1 week before Christmas 2024 I had a heart attack, followed by angioplasty and 2 stents at age 55. I was put on usual medication that goes with it, and it was to be followed up by cardiac rehab. I'm still awaiting cardiac rehab as there is a waiting list in my area apparently, which sucks. But my 2 main problems are my right arm which they used for the angio is still very very bad. I still can't do .much with it and have terrible pain at intermittent areas down my arm! Is this normal? Also when I first came out of hospital, I felt like I had been given a new lease of life, had a good amount of energy and started walking for excersise as I should however this has gone totally now, I have no energy at all, I'm so tired all of the time and am breathless even at rest sometimes, should I be like this too? There is no sign of a follow up from cardiologist and to get seen by a gp is near on impossible, at the moment I'm feeling very let down by the NHS and that I'm going to die while waiting.
Is my body being normal?: 1 week before... - British Heart Fou...
Is my body being normal?
Hi, I'm sorry to hear you're struggling. It can be difficult to work out what's your new normal after such a big event. Your relationship is with your hospital. I would suggest at first you go down the 111 route with all your symptoms and see whether they advise you to go to A&E or a local out of hours service. I found them very responsive in a recent health problem. They pre arranged the appointment so I passed go without the challenge of A&E.Or you can go to A&E. It will be easy for them to see your existing hospital notes and are likely to triage you past the first tier wait. You may still have to be patient. I think it's reasonable to be concerned about your arm and it's appropriate to have it checked.
Don't wait any longer.
Sorry you're not feeling well. No, it's not normal to have arm pain this far out from your angiogram. You need to see a doctor and they will probably want to do ultrasound to see what is going on. I would contact whoever did your angiogram and insist you be seen and if not, find someone else or even the A&E. Same advice with your being tired and breathlessness. It's not a good idea to let things slide.
Jim
Gosh you poor thing. I would say chase everything up and keep chasing. The service is there but I found I had to follow everything up. Very best of luck.
I would go to A&E for peace of mind.
Short of doing 111 or turning up at A&E as others have suggested I would try and get in touch with your hospital heart failure team. I have found mine to be extremely helpful and they always phone back the same day. Don't expect too much from cardio rehab, mine was like an exercise class which for me was 80 mile nearly 2hrs round trip. I was expecting monitored exercise increasing weekly. I didn't complete the whole course, we had a 3 week break over Xmas which didn't help either.
I've had a number of heart "events," including angio/stenting, heart attacks, cardiac arrest. The body needs time to recover from each, as well as to adapt to any meds. I would ask about the right arm, however, very soon. I've had a bunch of angiograms and usually the arm pain subsides in a few weeks.
If its any reassurance a year ago I had a routine angiogram which then resulted in 3 stents, bruised arms, aches and pains in my chest and then a clutch of medication to take.
I did feel unwell for a while - which was a contrast to prior the procedure as I was very active an no symptoms etc. But eventually I regained my energy, and positivity because every twinge, or ache I was convinced for many months 'is this it'? even though Id had 'work done' which would prevent a heart attack or stroke potentially.
Hang in there, keep going and you will feel much better eventually. I did sign up for cardiac rehab - which was useful if anything to restore some confidence in what physically I could do again, like before and not feel worried.`
Wishing you well on your recovery and back to confidence too .
I too was like you. Initially a new lease of life and then 3 months later, I was feeling really breathless, tired and slightly faint. I ended up in a&e and they did an angiogram and couldn't find anything wrong so just discharged me. Still feeling absolutely awful I turned to my GP who ran a simple set of bloodtests and discovered I was very anaemic, put me on iron tablets and that sorted me out! I couldn't believe a&e never picked this but there you go. So definitely worth a visit to your GP to discuss your breathlessness just to get some of the basics covered off.
HiCan i ask were your stents put in as emergency angioplasty? I had one stent put in at time of heart attack which saved my life. Arm was bruised from wrist to elbow for weeks after and it was months before the aches went away. My cousin is a sister on cardiac ward and she explained that they were probably not taking their time as it was a life saving moment and therefore a bit rougher than a planned angio.
As for the tiredness and lack of energy,some of the little cocktail of meds you came home with can make you feel like that .
Take care. Jules x
Dear Snakemama,
What you say about your arm doesn't sound good. This might be a reason for your symptoms but who knows? I agree with all the advice you have been given e.g. 111 and A&E etc.
If I could add my advice it is as follows. You will have your Specialists name from appointment documents you have. I would suggest you write exactly what you have said in a letter to him and stress how worried you are and have been for weeks. However busy he is he really is obligated to reply and you might then be seen. I would also leave your contact number on the letter and perhaps his/her Secretary might then follow it up.
Best wishes and good luck.
I was told to report any problems with the arm right away following angioplasty. If you are waiting for rehab, you might have access to the cardiac team and could try contacting one of the specialist nurses. Or you could try the consultant via his or her secretary. If you can't get through to anyone, you can ask your GP to refer you back to cardiology.
