Post Stent, Pain Remains

[Mr_Heartman]

"Quick" summary, I'm five days removed from a second angioplasty/stent procedure in a single week.  First, I had the angioplasty.  They found two 80% blockages.  One in the LAD (I already have a previous stent there from a 95% blockage three years ago), and another in my RCA.  They put the first stent in (second one overall in the LAD), but wanted to transfer me to another hospital to implant the second stent in my RCA because blockage location was at or near the opening to the heart itself.  They were concerned that the heart muscle could tear and wanted to be at a facility that could handle emergency open heart surgery if necessary.  Same interventionist performed both of these recent stent implants and told me they went excellently.  I saw pictures of the latter and the blood flow change is significant.  Did not see pictures of the first.

The problem is it's been almost a week, and I'm still winded all the time.  I'm having serious chest pains again in the same area.  Clamping, pressure pains in the right side of my chest (not quite as frequent as before, but too frequent!), as well as hot, pinching type pains around heart area (much less of these than before the latest procedures.)  This is different than how I felt after my first stent three years ago.  Three years ago I felt more "wind capacity" almost instantly and had little to no pain.  In the between years, I've had some, but much more infrequent pains, that I learned to live with thinking this must be my "new normal."  My current pain does not feel normal at all.

Questions:

1.  In the past week or so they heart-cathed me three times total.  Once to check out the problem, and another time each to implant stents.  With all of this repeated looking and digging, is it even possible to have missed other blockages?!  It would seem impossible to me, but I have no idea how many arteries/veins directly connect with the heart.  How accurate or inaccurate an overall look does a doctor get with angiogram pictures?  Do they see everything?  Or only the areas they directly explore with the cath?

2.  I can see my cardiologist again, but other than another angioplasty (I've had my fill!) to check things out, what can be done?  Can a regular chest x-ray reveal anything?  

3. Can stents collapse, and if so how often does that happen?  What would it feel like?

4.  What other complications could be happening that I'm unaware of?

5.  Just in case, is it okay to take nitro-quick in the earliest days after a procedure?  Can it affect the stents?

I'm only 37.  I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type two diabetes.  I take medication for all, and my numbers are decent.  I'm back to feeling like I'm just waiting to die...no way to live.  Any help would be appreciated!!!  Thank you...

[Chatter†Ally]

This response is only an opinion!  After having a stent placed in my RCA 5 years ago I experienced such great pain, similiar to that of angina, immediately following the procedure (I was still on the cath table) that it made me scream.  The  dr turned around and looked at the monitor and said it was probably back pain.  I knew different.  After some mild heart attacks without any real damage I was diagnosed with vasospasms.  To this day I feel that what I had was a rejection to the stent. I had a 100% blockage in an artery in my stomach that led to my right leg.  After they placed a stent in that artery, then too, my leg cramped up so bad I screamed.  I think the angina and the heart attacks were all due to my  body rejecting the stents.  Just my opinion though!  And yes, the stents can get clogged up.  I had to have a bilateral stent placed inside the first stent in my RCA because it clogged up.  Take care!  Hope you get to feeling better!  Ally