HEART DISEASE COMMUNITY
Need second opinion

Need second opinion

My mother who will be 80 next month was often complaining of breathlessness, weakness and pain sometimes in her chest and rib cage. Her daily BP count was never over 140/85 but pulse was high, always between 90 to 105.  She is not obese, no diabetes or any serious ailments.  Of late her breathlessness was getting worse, with loss of appetite and feeling of weakness.  We had several ECG's and an Echo ( doppler) test done and turned out negative.  Only thing that came up was that her haemoglobin level was way low at 7.2.
  
However things took a turn in March this year when she complained of severe pain on both sides of her rib cage upto the armpits.  The ECG this time showed some irregularities and she was asked to undergo an Angiogram. It turned out that there were clots in her Right Coronary Artery which showed a blockage.  She was given "clot busters" and Heparin and was given 2 pints of blood.  She was asked to undergo an Angioplasty with 2 stents to be put in but she was adamant that she did not want it as she preferred to take the route of medication and she is too weak to undergo another procedure.  She was given Ecosprin 150mg Atorvstatin 40mg and Clopidogrel 75mg along with the Beta and calcium blocker ( Amlez) that she used to take and some antacid and tonics.  She also takes Stugeron for her chronic dizziness.

I took a second opinion from another specialist who said the treatment is aggressive but good and looking at the angio said that the blockage looked 60%.  Though she is hypersensitive to medicines she has tolerated the drugs well and her breathlessness has reduced.  She should have gone earler but after 2 months on visiting her cardiologist he has changed her medication where one tablet to be taken before bedtime is made up of Ecosprin 75+Clopigodrel 75+Atorvastatin 20.  Even though the dosage is lower she seems to be having problems in the mornings like having severe headaches, depression and heaviness in the head.  Maybe she is sensitive to the “one size fits all” tablet.  Is it possible these 3 medications are available separately and taking them separately will do away with the side effects she undergoes everyday.
Please I would welcome a second opinion from a cardiologist specialist.  It would really help my mother. I want that my mother have a qualitative life and be around for many more years to come.  Please help and thanks in advance  
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First of all, I am not a doctor.  With the Ecosprin and the Clopigodrel and her severe headaches, I am wondering if she is having bleeding in the brain.  You should take her to the doctor to have a CT scan done to make sure she does not have some bleeding.  The chance of bleeding goes up when people approach 80.  My father is on Coumadin for thick blood and irregular heartbeat.  He is 72 and was told by his doctor that he most likely will be taken off of Coumadin when he reaches 80, because the blood thins a lot around that age.  Blood usually clots pretty well up until the age of 80.  I have known a lot of people young and old who have had bleeding in the brain and the symptom is severe headache and confusion.  
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