Hello I would like to know if anyone else has experienced a difficult stent operation and if so what was the recovery like. It took over 2 hours to fit 4 stents in the left side of my heart I had significant blockages and a lot of calcification in one of the arteries.
After 5 days I am still very breathless just walking upstairs and have discomfort in my chest, is this normal?
I’ve had two mild heart attacks and stents. The first stent went fine. First stent was damaged during attempted placement after 2nd HA. So a repaired stent remains plus a balloon procedure was used.
I asked the same question and was told climbing stairs and being winded for simply walking are definitely different. I experienced the same windedness climbing stairs
For me, it was a couple of months before I felt relief from feeling winded
Hope this helps…
I had 3 stents in my LAD in 2021, took over 2 hours as it was a difficult procedure I was told as I’ve got thin arteries, had to go to ICU for 2 days but then have felt fine since 🤞
Phone your cardiologist - 5 days is too long
this was my husband - almost four hours to get three stents in. Then a stent revision five years later.
But, he was well within a week or so, And the first stent was 20 years ago - all well since the second procedure.
Hi .. had 3 stents in LAD last Thursday. Felt some 'pressure' around the heart yesterday but seems gone today and can walk ok but taking it easy. .Was given clinic tele if problems in first 2 days then GP so after 5 days I would call your clinic . All the best to you.
In my case I had stents 2 by 2 on different days, it must been urgent for them to do more stents together. The breathlessness is quite normal and will continue for several days as your body adapts. With guidance from cardiac rehab, start gentle walking exercises when your ready.
Im not having any rehab from cardiac, all I’m getting is a 6 week follow up. , it’s reassuring that someone else has experienced the breathless and it has improved. Thankyou 🙂
I would be surprised if you don’t get offered rehab; I got a call out of the blue about 2 weeks after my procedure (stent in LAD). The sessions are great for offering opportunities to talk to others as well as the cardiac nurses. If you are worried though, contact the hospital where you had the surgery, you should have been given a number to call. Good Luck. xx
I had a difficult stenting procedure 13 months ago; I had 2 stents fitted at the LAD / D1 junction. The artery was badly calcified and two previous attempts had ended in failure. Eventually two interventionalists working for around 4 hours managed to complete the job. The procedure was quite painful at times and oh boy was I glad to get off that table. Amazingly there were no deposits anywhere else.
It was a month before I felt able to do much at all, I had very little chest or arm pain, but suffered from “stent poke” – a weird sensation if I stretched my arms. I needed to sleep for about an hour between two and three every afternoon for the first three months. Also I was quite breathless at times, often when sat at rest, and amazingly improved by exercise, I gradually got better, but the real improvement to breathing came when I stopped Ticagrelor at one year post op.
I was back to well walking after about 6 months and at 1 year feeling much better.
Only personal findings, hope this helps.
Look after yourself & good luck.
R
I had an angiogram in July that’s when they found out I had quite significant blocked arteries, it was quite a discussion at Sheffield cardiology wether bypass or stents were the way to go, it was decided on stents. My experience for the first hour was painless ,at this point the consultant joined and then when they were trying to unblock the calcified artery the pain was so intense the heart monitor was going wild and this happened 3 times it was horrendous. Apparently the operation went very well. I do believe that doctors should evaluate wether a procedure that they know is going to take a long time warrants sedation or anaesthesia. I am feeling a little better each day but can I ask did you have pins and needles in your arms.
Just back from a 5 mile/1200ft fell walk with some friends who are over from the US (I live in the south of the Lake district, so my treatment was at Blackpool), so I must be doing OK! and I'm sure you will too.
To answer your question I dont get any pins and needles in my arms. The "stent poke" was a sharp pricking feeling in my heart whenever I lifted my arms up and out. I was warned that this might happen when I was discharged so it didn't really bother me, but it shows how strangely sensitive internal organs can be.
You are right about sedation/GA, I didn't put it in the first post, but i did find the procedure greuelling and very painfull indeed, also the heart monitors going wild and the woman occaisionally mopping under the operating table (presumbly for leaking blood) were a bit disconcerting. Still I'm a stoic, and did survive, and live a very full life again.
R.
I'm happy that you found my experiences useful. It's fine if you are not with any exercise program just yet, you can actually find many useful activities on utube, which you can do at home at your leisure.
If you are still having pains, well I assume you will be on Aspirin, a pain killer also?
I take asprin but no other painkillers, I have fibromyalgia and was taking naproxen and have been told I can’t take them anymore so if I need pain relief just take paracetamol.
I was going to suggest paracetomol as this was advised by the hospital doctors, if needed. How are you getting on in general? Maybe it's too early to say, just keep us posted, we would like to know that, when you have recovered.
hi Jedi14 it’s been 3 weeks now and I’ve been more breathless than ever and also feel sick constantly. I had a visit to Gp yesterday had a blood test he thinks I could be anemic. I was led to believe that you got stronger as time went on, I forgot to mention I’m very emotional a lot of the time I just feel like a different person.
I'm not sure about the sickness, maybe you have an infection? How has your BP been, if it is too low this can cause sickness, dizziness also.
I know this because it happened to me. After my stents, at home, my BP had dipped so much that I collapsed! After phone consultation with GP I was told to hold back on BP meds for a few days until I felt better. Oh expect breathlessness for a few weeks.
Stent tenderness
Stent
Stent issues.
Angiogram/stent
Stent recovery time?
