I am new to this site, although a regular on the Lupus UK & Vasculitis UK forums, due to other health issues. The doctors, & friends who have had this op, say I should feel more energetic for it. I've not experienced this, although my Lupus/vasculitis is very active at the moment, so this doesn't help. I do get restless, but my energy is soon expended.
It would be great to hear how other people have got on, & connect with those of you who have/are going through the same thing.
I have five stents. Do not notice to be more energetic. I am taking Plavix everyday and will take it for at least one year after their placement.
Hi,
Are you under NHS?
What secondary medications are you taking after yuor five stents?
I have had one stent for one month.I am on Brilanta,Telmisartan and Artova.I do not feel more energetic and I am trying to build my stamina starting with at least 5,30-minute brisk walks per week.I will be reviewing the situation with respect to the medication in a month.
i had a massive heart attack three weeks ago and got carted off to hospital where i received three stents straight away now i get very tired even after doing the littlest of things im told this is normal and will last for up to a year i have to have further tests ie nuclear to see if heart is damaged iv been on statins for over 35 years we should all take it easy now until we are fully recovered
Hi rogbert- i found your post ,helpful and encouraging , i am 6 months post stent SO maybe there is hope ,things will change for the better,hope you are still around-your post 3 years ago Gill .
the first stents failed after 1 year but it took the doctors another year to deside to do an angiogram and subsequent angioplasty when they fitted another three stents including a balloon leaving the ones that failed inside of me i feel much better now 18 months later so i hope these will last me although they did say the vessels on the other side might need stents in the future and if the new ones fail they would have to do a bypass
Thanks everyone, this expected boost of energy seems like a bit of a myth! I suppose it depends on how much the heart has been damaged, as well as pre-existing health factors too.
Has anyone had whooshing in the the ears, as if you can hear your blood pulsing? I am assuming this is due to increased blood flow due to the stent.
I have my first cardiac re-hab appointment next week, so it will be interesting to hear what they say about both of the above points.
Best wishes to all for a good recovery. X
hi roo i dont know about the wooshing in the ears but i can feel the blood going through my 6 stents at times
HI Roobarb
Hope your still on the forum as finally i found someone who has the same whooshing sound after their stent. It started after about a month post stent and is described as pulsatile tinnitus. I lost over 10kg after i had my stent as i went on the Esselstyn diet 73kg down to 62kg. Some say it can be due to weight loss. My doctor told me to ignore it or have a hearing aid fitted and my cardiologist wasnt that concerned. Its very intermittent too and gets worse when i eat . I'm planning on going back to the doctors as i've read that it could be some infection in the middle ear or something related to the eustachian tube. Keen to hear from you or others who have had this.
regards
Yes i had that too..pulsatile tinnitus....mine went away luckily. May be a drug side effect?
To update I went to see an ent about the pulsatile tinnitus but all tests came back inconclusive. The sound has finally decreased and I have longer periods without hearing it and I'm sleeping much better these days but not sure what's really changed as on the same drugs, but maybe since I'm much more relaxed about the event my body/mind is removing the need for the sound?
Hi Roobarb
I too am the proud owner of a shiny new stent -3 months ago. Like you I've heard you get an energy boost after- not so in my case unfortunately. I'm having a very difficult time with it all but I think it's all the drugs which I,m not reacting well too. I was put onto the 'gorilla 'statin Atorvasatin 85 mg, clopidogrel, losarten-high BP, aspirin, Bisopronol-beta blocker. I get up feeling like I've not slept all night and go back to bed a few hours later. Oddly i get the odd window when i feel better but doesn't last long. After 10 minutes of walking i want to sit down whereas before i could walk up hill and down dale for 2 hours.The GP has taken me off them all for a week and is going to re-introduce them one at a time to see which one is causing the problems. He says in his experience everyone reacts differently-my father is on the highest dose of Atorvastatin and has no problems. However, I have now been off them for a few days and still feel sick and tired! Can only hope things improve. Best of luck to you.
Hi Narooma
Thank you for your reply. I find it so helpful to hear other peoples experiences.
I was dreading all the meds I would have to go on post stent. I react badly to most oral meds, & have had to resort to injectable versions in the past when necessary. The doctors & consultants were understanding about this, & said there are some meds which can be withdrawn further down the line. But that initially it is worth persevering, as they help the stent heal. I am only 1 week in, & usually react badly to oral meds the same day. So I am counting myself very lucky, although wonder what may be to come.
I 'like' the way you refer to Atorvastatin as the gorilla drug! I was told a lot of people react badly to this one, & there are alternatives to try if necessary. It sounds like your GP is very helpful & supportive. I hope you can find something to suit you better, & get back some quality of life. I would really like to be able to control my cholesterol levels through diet in the long term, if possible. Have you been given any advice on this?
Enjoy your weekend. X
I wonder how you got on Narooma. I have exactly the same problem as you. I have 3 stents 6 months ago and never felt worse. Tired..no, exhausted, all the time! Have to lie down so often. Is it the pills??
Can anyone help? My quality of life is close to zero.
I am as also suffering a lot since stenting 10 months back. Very depressed, apprehensive and fearful. Dizziness, heaviness in jaw and constipation are new additions
Me too. Exactly the same. Please help.
hello did you get it all sorted out when the doctor stooped all your meds for 1 week. i am having the same problem
I obtained a drug eluting Orsario stent some 3 months ago. It is thought these are better and are more expensive. It will elute medication for 6 months against clogs. But they did not say what would happen when it stopped eluting. Does anyone have an idea?
