What can you expect after having MI?

Had an MI in January this year. Received two stents.  I have constant pain between my shoulder blades and often get uneasy chest (pressure) feeling with numbness in my upper right arm.  Is this normal?  

[ed34]

It can be normal in many cases, but there is also the other side of the coin where there could still be a problem. As your angioplasty was so recent, I would doubt if you have any further blockage issues, unless they used bare metal stents rather than drug eluting ones. Bare metal stents are prone to restenose in some people because you grow too much scar tissue in the artery where it attempts to repair itself. Drug eluting stents carry a chemical which inhibits this. If you felt this discomfort virtually straight after the procedure, I wouldn't worry too much, your heart tissue is probably recovering from the severe lack of oxygen during the MI. An area of your heart was basically suffocated and needs time to mend. If the tissue was believed to be dead, they wouldn't have bothered stenting you. If the discomfort started a few days after the procedure, ring your cardiologists secretary and find out if bare metal stents were used, or drug eluting stents. Bare metal stents are prone to allow too much scar tissue to grow inside the artery with some people, causing a new blockage. The usual answer to this is to have a drug eluting stent inserted inside the existing bare metal one. Many people seem to think that resuming normal blood flow in a coronary artery will automatically put the heart back into great shape immediately. This is not the normal, because your heart tissue needs recovery time. Exercise is important, 20-30 mins daily is a minimum. Even a very slow walk is fine. Make your Cardiologist aware of your discomfort so it's on record and if he has any concerns he will let you know.

[Liz1804]

Thank you for the reply, has indeed helped.  I do have Drug eluting stents.