Hello everyone, my names Steven and im 43, In need of some advice please all. I recently had an angiogram to check the levels of blockages in my vessels which were discovered via a CT Scan. During the procedure the Cardiologist informed me that stents werent really an option and i would be better off going with a bypass. I agreed to this as to be honest i was a bit shocked and out of it with the sedative. My blockages were 90% in RCA, and 70% in both LAD and LCX. I was later told that the wait for my appointment could be up to 3 months. I am scared that with this level of blockages i could have an event before my surgery goes ahead. I am taking all my medication and eating healthy, walking regularly etc but im just scared that this wont be enough. Every angina pain i get or headache etc is putting me on the edge. Any advice will be greatly appreceated.
Looking for advice please: Hello... - British Heart Fou...
Looking for advice please
Hello 
This is something that a lot of us can relate to
I had my angiogram and to be honest I could not take in what % was what I just heard you need a triple Bypass otherwise you won't be here in 2 years
I had to wait about 3 months and like you I was so worried but with the medications they give us they know how long they can leave us if they thought we were in danger you would have been kept in been monitored till they could do the op but they are the experts and feel it is safe for you to be at home till they can fit you in to operate
You sound like you are doing all the right things while you are waiting
It is so easy for us to say don't worry but try not to be assured there are plenty of us been in your position we were fine had the op and talking and sharing our experiences with others on here hoping we might be able to help
Let us know when you get your date and how you get on x
Thank you so much for your reply, ive always struggled talking about things, had this news yesterday so im a bit raw atm. Hopefully get some news soon and trying to stop reading the horror stories xx
Hello
It does come as a shock and if you were only told yesterday well you must still be trying to process it
I joined here when I got the news I had lot's of positive helpful encouraging support which really helped me so much
Leave the horror stories and stay on here and have the same support that helped me so much you will feel a lot better if you do x
Hello Stevie. This issue crops up all the time on this forum.
It's natural to think that arterial blockage and risk of heart attacks are very closely correlated. But they're just not. In fact the relationship between arterial blockage and heart attack risk is really quite loose. There are plenty of people on this forum who have blockages at well over 90%, but have never had a heart attack. And there are also plenty of people with levels of blockage almost too low to measure, but have had multiple heart attacks.
The explanation is in how the great majority of heart attacks happen.
Think of our atherosclerosis as like acne in our arteries. Some people tend towards spots that are stable and won't burst. Other people tend towards spots that will spontaneously burst. When a spot burst it emits a waxy liquid that instantly solidifies upon contact with the blood. In almost all cases it remains attached to the original site of the plaque (in other words it rarely breaks off and whizzes around the bloodstream), but if there's enough waxy contents ejected it can block the artery which is what causes a heart attack.
A very useful side effect of statins is that they help stabilise our plaque by accelerating the calcification process.
As long as your angina is triggered by obvious causes like exertion, and the symptoms ease when you stop the exertion, then your risk of a heart attack remains fairly low. Which is why the doctors aren't classifying you as an emergency.
One final point. I had bypass surgery nearly five years ago (like you I'd never had a heart attack). It was transformational, I feel ten or twenty years younger. Fitter, stronger, and more alive then I have for years. What's more, because of the radical life style changes I've implemented following surgery, my risk of a heart attack is now statistically slightly less than for the average man of my age. Positive outcomes aren't guaranteed, but they are very, very possible.
Good luck!
Thank you for this reply its put my mind at rest, so many questions i hadnt asked have been answered too. Hopefully i can pay this forward when im in the position to.
Good Morning Stevie!
I’m sorry to hear about your arteries but as chappy said, it’s not quite as scary as you think. I walked around for 3 years with Angina in need of a bypass! I was 34 at the time and a woman so the GPs never gave me the time of day when I said “Ow my chest hurts!”. I was really lucky that I had private insurance through work otherwise my surgeon said I could have waited for up to a year and his reason was “Your heart couldn’t be much worse and your coping ok”!!
Something to add here is that if they are really worried, they won’t let you leave hospital if your really bad or they are really concerned - this has happened to quite a few members on here. Take it as a good thing that they have let you go home.
If you want to chat about the surgery itself or about any concerns you have, please just message me and I’d be happy to chat online or on watsapp. It’s a scary thing to be told…but, having said that, I met up with a fellow hearty I met on here on Friday and we both said “It’s not as bad as you think…but no one needing a bypass would EVER believe you!” Xxx
Thank you for your reply and my apologies for the delay, i have been back to a and e today as i had an episode this morning and the cardiologist has increased all my meds and has recommended my bypass to be classed as priority. I feel better now after seeing all these posts from people with similar experiences. I almost talked myself out of the procedure due to being a bit daft and reading some of the horror stories but I am now kind of looking forward to moving forward with everything.