I will see my doctor in 6 months' time. But usually the angiography shows the situation best. He might decide to do it.
This is very unpleasant. I have had 4 so far.
Hi roobarb,
I had my stent fitted in 2006 aged 46yrs due to a blocked coronary artery causing angina. I have a strong family history of coronary artery disease, but don't let it worry me that much. I'm currently on 40mg simvastatin, 20mg perindropril and a daily aspirin, all which I seem OK with. The energy level is not that brilliant, though, and I do get tired with physical exertion. There is no doubt that the stent cured the angina and I was lucky that there was no heart muscle damage. I'm fairly philosophical about the whole thing - none of my family were particularly long lived, and I don't expect to be so either, although modern medicine is so good, you never know! I'm not particularly well behaved with regards to lifestyle, but am very active and manage all tasks normally. The stent was great and very interesting to watch on the table, so to speak! Don't worry about the meds too much, the statins are OK really, I think there is a lot of talk about SE's which is scary but not necessarily true. The aspirin daily is a definite must and studies show can protect against bowel cancer. I probably would have taken this anyway. Stress is jot helpful, although not easily avoided these days, just try to chill out when you can. Hope you do well and find your stent does the job for you.
Regards, optom 301
Hi optom
Thanks for your reply, & don't be concerned about worrying me. I have had a horrible disease called called lupus for many years, & have had to learn to live one day at a time because of this.
So now I am learning all about cardio-vascular disease, too. I feel like I'm doing a medical degree at times! Like you, I find it helps to remain philosophical.
What are SE's please? I am still familiarizing myself with abbreviations? And how are you you now, 7 years down the line from your stent fitting? Are your energy levels good, do you manage to work?
Thanks for your time, Roobarb. X
Hi Roobarb,
Good to hear from you. SE's is short for side effects, but there are plenty more abbreviations in this game I'm afraid! My stent has been OK and I f
Guess I have been lucky not to have any particular problems with the meds. I do take omega3 supplements as I understand this to be helpful with the cholesterol levels and potential statin related problems. Might be worth considering. I am working full time, but do get tired although probably would anyway! Must say there are some odd chest sensations occasionally, not angina, but more of an awareness and need to rest then. Keep positive (main thing) and there's good info on this site.
Bye for now.
Had a stent 2 weeks ago and feel fantastic. More energy than i have had for 10 years or more. Almost feel like running round the block. I am going for a fast uphill walk twice a day, whereas before i would walk along the flat and need to sit down for 30 mins when home.
I wonder how you getting on .i have had mine fitted some six weeks ago.i have been doing well till two days ago when I felt raised heart beat and short of breath ,went to hospital they did ECG which was fine but since every time I go upstairs I get this feeling and pressure on chest.please share your experience I am 51.
Hi roobarb , your post 3 years ago now-i just noticed that , i found it very interesting , i too have been through the mill in the 6 months post stents , ,and i think it is the meds i have to take that have caused most if not all the ups and downs i suffer ,on and off,. hope others will reply to this message with their experiances , Gill .
I had ha and 3 stents in lad 3 months ago still feel off ...thinking it's meds too since I have been back to er had stress echoes and ekgs all come out fine anyone feel better (turn a corner)
Same here (only 33 yrs old) I was feeling pretty bad for a few months when they finally figured out what was wrong with me. Ended up with 2 stents. That was 1 month ago and honestly I don't feel any better. Still get palpitations, and chest pressure and discomfort. Pretty disheartening, I was hoping to finally feel normal again!
I had a STENT fitted 8 days ago and feel absolutely dreadful. Worse than before I had the procedure. Still in bed. Can't do anything. How long does it take to feel better or even recovery ??????
There is a strong possibility the medication your were after the procedure is not helping you. Go to your GP or A&E to check any side effect on your medication.
How are you doing now? I had 2 stents about 2 weeks ago. Not sure what sensations are normal.
Stents act to open up your arteries where they were previously narrowed in order to increase blood flow throughout your body, but most importantly from your heart.
Stents are usually inserted to eliminate angina pectoris (chest pain).
You should feel better during exercise such as walking or any other form of exertion. Patients are often prescribed blood thinners and anti-coagulant medications for one year.
You're fortunate you didn't need open-heart surgery and your cardiac issues could be dealt with just stenting. This should be a wake-up call for you to change your lifestyle.
I have had both bypass surgery and 4 stents inserted. My condition improved more after the stenting than after the surgery. I have since changed my lifestyle and feel great.
Read all of my posts to learn how to improve your health:
I had a stent fitted 1 week ago about 3 hours after recognising I had a problem. Turned out to be a blocked right coronary artery. Felt better immediately. Discharged 2 days later. Sleeping better, feel great. Frustrated I can't get back to do the things I could but realise I have to take it steadily.
Had 3 stents fitted in february and waited expectantly to feel better but never did. Probably worse now. Can only walk 100 steps before stopping.
Hope you have better care and feel better soon. It is very anxious making. That was so hard to overcome.
Hi there IS recently had blood tests as I was getting I'll a lot and I have asthma to. I found out I have a cholestrol level of 11.5How close is your doctors surgery to closure ?
I have been given artovastatin to take anyone had problems with it .Would like to know 
Hello EveryoneEating plenty of veg will NOT help ward off heart disease, researchers say.!!
