Year on from HA and stents

[Flissy100]

End of Jan this year had a doozy of ha , blue lighted straight to Oxford bypassing local hospital.Straight into Angio theatre and stents in. Needed one in LAD but couldn't at time due to severity.

Several days in hospital and discharged with them saying comeback in March for other stent.

Went in as day patient in March , stent put in by very confident young doctor but coming out of theatre nurses holding my leg , back to ward with 2 young doctors and nurse taking turns with fist in my groin for which seemed ages. 2 hours later was told l can go home.

Felt ok but then nearer home started getting twinges, by night time pain was worse.

Couldn't sit. Lie down , even walk. Rung ward next day they advised take paracetamol!!!

I was in agony, my abdomen from hip to hip was black and blue. GP gave me patches which helped a bit but still in terrible pain, was in wheelchair for a month.

In between all this found out cancer was back in lung from 5 yrs ago.

Now thing is l have appt with cardio in Jan, echo getting done with further tests involved and l would like to know if l can request that fully qualified surgeon can do stent if needed with collagen plug used instead of someone's fist. I am not usually one to question but the trauma and pain l went through still resonates so much..

I have had vats procedure on lung, and very recently had RF ablation (which was very successful)

the pain was nothing compared to what l experienced in March

[Happyrosie]

my only experience with stents - one at the Heart Hospital in London - is that occasionally during an operation things can go wrong.

You will be having a pre-op consultation, I assume, so should raise your queries at that stage.

[Flissy100 in reply to Happyrosie]

Thank you, l had intention to do just that without insulting anyone or sounding bullish? If you know what I mean

[Hidden]

Angioplasty and angiograms are not risk free, never mind who is carrying it out, a lot of things to go wrong but what is the alternative? However as is quite common, as soon as you leave the hospital you do find yourself on your own, it's someone else's turn.

[pasigal]

Ugh, that sounds dreadful. I had my first set of stents put in by a surgeon with 20+ years of experience. I never felt right and 8 months later had cardiac arrest. The surgeon was actually apologetic that his stents didn't do the trick. Do I blame him? To be honest, yes, a bit. But it is what it is. On the other hand, you were left in what sounds like excruciating pain from what is mostly a routine procedure, which in my book is not right.

If it turns out you need more stents -- can't have too many, I say! -- I'd remind them, gently, of what you went through and ask if there is a way to avoid that, perhaps with a different type of stent or pain management. They'll get the hint, I think.

[fishonabike]

I am sorry to hear of you terrible experience and hope that future procedures go more smoothly for you.

Like you, I had an angiogram via the groin, mine was uncomplicated- but it is more common these days to use access via the wrist. From what I have read I gather that this approach is less likely to cause complications. I am sure that any doctor involved would want to avoid a repeat of your earlier experience.

[Frogman53]

Every sympathy with you...the angiogram I had in 2015 left me bruised from hip to below my right knee, I'm on the waiting list for an PCI to RCA stent but due to having a bypass done using the artery from my left arm the groin is the only option for me...just hoping it goes better this time.

[Qualipop]

Second angiogram I had through my wrist turned my entire arm from wrist to elbow absolutely black. Afraid it can happen. I wonder why yours wasn't done through wrist. You should ask.

[Flissy100 in reply to Qualipop]

Poor you , that sounds very painful, have had angiogram through wrist , did find it painful

[Qualipop in reply to Flissy100]

Not painful at all. Didn't feel a thing.

[janeykinsjt81]

Sorry to hear this. Sounds awful. I went to see a consultant privately at the same hospital as I was still ill after my 1st HA and emergency stent. I had a 2nd HA this year and emergency surgery as the consultant remembered me. They actually operated through my right hand. Ask if they can do your stent this way. Hope you get sorted. Good luck

[Flissy100 in reply to janeykinsjt81]

They did look at doing it through wrist but cannula was arm they wanted