Oh no Stevie, I'm sorry you ended up in A&E but in a way maybe it was a good thing to get the ball rolling a little faster. Again though, remember, they let you go home - another good sign.
There are always horror stories for ANY operation or any drugs out there...have you ever read the potential side effects of just a Rennie?! The list goes on and on but we all know that the medicine is so safe you can take it while preganant and breast feeding.
I'm not saying that having a bypass is as easy as eating a rennie but my point is that they are reassuringly common and safe with almost 400,000 CABG surgeries being performed each year making it the most commonly performed major surgical procedure! To you it is HUGE and MASSIVE and TERRIFYING to your surgeon, it's just like buttering toast. Small fry. Probably doesn't even think about it before he goes to bed.
Naturally, you will have worries and concerns about the op, lots of people do and please please do get in touch with us when these pop up. Even if you think it is really small I can gaurantee me or one of my fellow CABG (coronary aretery bypass graft) hearties have had the same one and can help. It's great you found this site before your op, I would have been much happier if I had!
My offer of chatting still stands xx
Sorry no advice but to keep taking the meds and doing what you can. I can imagine the anxiety this is causing you which won't help. While you wait. I didn't know I was ill till I had a heart attack. But now looking back the signs were there. On the positive side I'm doing good feeling good and back doing most of my hobbies. I know people who had to wait for bypass and are also doing great 👍. Hopefully it won't be to long.
I'd be interested to know why he said you weren't suitable for stents?By the way, I ended up with 100% blocked LAD and 80-90% blocked Circumflex and RCA and as far as I know never had a HA. Chappychap gives a good explanation. My calcification score was 987 which is incredibly high.
Anyway, please try not to worry about waiting for your surgery. You will probably start getting all sorts of random pains whilst waiting out of anxiety. Make sure you get yourself on the cancellation list and keep in touch with your surgeon's secretary to see if you can push things along. We did that and it worked.
The surgery itself is fine. You'll know nothing about it and i hope you'll be well looked after. Get moving as soon as you can afterwards, it will be hard and you will take along time to recover but you can do it!
All the best
Susie
Thanks Susie, i was a little woozy on the sedatives when the cardiologist explained why stents wouldnt work so well but from what i can remember it was more of a recommendation for the bypass than a refusal of stents, i consented when he told me the blockages were worse than anticipated. Ive been in hospital again today and they have indeed put me on the cancellation list so fingers crossed. Thank you for your kind words
Hi Stevie. The same thing happened to me only a few months ago and now I am 9 weeks post surgery. When I had the angio I had convinced my self they would be able to sort things with a couple of stents so was a real shock when they said this would not be possible and I needed a bypass. I too worried that something bad would happen during the wait but as someone else said on here if that was likely they would have kept you in hospital. Now 9 weeks post op and although not a pleasant experience it was nowhere near as bad as I had imagined. It is so encouraging on here hearing so many positive posts and hearing about other peoples stories and I’ve also learnt loads which has put my mind at rest more than once. I’m looking forward to a new fitter healthier life as you will be too.
Thats so good to hear, this is exactly my situation. The fear is more waking up with the tube down my throat and the catheter doesnt excite me much, but, if that means the fear of chest pains being fatal will be gone then i suppose its not a very high price to pay. Im getting used to the idea of the surgery now but am so grateful for people like yourself offering amazing advice and kind words. Thank you
you sound like you have similar worries as I had. The tube down my throat was a big worry and I do slightly remember waking with it then it was out and I went back to sleep and it is only a very vague memory and not a horrendous memory. As for the catheter although I dreaded having it for me it was a god send it meant I didn’t have to worry about struggling to get out of bed to use a commode or toilet
Hi Steven - just to say welcome to the forum (which you probably never imagined you might be joining!). I'm a 63yr old female who had a HA followed by a triple-bypass in February last year. ChappyChap gives a very good explanation above and I also think that if they felt it was really urgent they'd have kept you in hospital. I'd my HA in January and they wouldn't let me leave until I'd the bypass in February and was constantly monitored during this time in hospital. On a positive note - I hadn't been feeling well for about a year before the HA - nothing serious but just feeling a bit 'meh' and I just put it down to getting older. I feel like a different person now and much more like my younger self (don't know whether that's a good thing or not😀😂). You're doing everything right in the meantime and hopefully you won't have to wait too long to discover a whole new you. Don't hesitate to contact the doctor or 111 if you have any concerns though. Carol
Thank you Carol my mind has been put at rest from all the wisdom and kind words on here. I was blue lighted to hospital this morning after an event, medications doubled etc. My cardiologist has put me on a cancellation list so hopefully soon i can pay forward all the help and advice that ive received on here from people like yourself. Thank you
so much for you to process, Im so sorry you've had this news. But as BeKind says you are doing ALL the right things and the experts are now watching over you & would act sooner if they thought it was necessary. Your anxiety about each pain is totally normal and justified - hou will see on here that's an issue for lots of us. Your journey to better health has begun, do keep in touch. Lots of fab people on here who can offer great advice so do ask them any questions or concerns. Keep in touch👍🏽
Thank you for your kind words, never really been an emotional or fearful kind of person but boy how things can change. This forum and people like yourself are helping immensely to put my mind at rest and give much better advice than ive seen on the dreaded "google an illness" search. Thank you
welcome to the forum Stevie. There are some lovely people on this forum and I’m sure they’ve helped you by sharing their experiences and expertise! Hope you feel less stressed now. All the best.
