Severe Proximal RCA Disease and Moderate LAD Disease

[Segovia123]

I have been informed I have Severe Proximal RCA Disease and Moderate LAD Disease, not had a follow-up appointment yet, my next appointment is to discuss the possibility of an invasive angiogram +/- PCI. What can you tell me about my condition and the angiogram ?

[wischo]

Sorry there are no replies so I will do my best. Basically you have heart disease in your right and left coronary arteries as have most people on this forum. The purpose of the angiogram is to determine if there are any blockages narrow enough to warrent stenting which they will generally do at the same time as the angiogram if possible. The angiogtam itself is usually a day surgery and if you have no blockages that warrents stenting you will be sent home that day and probably put on a few standard medications to stop the disease from getting worse if possible. If you need stenting then they will tell you during the angiogram and you will be on two antiplatelet medications for at least a year afterwards. One of the antiplatelet is a small dose of aspirin so its standard stuff. Hopefully you will have no reason for any stenting or other interventions. The angiogram itself while scary is not painful, very safe and you will recieve a twilight drug to relax you before hand. Best of luck with your procedure.

[Segovia123 in reply to wischo]

Hi - Many thanks, it's very worrying when I first got the news. I am 68 years old endurance cyclist who regularly cycles 100 miles in a day during the summer. I don't smoke, I hardly drink alcohol and my diet is carefully measured. 40% Carbs 40% Protein and 20% fats. I have since changed and move to a 100% plan based diet. I have high blood pressure which is manageable with the medication and my cholesterol is also under control. I feel as though I have been robbed !

[wischo in reply to Segovia123]

Yes I know, we all feel as though we have been robbed and I have never had a heart attack and just a selected stent. For a start I would wait until you have the angiogram, as it may show very little at all. What I did notice is that if you have a genetic disposition to heart disease and other family heart problems it seems to make no difference how healthy you have been as it seems to somehow rear its ugly head. The good thing is you have been picked up as having problems and the medical treatments for it really do work wonders. Stop worrying if you can and wait and see what the results will be.

[Segovia123 in reply to wischo]

Both parents lived into their 90's, cancer got them both in the end. My mum had hypertension and a few strokes along the way but survived.

[bee_bear]

I hear you when it comes to feeling robbed! I have a wholesome diet and had a very active, outdoor lifestyle. I'd been slowing down for over a year, having disturbing dizzy spells and would get weird feelings in my chest and neck & the GP said I had hypertension. Last thing I thought it would be was anything to do with my heart.

It turns out I have a family history of heart attacks. Which, because of estrangement, I only discovered after I had a heart attack.

I'm 48yrs old and struggled to believe that's what had happened (I'm still struggling to accept it to be honest). During my emergency angiogram they put 2 stents in a vessel that was critically blocked.

As far as I understand it, the terms - severe, moderate, mild - refer to the percentage that the artery/vessel is blocked.

My vessel was 'critically' blocked and that's why I had a heart attack, so it's likely it was blocked around 99%. My RCA is around 30% blocked and they described that as 'mild' and doesn't need any stenting.

The angio was daunting, weird & fascinating. They gave me diazepam to keep me chilled out but I was awake and aware the entire procedure, which was completely painless.

You can see the screens showing your vessels, if you're interested in that sort of thing, I was interested and used it to keep me distracted from what was going on.

I wish that my GP had got me an angio in time, before I had a heart attack, as recovery has been long for me. So it's great that you're getting one at this stage.

The British Heart Foundation has a helpline that's staffed by cardiac nurses. They're brilliant and will likely be able to answer any of your questions.

Here's a link - bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

All the best and let us know how you get on

[Segovia123 in reply to bee_bear]

Sorry to hear your issues at such a young age, and thank you for the encouraging words. I am beginning to feel more comfortable, but sadly that is on knowledge there are younger people than me with the same and worse conditions. I do have the % which are EF 53% and EF 49%, I have no idea what that means. I have no myocardial infraction or fibrosis, is that good ?

[bee_bear]

Thank you.

I'm sure it will be helpful to ask a BHF cardiac nurse to explain those percentages to you. I think they're mon-fri.

It's VERY good that you haven't got fibrosis or had a myocardial infarction (MI) because MI is the term for a heart attack. The angiogram is key to keeping things that way.