1 year on from heart attack and stent fitted. Still struggling.

[Blondie567]

I walked to the hospital for an appointment today, for a pre-op for a knee replacement. The hospital is only half a mile. On the way back I was out of breath and experiencing pain in the top left hand side of my chest and light-headed, and I had to sit and catch my breath. At the pre-op they checked your oxygen and blood pressure, which was perfect, so I can't understand what is happening. I went to bed and slept for over 2 hours when I got home- shattered.

I woke up with severe pain, and cramping in my left leg.

Is anyone else experiencing this symptom, where one is left shattered out of breath for walking a short way?

I don't have a cardio appointment scheduled, and have only seen one bloke 8 months ago, and nothing since.

Any advice would be gratefully received

[Lowerfield_no_more]

Is this the first time this has happened? If so I would make an urgent appointment with my GP, or failing that try your luck with 111. There could be any number of reasons for the conditions you mention and they should have the expertise to be able to sort you out.

[Golf1985]

hello,can I ask are you still on the colchicine if not how long were you on it and did the peri resolve or are you still having issues,thanks again

[Blondie567 in reply to Golf1985]

I’m no on Colchicine anymore. Without seeing a cardiologist. and therefore no medical /meds review , they kept me on it for longer than they should and it messed with my kidneys.

I think the normal time is no more than 3 months. If you have been on it longer, seek guidance.

The pericarditis flares up now and then and it finally went,

Keep on, keeping going😀

[Golf1985 in reply to Blondie567]

Thankyou for the reply I’ve nearly been 3 months but struggling I don’t know if it’s the peri or just my old pains that’s the hard thing for me,thanks for the reply tho,life idle very hard at the moment

[Golf1985 in reply to Blondie567]

Also I can’t have an mri to see if peri is there or gone as I have a temporary pacing wire left in from surgery.so well and truly stuffed

[Hidden]

I would definitely call 111 for any chest pain and breathlessness especially since you've had a heart attack in the past. I would urge you to do that today.

O2 levels in the blood aren't always an indicator of something being wrong in the way the heart us pumping. A cardiologist said he's seen people with 97% blood 02 saturation who are having blood supply issues to the heart muscle.

So please give 111 a call now and they will get you help sooner then later with a GP.

[Tos92]

I agree with  Hidden . Oxygen saturation levels and BP levels are not an indicator of something more sinister going on. I had a heart attack in January 2022. My ECG, oxygen saturation and BP was normal after the event. It was only when my bloods (troponin) came back elevated that they found out that I had a heart attack.

Please ring 111 or call 999. The paramedics will at least be able to perform an ECG on you and advise you from there.

Feel better soon.

Tos

[Mydog8it]

2 years on from my heart attack and stents, I complained about breathlessness and fatigue after any exertion to my GP.

1 year later I'm on the waiting list for a 5 x CABG (quintuple heart bypass), turns out I've got multiple clogged arteries which can't be fixed with stents

Best to get your symptoms checked out.

[Blondie567 in reply to Mydog8it]

Did you have an MRI?

Cardiologists are not touching me for some reason. I have seen one in one year. i have offered to pay for appointments, but they said no because my MRI looked ok (40% heart function left)

I am so sorry to hear about the quintriple bypass. you must be freaked out!

May i ask how they found it?

I wish you love and sending good vibes in the world.🥰

[Mydog8it in reply to Blondie567]

My GP referred me to the cardiac specialist at local hospital. She arranged for me to have an Angiogram and that showed the blockages.... she then referred me to a heart surgeon at a different hospital for the bypass operation. I have never had an MRI for my heart, only Angiogram and Echocardiogram.

Nothing in the NHS is done quickly unless you are about to drop dead, so the whole thing for me to get to the point of waiting in the queue for surgery has taken 1 year so far.

[SmokeAKipper]

Go to A&E if issues like this. Then book appointment with cardiologist sounds like angina, they normally give a GTS spray or tablets. Be proactive don’t wait !

[Fourwhitesheps]

Hi my heart attack was October 22 and had 3 stents on the 29th March 2023. I have since the stents, shortness of breath, severe upper arm pain in both arms and right sided chest discomfort. The last visit was to A and E in August ecg bloods clear. Doctor has told me I am a medical mystery. I feel worse now than before the stents, nothing eases the pain and also have not seen cardiologist for 9 months and when I did it was just ecg and he said it’s not your heart. Are you still on medication? I wish you all the best and hope you get some answers. My doctor wants to see me next week just so fed up feeling I am not being believed!

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Fourwhitesheps]

You might be interested in this article from the BHF website.bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

Anybody considered that microvascular angina maybe causing your symptoms?

It is an often overlooked and under recognised type of angina.

Sometimes someone can have stents even surgery to treat their obstructive coronary artery disease, only to reveal their angina due to their coronary blood vessels are not working properly.

[Fourwhitesheps in reply to Milkfairy]

Many thanks this has been 18 months of feeling like absoloutely crap and feeling like no one believes me. The doctor referred me back to cardiology in December but still waiting. It is scary with the left arm pain but have learnt to just get on with it. I had unstable angina after the heart attack but they say it’s all ok and it’s not my heart.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Fourwhitesheps]

I was admitted to hospital in 2012, with unstable angina, ECG changes, lots of chest pain, small rise in my troponin blood levels.

I was firmly told I could not have angina or a heart attack because I had unobstructed coronary arteries. ' It's not your heart!'

I wasn't believed, I thought I was going mad.

In 2014, I had an angiogram with acetylcholine which showed that I have coronary vasospasms, vasospastic angina. My coronary arteries go into transient constrictions.

[Fourwhitesheps in reply to Milkfairy]

I am glad they found out what was exactly wrong. I really have just given up thanks for your replies take care ❤️

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Fourwhitesheps]

I am sorry that you are in this situation. Ongoing chest pain following stents or heart surgery is a problem that needs more attention from Cardiologists.

[Blondie567]

Thanks to you good people for replying. It seems the consensus with a lot of these replies is that no one is believed. I went to A&E on Christmas day, and was asked if I had been Googling my symptoms? What was I supposed to do with that? I haven't been back since as I am made to feel like a hypochondriac, or worse, a liar. I am so upset. I know something is wrong, but I am being ignored by those who can help. I have offered to go privately but have been turned down because the MRI I had last year, "was consistent with the heart attack" and there was no reason to be seen.

[Elsabounre]

Was it because of your knee maybe??..that you still can walk to the hospital before a knee replacement is still good...