Hi Stevie. So sorry you have had to come to our forum. Meaning you have been diagnosed with a heart issue. We all started off with that scary news at some stage in our lives. I like you suffered angina and following an angiogram was told no other treatment was viable and triple by pass was only option. I had to wait 4 months for surgery, and like you worried myself over time delay. The meds they give you will keep you going. But please make sure any change in how you feel or chest pain, get it checked out by your GP or A&E. Also, if time goes over op time, keep calling hospital and asking for updates. Believe me you will feel so much better after surgery, just give your body the time it individually needs to recover. Keep talking to us whether you fight it or not you are now in our club. We are good listeners too. By the way my by pass was 8 years ago. There is a great life to be had after surgery. Take Care x
Thank you so much, again apologies for the delayed reply, been in hospital today but one positive is that the cardiologist has put me on the cancellation list so fingers crossed. Hopefully i can be in the position of everyone on here and pass all this amazing advice forward
That will be another success story for us to applaud then. The op will scare you in the next few weeks, we will all be here to help you lead up to that. But you will find the most benefit from us Hearties will be during your recovery. You may go through lots of different emotions and worrying situations over the healing time. Don’t bottle that up that’s the time we listen and offer the stranger’s ear and help in coping with it all. Every individual body heals at its on pace.
Of course you are worried, many of us have been in this situation.
I started my 'journey' from seeing my GP to seeing a cardiac nurse to being sent for a stress test to having an angiogram to my bypass was 8 months. It took 5 months from being told I needed a by pass to actually getting it.
During this time I was suffering with stable angina at that time, and any kind of exertion (even mild) would give me a pain in my chest, but I managed it.
That doesn't mean any kind of pain or shortness of breath I didn't freak out.
I didn't wrap myself up in cotton wool but didn't go mad either.
Just be careful, trust the surgeons but if you feel at all concerned take yourself to A & E.
Hi Stevie,
Hard luck. I was 47 (nearly 48) when I had what I came to know as unstable angina - very blocked arteries. Luckily by the skin of my teeth I avoided a heart attack: high troponin but not high enough. Like you I was told that I was unsuitable for stents, and I was told I urgently needed a quadruple bypass. I was scared rigid. Oxford couldn't commit to a date, but I was told I would be treated within 6 weeks. Being a working single parent, this wasn't great, as I had just been detained in hospital for 8 days - due to my high risk of heart attack.
This is where I had another stroke of luck. I had BUPA through work, and when I asked CABG was covered. So I went private. I was operated on 2 days later. I was last on the list, after all the NHS patients had been done. But at least I was on the road to recovery.
During my recovery period I met someone similar to me - but without BUPA. He had his angiogram the day after me in Milton Keynes and had his operation the day after me in Oxford ... all on the NHS. Who knows? I was horrified to be told I had to wait weeks, but equally my late-in-the day op could have freed up a queue space for that guy.
I don't think the long wait times are at all fair. I no longer have BUPA and have waited 2/3 years for a minor kidney procedure. Nothing much seems easy these days.
In your position, I'd try to ensure being signed off, make sure you have all the drugs you need, esp GTN, and keep in touch with cardiology and/or the cardiothoracic team to try to get an earlier date.
The good news is that it's 16.5 years since my op, and I've done a lot more with my life, than I would have done, if I hadn't had the op. I know life is precious, so I'm determined to enjoy it.
Good luck. It is scary stuff you're going thru ... but most people get through it somehow or other,
Best wishes,
Keep us posted.
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