After my angioplasty and stents, there was no pain. Having said that, several weeks down the line, being in fulltime work etc, I had I week of excruciating pain in both my arms!
Since both arms were were used in the process, I knew instinctively that this was a delayed reaction to my angioplasty several weeks ago. The pain came and went away just as mysteriously. I think you can use paracetamol, but I decided not to because I wanted to see the extent of the pain.
You should contact the Cardiology Unit that treated you and let them know what's happening and ask for advice.You could also ask the approximate waiting you have left before receiving an appointment for Cardiac Rehab because they may chase this up for you , or at least you will know when to contact them again if you haven't received help.
Recovery takes time , and unfortunately most of us don't receive advice about slowly pacing ourselves after a big health issue and as soon as we feel that extra energy we try to go back to our " Old Normal" and living life at the speed we did before.
Doing this really stretches your bodies ability to cope with recovering and healing itself and a sudden upscaling of daily activity.
Eventually, we can suddenly have a dip in energy and become tired , achy and listless.
It's good to consider creating a more well balanced daily routine , taking more rests and doing activities at a slower pace , especially in the first six months after major surgery to help the healing process and prevent these symptoms.
Your arm may be a different matter and should probably be assessed now.
On the one side , you could have been trying to do too much physically with that arm while it was still healing and not as strong so the pain and stiffness could be delayed onset muscle soreness alongside bruising which is giving you pain.
Considering your activity with the arm , but also using some very gentle arm exercises each day could help.
On the other hand , you could be suffering nerve pain from nerve damage or the nerves repairing after surgery making the arm feel more sore and less able to move as well.
This needs assessment by a doctor, even if you need to wait a while to get an appointment.
The doctor can be spoken to initially about all of your issues if you request an urgent phone appointment from reception at first.
You can also tell the receptionist that you want to see if you have any nerve damage that might need treatment but that you also want them to refer you to physiotherapy for help with your arm problem if no other treatment is required.
These phone appointments usually happen much quicker than face to face ones , and after the GP talks to you , you will usually be asked to come in to the surgery within the days afterwards.
Your GP can also be requested on the phone to sort out the physiotherapist and to inform them that you are also waiting for cardiac rehab .
In this way , you would be seen by physio earlier than cardiac rehab is available but you would still get some rest experienced advice about helping to improve your arm , but also for exercises to help you at home and you can get advice on Pacing Yourself during recovery to reduce the pain and symptoms you are having .
Hope things improve soon , be patient with yourself and your body it does take time to adjust your lifestyle and learn your " New Normal", take care , Bee
Your arm is not normal. I had a heart attack and 2 stents , 6 years ago. After a second angiogram my arm was black from wrist to elbow but no pain at all. The total lack of energy could be one of your tablets. Bisopralol dropped my heart rate and BP so low all I could do was sleep. You really do need to see a GP or ring 111. A meds review would be a good idea. 111 can tell your GP to see you if you can't get past reception. I couldn't tolerate a lot of the meds I was given and almost all were either changed or stopped. Ticagrelor can have an unpleasant side effect of making you feel as if you can't take a deep breath. YOu are breathing normally , it just feels as if you can't.
I got a stent about the same time as you. They used the groin for the procedure. I had phantom (nerve) pain in the groin for a week but it went away. 7 weeks later it is back. I am talking to my Cardiologist/PA. I hope it goes away on its own soon.
They do damage the nerves during the procedure at times. Probably takes a long time to heal?
I am also getting tired easily. They started me on Metformin so it may be that. Or the large dose of the stain or Metoprolol. We'll see.
hi I’m sorry to be reading this and the only advice I would give is you go get checked out either by phoning 111 or popping to A&E tell them everything you have put in here I’m sure you will get sorted
Keep us posted 🙂
I just wanna say thanku to everyone that responded to my questions, I'm taking it all on board and planning a trip to the GP if I can and if not I shall go through 111 and a and e if need be now I know its definitely not normal.ive never been one for bothering doctors if I don't need to, well now I guess I have to fir my own wellbeing. Thanks again to you all x x
Hi Snakemama, I'm writing again because of your update. I stressed in my first response that you should seek advice through 111, I was trying not to raise your anxiety. You clearly felt the need to post and seek others opinion. Your motivation was maybe 'easier to see if you were worrying about nothing before you trouble your GP'. The balance of replies were overwhelmingly saying to you get checked as soon as possible. A few I suggest irresponsible people, perhaps we'll meaning ,were saying give it a while. None of them were Doctors or medical professionals. You may well have a clot. It can be a serious side effect of an angiogram and they typically take weeks to cause a problem. Many responses were hinting at this again without wishing to alarm you. At very least you should check whether your Dr will see you as an urgent referral, they should, or otherwise phone 111. They are very good at sorting out whether you should be seen quickly, and if that is their judgement they have the means to set up urgent appointments for you. It's your life, your body, your judgement. You asked, this is my considered answer. I'm not one for running to the Drs either but affairs of the heart......
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