had stent fitted back in January . Was doing really well . Felt I was getting fitter and less paranoid about things going wrong . Sunday I had quite a bad ache in my right arm , that lasted most of the day . Strange as when I had my angina pre stent it was always the left arm ? Last night and early hours of this morning few stabbing sensation in right side of chest . Very burpy today . Switched from lanzoprazole to pantaprazole last week so not sure if it’s to do with this . Both pains gone today , so reluctant ti keep dashing up the hospital , but it’s brought the worry back . Is it still the stent settling in or do I need to be worried . Does the worry e er go away . We are booked to go on a cruise 5 weeks time so dry anxious . Sorry for the long post
anxious and tearful : had stent fitted... - British Heart Fou...
anxious and tearful
If you had a stent fitted in January you would obviously have had an Angiogram, so in effect you have had an MOT. It is pretty unlikely that you are having problems with the stent, so you are probably letting your anxiety get the better of you? Angina does not last all day so I doubt the ache in your arm was heart related, have you been doing anything that may have caused a "normal" ache? Do you get any chest pain when you are exercising?
To be fair before the stent I didn’t get chest pains on exertion , just an ache in my arm that made me feel sick . I think it’s due to the change of statin . They just don’t agree with me , so have t taken for 2 days . Just done a home workout and no aches or pains what so ever . I’ll just keep my eye on things , but thank you
Hello 
I really feel for you as it is nearly 3 years since I had a triple Bypass and if I start feeling anything I go into panic mode which I also think why have I not moved on when others seem to do so
I am sure as your confidence comes back you will not feel like you do now and not panic as quick but with anything that has concerned you I would say see your Doctor or if it comes back again then always better even if it means going to A&E to get it checked out
I think it can be really hard sometimes as we can get aches and pains as everyone does but because we have had a heart event we instantly start to fear
I read you are feeling better and just done a work out at home so just keep an eye on it and let us know how you get on x
I had my stent fitted last December and like you initially every ache or twinge caused me anxiety. Now I don't notice anything at all. The worrisome brain just heals with time, I guess. The anxiety eases.
Take care x
Thank you
Hi,
The anxiety and alarm bells do fade over time.
To be honest these episodes of twinges, aches, pains we get post heart event even though very alarming are helpful in the long run, why do I say that you might be thinking.
My reason is this, by having chest pains, twinges , etc which turn out to be just that and nothing more, we get desensitised to them.
We learn what might be serious vs what is nothing more then the body doing what the body probaly always did.
I used to get muscle aches around the chest once I restarted my weight training, it was a nightmare, I used to worry constantly but I slowly realised it was nothing more then post training aches, which i used to have many times pre HA.
It's a tough one, but it's something we all go through.
I would give the BHF nurse helpline a call and have a chat, they can help set your mind at ease.
6 years now since my HA and having stents fitted. I clearly recall months of anxiety and jumping at every twinge. I took my first foreign holiday 12 months later, which despite a few anxious moments went well. Just returned from another flight and holiday and barely gave my medical condition a second thought. Everything went well, just ensured I had done my prep.
So, my experience is that if you follow all advice and are sensible things get a lot better. I hope that applies to you as well. Good luck.
Went through all kinds of emotions after stents fitted back November 2022 and I can reassure you that things do get better overtime. Takes a while to get your meds sorted, every ache and pain you get will automatically home you into,is this my heart, and mostly not the case. Give yourself time it will all come good.
Hi
I had 2 stents a year ago and still worry! I get really anxious with mine and have pain in arm and chest daily but now think I cannot go on worrying everyday like this. I try to get on and do other things and not worry, yes very hard but I will not let this beat me. I don't know what angina is like as I am not sure if I have even had it so I cannot comment on that I don't even know if that is what I get!
I was told by a cardiac nurse that if you push where the pain is and it hurts it is not heart pain or if you move and it hurts more it is not heart pain.
I kept going to the hospital and felt a nuisance but now I think why - what is the point it is just my anxieties -you are not alone all the best
Thank you . My brother had HA with stent 5 years ago , and he told me the worrying takes months to stop . I did have angina but not HA , but exploratory angiogram showed more than 95% blockage in my rca , so that’s what scares me thinking that if I hadn’t have been stented than , I probably would have had HA a couple of weeks down the line
Just try to keep positive and don't over think, hard but I just try to think I need to live for living now. all the best
l have been to AE loads of times with chest pain due to hiatus hernia and acid reflux. I take Omeprazole and Gaviscon. I also have AF. The pain of both heart and stomach are virtually the same and it’s so difficult to distinguish between the two, so l am told. This can make life very scary and difficult. From what you describe it does sound like a stomach issue, especially if you have changed medication and are full of gas. Regular heart checks helps to stop the worry and you have had those. Anxiety makes the stomach produce more gas and pain. Another difficult one! I get the stabbing pains in my left chest, between my shoulder blades and in my stomach. Hope this helps. If you are worried the only option is to go to AE. Have an ecg and blood test to put your mind at rest. I think they are fed up with me, but the paramedics told me they would rather come out 20 times to me rather than come to something that had become worse. Enjoy your cruise you deserve a break.
Thank you
I had 3 stents fitted last August, like a lot of others say you still worry and feel twinges but it gets easier as time goes by. One thing I would say to you though is make sure your holiday insurance is up to date with all your conditions. Failure to do this could result in your cover becoming void if God forbid anything happens on your cruise and you haven’t declared it. There’s plenty of very useful posts on here regarding holiday insurance. Please forgive me if you’ve already sorted this out.
it’s about getting your medication dialled in properly.
Your main archery’s and stent prob be fine it’s the damage that’s caused to the finer ones in your body that’ll cause you grief and it can take some time till things settle down.
I was stented in I October and it’s only now that I feel I’m about right with medication.
I have unstable angina so I can walk in day and it’s feels great but all afternoon and night Ive had pressure or little spasms or pain in a very specific area for hours on end only to wake up the next day and feel ok. So it’s a very strange experience.
Any probs you have should be mentioned to your doctor and specialist and this way youl get there in time.
I wish you all the best 👍
Thank you . Your post has really helped me put things into perspective
Be very careful with lifting anything! My works physio put a ban on me lifting anything over 5kg!
My idea was, after my stents (like having a tyre change-wrong), Was that I could gradually be back on the road at 70mph. To my utter dismay, as my heart was adjusting to the meds and angioplasty my pains started to surface at varying stages. Pains in the arms came months later, lasting a whole week? Then after returning from holiday (no problems during hols) in winter months I started having angina/acid reflux/breathing difficulties? Short spell in hospital after GP appointment. Additionally had 2 x viral infections, one involving backpain and developing into whole body muscle pains.
New meds, now feel a little settled, after 3 months and planning a holiday.
When did you have your stents done . I was 5 months ago , and been doing some home workouts with weights , using only 2 .5 kg at first , but using 4 kg on some excercices now as they felt way too light . Haven’t t had any more of those Stabbing pains and the arm seems to have settled as well thank god
It's quite a while since I made comment here. I had a 4 x CABG which lasted me 16 years, since then had 3/4 procedures for stents then out of the blue a fortnight ago another heart attack resulting in plumbing being repaired and another 2 stents. I have now been round the block with all this since 1997 and am still here to tell the tale mostly by behaving - at least partly - listening to what my body tells me and taking most of the advice offered by medical professionals. You can live a long life, I have got to see my grandchildren gow up & am now on great-grandchildren. What happened a fortnight ago shows I am not indestructible so have taken the decision to slow dow a bit more and enjoy life with my family more.
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