My husband has lived with a totally blocked LAD after suffering a massive heart attack & cardiac arrest at the age of 42. He'll be 68 next month!! Neither stent or bypass were options for him, he's been managed with medication since then. Keeping fit, maintaining a healthy weight by way of a heart healthy Mediterranean diet, exercise & lowering your cholesterol are key to living a long & healthy life.
I've just had (4 weeks ago) 2 angiograms a week apart. The first put in 3 stents.. one in the LAD. Without... I wouldn't be here today. The proceedure is fine. I had some sedation. Numbing my wrist was the most annoying bit... after that... no pain or anything. I found closing eyes and thinking of holidays helped me!
Look at it as 'has to be done' and you will come out being a new woman.
You are being given the opportunity to reduce your heart disease risk. Embrace it. There are other opportunities available which are self motivated and nothing to do with medical interventions or medication such as diet exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight. I suggest you embrace those too. So go forward and live life to the full, and in 40 years time you can look back and fully appreciate the opportunities you were given at an important time in your life.
I understand how you feel right now. I had a 90% blockage in my LAD 3 years ago which resulted in one stent. The staff were fantastic throughout the procedure, and the care I received afterwards was amazing. I have lived to tell the tale and am very grateful to be given a second chance to carry on with my life.
Totally understand your worries but you’ll be fine, they will fix the blockage and you’ll be back to normal.
Follow all their advice, make the diet changes and take all the drugs as advised. Emotionally it’s a bumpy ride BUT they found it before any real problems like a heart attack etc. 😀
I’m very fit, own and run a gym. Don’t smoke but genetics caught up with me last year at 51, HA and stent fitted. 6 months later i’ve lost 12kg and almost perfect blood pressure plus I feel fitter than ever. Still training hard 5 times a week Inc good walks.
One last bit of advice. DO the rehab program if you can, for me it was a game changer as the emotional side can get you and they will show you that you are OK.
Good luck!!!
My 2nd HA (in 2021) was a “widow maker” - electric paddles, ambulance etc. One stent fitted + now, two years later, I feel fine - in fact, I felt pretty good shortly after the fitting. Hopefully you’ll take same route but without the ambulance! Good luck👍
Hi. Try not to worry. I had the LAD and circumflex junction done with 3 stents in august. The procedure was straightforward. I was conscious and chatting with the nurses and joking with the doctors throughout. It was grand!I was back at parkrun in 6 wks and after three months was back at 22 minutes or so. Im cycling and running and swimming now.
The only issue to be aware of is the tablets you are on. Prior to the procedure you are on a lot to minimise the risk of anything happening and the same just after. The bisoprolol floored me completely but once off it i recovered well. Best wishes!
When I had this diagnosis it was scary and I can understand why it may make you freak out and it must be particularly hard with a young daughter too. However, our prognosis after having stents fitted is very good, both long term and short term.
I had similar symptoms and similar diagnosis to you about a year ago. Unlike a lot of other people here I was spotted before I had a heart attack or any heart damage. There was however a 90% blockage to my LAD. and I had 2 stents fitted last August.
In the short term, after cardiac rehabilitation classes I returned to parkruns and immediately knocked 2 minutes off my time prior to the stent and set a personal best time. I can also do more now with my 8 year old granddaughter!
As you can see from others here the longer term prognosis is usually very good after angioplasty.
For me the angioplasty in itself was an easy operation under local anaesthetic and the team were good at keeping me calm, less stressful for me than the dentist.
The hardest parts for me?
- like you the initial diagnosis freaked me, my wife and my mother out which was probably the last thing we needed!
- some of the medication I was put on until they could put in a stent knocked me sideways; no energy to do anything, but I could come off this after the angioplasty.
- I am also still unnecessarily cautious or nervous about what I can now do as I think is my wife. This forum helps me get a better perspective on that though.
Let us know how you get on.
I had 2 stents inserted about 6 months ago, one of which was in my LAD which was almost completely blocked. I was absolutely terrified. But I must say that the hospital were excellent. Just let them know that you are scared and that you want as much sedation as possible. My 2 hour procedure felt like 10 minutes. The only unpleasant bit was when they injected my wrist to numb it prior to inserting the tube, and it was a bit scary lying there with my arm out. I'm feeling a lot better now but there is always a worry that something else could go wrong, even though they showed me a before and after xray of my heart and there were no other blockages. I just need to get my head around the fact that I dodged a bullet and didn't have a heart attack. My prognosis is good and I'm sure yours will be too, as it's been discovered before too much damage has been done.
It’s a tough one to take but I promise you in time you’ll realise it being found early and then treated is a real positive. I had a HA at 42 with a 99% blocked right coronary artery and I have some permanent damage. I manage really well and at 43 1/2 I’m now fitter than I’ve ever been. So I definately take the positives. Good luck and try and stay calm. Take it as an opportunity to make some lifestyle changes and you’ll be fine👍
I had a stent in september. Like you had complete blockage of LAD. As some of you know I agreed to go on a trial to check effectiveness of stent or no treatment. Since September have been 99 % better no angina pain when out walking, a little blip in January when I was put back on amlodipine and since then have had no angina at all. Statins were upped to 80mg and cholesterol has halved since then to normal level. If you are offered rehab take it they will give you good advice. Keeping your weight down is a good idea, I lost 4st 9 years ago and have managed to keep it off ever since through slimming world (other weight loss support groups available)..
Hi HarryJ81, what a shame you have been given information that has worried you so much without any explanation or support. You're in a good place here.
I had an angioplasty and a stent fitted in my LAD (left anterior ascending) artery in August 2020 to cure a critical blockage. The procedure wasn't painful, but the Doc did make me good and woozy! I remain (as far as I know) hale and hearty, and twenty years older than you!
Get your stent, watch your diet, exercise and alcohol intake and get on and enjoy your wife and family, whom you obviously adore.
Best thoughts, 😊
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