Coronary aftercare follow ups

[bearbear5662]

Hi all can someone tell me if this is correct or what please. Had a stemi 1 heart attack 3 years and 4 months ago age 68, given drugs had 5 stents 2 on right coronary artery 3 on leaf coronary artery' home same day.

My question is, in all that time to now i had no follow ups at all by coronary team, i was told thats normal, no 3 month no year no nothing, just sent home to my gp whom as done about 5 ecg over the years and a yearly blood test. It worries me, because In hospital when i had my heart attack i was given a book saying lots of follow up dates to come, but i merely went through the cardiac fitness program and after that, that was it. I guess and worry how good my stents are, and just hope ejection fraction is better than the 42 % sent home with. What do you say ??

[Happyrosie]

I’ve just replied to your earlier post.

What you have had as follow up is normal, and youve been through the cardiac fitness programme and been followed up by your own doctor.

[bearbear5662 in reply to Happyrosie]

Thank you very much for your reply

[MWIC in reply to bearbear5662]

Hi - I also share your concern which I think is pretty normal and I don’t think the “follow up” is actually enough - if concerned express the concern to your GP and ask the questions as to what you can do to gain an understanding as to what shape your veins are in at this point - this would seem to me to be good preventative medicine which is not what I consider a yearly blood test will provide - I’m 3 years in from mine - no stents at the time but I cannot help wonder if my veins are heading in the same direction again or not and to me being able to get this checked seems more than logical so I intend to see what I can do to find out - appreciate NHS needs to prioritise but there must be some scope for this surely

[bearbear5662 in reply to MWIC]

Thank you best regards

[Lowerfield_no_more]

A similar post to yours was on here a few days ago as below, which you might find useful

healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

[bearbear5662 in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

Thank you very much

[Yogi1950s]

Think yourself lucky that your GP did the ecg's. Personal experience - annual blood test and sweet f.a.!

[bearbear5662 in reply to Yogi1950s]

Sorry to hear that

[Wurliwonder in reply to Yogi1950s]

I had a TAVI in May. Since then I've had an Echocardiogram to confirm the valve is in the correct place and a phone call from the consultant to ask how I felt and if I had any problems. No contact with my GP but I've had my annual blood test as normal. I was asked not to phone for the results. "Don't ring us, we'll ring you if we need to".

Personally, I'm happy to be left alone and it costs me nearly £100 in taxi fairs to get to the hospital that did the procedure, so I don't want to go there if I can avoid it.

I'm just enjoying myself as much as I can, while I can.

[David-66]

I had a heart attack in September stent fitted while on holiday, since then back in UK 2 blood tests, a cardiologist referral due in August 2025 and 1 hour chat with a rehab nurse at a local heart charity.

It appears that you are just left at your own devices to keep yourself alive …….😡

[Mentdent]

March 2021 heart attack, stent followed by an echocardiogram a week later. Since then nothing at all except a phone call to say that cardiac rehab was closed because of Covid.

[Survivor1952]

you’re lucky, my GP practice has told me no follow up appointments are available for the foreseeable future.

[Hrty]

Sadly, from what I've learned on here post cardiac event care varies greatly across the country. I had my NSTEMI in November 2022 and have seen the cardiologist several times since with the most recent being last week and he's scheduling me in for another meeting in 6 months to "keep an eye on me". I've been lucky in that respect. After completing phase 3 rehab at the local hospital I've been able to take phase4 rehab at my local cardiac rehab centre. I have to pay for it but my exercise sessions are tailored to my needs and I have had a couple of assessments with the Dr there as part of my programme. I also get bloods done annually to check HB1AC, cholesterol levels etc. Not sure this helps you very much other to highlight the inconsistencies nationwide.

[bearbear5662 in reply to Hrty]

Thank you

[junik53]

Totally normal.

[bearbear5662 in reply to junik53]

Thank you

[momander]

Hi,It seems to depend on where you live and also on your cardiologist. I am like you and have had no follow ups apart from cardio rehab 12 weeks after my first heart attack. I live in Scotland

[Qualipop]

Perfectly normal. Once they discharge you to your GP you don't see cardiology again. I had 2 stents and told I had two other blockages around 65% blocked but not bad enough to stent. 6 years later I worry how bad those two part blockages have become but have now been waiting 14 months to get to see cardiology; referred both by another hospital dept and by my GP. I get an annual check up, bloods, weight, kidneys etc by the cardiac nurse at the GP's and that's it.

[bearbear5662 in reply to Qualipop]

thanks very much best wishes

[4cokecansBHF]

Heart attack March 23- emergency 3 stent procedure. Rehab 6 weeks later was walking the length of a hall one week and same only quicker the next week. That was it- like you I had been reading leaflets about the exercises I was going to do. After 4 months waiting for Cardiac Hub I rang the office and got a cancellation the next week! It was GREAT! Very thorough even doing an Ultra sound and getting result there and then. Was sent to a Heart Failure team the next week where my meds were tweaked and told I was out of Heart Failure two wks later. After a year I had another ultra sound and consultant discharged me to care of GP.s They don’t seem to want to change meds without cardiac drs say so. All in all I feel I got good treatment but expected to be monitored more after such a serious thing. It’s as my husband says - there are too many people in the world!

[bearbear5662 in reply to 4cokecansBHF]

Thanks very much I got none of that on 5 stents so feel very hard done by GPS are useless my end . I just take each day as it comes .

[BC4ever]

I think it definitely depends on where you live, and how bad your heart attack was. And in my opinion, yours was pretty serious, by the sound of it. I had a STEMI in May '24. Five stents fitted. Attended six week Cardiac Rehab' programme. Had follow up with Cardiologist in Nov'24, He ordered another heart scan. Results were positive with an improvement of 10% in EF from 40 to 50%. Some damage caused by the attack to one of my valves. Cardiologist wants this to be kept an eye on, so will now have check-up, heart scan, bloods and cholesterol check every twelve months. Finally referred back to my Doctor in Jan' 25. I think I'm one of the lucky ones - I cannot complain at all about the treatment I've received. If you are worried - please pester your Doctor. The NHS is in such a state generally - but in some areas of the country - it's terrible! My Cardiac Nurse told me (in confidence), to pester my Doctor next year - when my next heart scan is due - or nothing will happen and I will slip the net. We all have to be much more in control of our own health. Sadly! Good luck and best wishes.

[bearbear5662 in reply to BC4ever]

Very best to you my bilateral stemi one heart attack no pain conscious the whole time ... Started with feeling ill then running in cold sweat.. then my Fitbit alerted me to my heart rate that was 23 beats a mini so rang for ambulance.. next 5 stents and told I had coronary artery disease. But heart did not stop at anytime. An was told no heart muscle damage Is that same as you ??