heart attack followed by angioplasty.

[potcake]

Before I had a heart attack on the 2nd May 2014, and a stent fitted, I was fit, strong and able, and had no pain apart from that associated with acid reflux. Since the stent procedure, I have had lots of chest pain, sometimes like a stabbing feeling in the heart, at other times, pain radiating down my arms, shoulder and neck. Most usually this is accompanied by violent burping and indigestion. It can happen at any time, and most usually when I am at rest. It happens a lot throughout each day.
I was told when I went to ER last week that this is probably angina, but I never had it before, and thought stenting relieved the symptoms of angina. I am therefore confused and don't understand why I have the pain. I am wondering whether all the new medication has exacerbated my acid reflux and it is that which causes the pain and not angina. How would I know?
The stabbing pain in my heart, I am told is due to the embedding of the stent. This is all very scary.
I also feel sick and lack lustre a lot of the time ( 3 and a half weeks after MI and stent)
Has anybody else experienced these awful feelings? If so, do they go away?
I would really appreciate connecting with somebody with similar experiences or someone who has medical knowledge.
Many, many thanks. x

[izzan]

I know exactly what you feel. I have had two stents fitted one in July 2012 and Nov 2013. Here are some of my symptoms with the first stent, slight sensations in my left bicep and right arm, which never ever gave me problems and some chest discomfort...no burning sensation or heaviness, but a warmness and some pinching. It was so worrisome that in Nov of 2012 I took a Nuclear Stress Echo, passed with flying colors. All these sensations for the most part seemed to go away for about 6 months, I was living my normal life trying to watch my diet and exercise, then around late April I went for walk and felt a single twinge of pain just like before in my left arm. I had gained about 30lbs after losing 20lbs so my weight was close to 275+. With time other sensations returned. No chest pain pains, but serious shoulder pain and arm pain. I could feel my pulse in my biceps and cubital so hard that sometimes they almost hurt, this was on both arms and lots of aches in my arms. I had lots of chest flutterings, a few episodes of light headedness and lots of headaches. One night I thought I was going to die,  my arms were on fire and I had this headache that I could not even move my head. My blood pressure was also high 160/100. my new cardio, because I had moved to a different state, told me to take an extra dose of Atenolol at night. My symptoms got worse, so in July he did a stress test (thallium). I passed it with flying colors, he told me I was good and I tried to live as normal as possible, pushed a motorcycle up a hill, moved furniture, painted. Ironically when I was active like that I felt better. I changed my cholesterol medicine from simvastatin to crestor, stopped taking rx xantac. But little by little I felt worse and worse. In Sep I scratched a vessel in my nose and it would not stop bleeding, went to ER and they gave inserted a balloon to heal it, Hurt really bad, when they removed it, I fainted, my heart rate was 32. They kept me overnight for observation, my gp wanted me to follow up with my cardio doc.  My gp thought I was having anxiety attacks and even got a rx for that but never took it. I also stopped taking crestor cause my cholesterol was better and I thought it was causing the arm pain and burning sensation in my chest. When I saw my cardio doc he asked if I was still having pain, which that day or any day I see the doctor I always feel great, so I was not feeling too bad, but I said yes and gave him the rundown of the symptoms he knew I had. He told me a little bit exasperated that the only thing left was to do another heart cath if the insurance company would go for it. For the next three weeks I felt horrible, I didn't think I was going to make it to the heart cath appointment, just weird sensations around my heart and pulsing sensations on both side of my neck. On 1 Nov I had the angiogram, and he thought he found an 80% blockage of the circumflex, he put in a bare metal stent cause the artery was too small for a coated one. Afterwards he told me that normally he might not have stented and 80%, but since I had symptoms, he is glad that he did, it was actually 95% blocked, I am still feeling slight pinches around my heart and arm sensations, but nothing like before, I do feel a fullness around my throat and I do have a sore throat. I do have massive belches and other gas. I am more inclined to believe that what ills me is really more to do with gastric issues than cardio issues. I feel fast sharp needle like pains in my chest, usually the right side, but sometimes on the left side. I also get a pinching sensation right in the sternum, like someone is applying pressure with pliers, no pain, just a sensation. I feel as though I want to burp but can't, strange tight sensation across my chest, Not necessarily pain but more like I have stretched the muscles.  My throat also feels as though it has an acidic sensation in it and I get what feels like a lump of concrete situated at the top of my diaphragm.but now I can pop the cartilage in my sternum, that is what it feels like and sounds like. I still get the twinges in my chest and sharp stabbing pains on both sides of my sternum right at the Solar plexus. They are very brief and fleeting, I get pains all over my chest, but mostly on my right side. Some twinges around the left nipple and itches on my back, my left armpit and side of my bicep and forearm. Some days I think it is all in my mind and other days are just hard. This weekend I shoveled close to 500 lbs of soil into and out of my truck, took down a ceiling and moved close to 1000 lbs of stored items in my garage and basement, and still did a cook out...you just have to find away to keep on going

[ed34]

I've had 10 stents and in one procedure alone 5 long stents were inserted into one vessel. It was that procedure that gave me discomfort after. It wasn't a stabbing pain, more like a painful pinching sensation inside like you often experience when running but it was deeper inside. If your artery was blocked, causing a heart attack, and was then stented then what you are experiencing is not angina. Angina are symptoms from restricted blood flow and this is resolved and would certainly be happening on exercise rather than rest. My pinching discomfort lasted around 3 months because damaged heart cells from an attack can take a while to recover too. I would perhaps give it 3 more weeks and it should start to reduce in discomfort. I've also had a few gastric issues and they can feel pretty close to the pains of a heart problem. Try taking a teaspoon of gaviscon when you feel the pain and see if it subsides. If it's an acid problem this will give quick relief. When they did the stent did they give you a report? stating the condition of all your arteries in the heart?