treatment of radiation vasculitis (LAD)

[SusanMag]

I am 40 years old, female, otherwise healthy and have radiation vasculitis of my LAD from radiation therapy for breast cancer 8 years ago.  I presented with chest pain and eventually left arm pain about 4 months ago and had a cath performed which demonstrated 90% occlusion of my LAD along a fairly long segment of the vessel, this was treated with 3 drug eluting stents, I did well after the procedure until 2 months later when I began having chest pain again, a repeat cath demonstrated restenosis and 2 more drug eluting stents were placed, this was 12 days ago.  Since the 2nd cath, I still have left arm pain with exercise and when I get upset, I am concerned that I may have restenosis again---I have an appointment to see the nurse practitioner at my cardiologist's office but I am wondering if there is anyone with specific expertise in this type of problem (radiation vasculitis)---any input would help,  Thank you

[Jack54]

I wanted you to know that ionizing radiation, which is gamma and x-radiation, is pure energy and has no mass. It is used for medical treatment. As it passes through the body it kills cancer cells, but as we all know, it damages other cells that are exposed. These healthy cell atoms are killed by 1) direct destruction of their nucleus (protons and maybe neutrons), or 2) by having an electron knocked from it's orbit in the outer electron shells. The electrons of an atom determine it's chemical properties. The nucleus of the atom determines the physical properties of the atom.

When an atom loses an electron, it becomes a free radical, and a chemically different atom or molecule. The negative electrons bond in pairs, so this free radical quickly searches for another electron and will "steal" one at first chance. This produces another free radical and the process continues. Radiation is not the only thing to cause free radicals, bit it is the very best because of it's high energy bombardment, in my opinion, and I am not a physicist.

Anyway, some naturally occurring elements and vitamins are free radical scavengers. They circulate within our bodies and give the free radical an electron thereby making it harmless. YOU SHOULD HAVE HAD THIS TREATMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE RADIATION TREATMENT!!! (you may have?)

Lipids are also effected by ionizing radiation. I didn't have time to read about this but maybe you will. I was also wondering if you have your actual cath report? If not, get it. It can help you to decide what you need to do as far as bypass.

It may mention damage to the endolethial cells of your LAD. The cath report is full of information like, wall motion normal or not, ejection fraction which should be around 60%, septal hypokinesis, or not e.t.c.

Get very involved now because later on, a doctor will ask you to make final treatment decisions, believe you me.

Here is a little blurb I copied and pasted from one of the URLs below. It says what I was trying to say...but much better. I thought some of this url info was/is good reading for you. Blessings for today :)

Jack
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"The cascade of chemical reactions that occurs when a free radical reacts with another molecule in order to gain an electron. The molecule that loses an electron to the free radical then becomes a free radical, repeating the process until the energy of the free radical is spent, or the reaction is stopped by an antioxidant. In biological systems, this cascade can damage important molecules like DNA"

http://alternative-medicine-and-health.com/antioxidants/antioxidants.htm

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-02/950649209.Bc.r.html

http://www.emro.who.int/Publications/EMHJ/0402/21.htm

[Jack54]

Hello Susan,

I cannot express the sympathy that I have for you, and I know that will not help you any. I can also empathize with your stented LAD. I have read for 2 hours on your problem and have not found much at all. Most of the info is pay per view, what a shame.

What I would like to tell you is that yes the getting upset causes angina in me and I suspect this is what you are feeling.

I am leaving Monday for the Cleveland Clinic. I am going to be evaluated for minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass surgery or MID-CAB. It can only be done on an artery on the front of your heart, namely, and I think only the LAD.

I have 4 stents in my LAD, or 3.19 inches of stents from the beginning. My cardiologist has said that I cannot have anymore stenting in this vessel, or I will not have a target for the surgeons. The last stent was placed by a cardiologist at the CC, and they left me with a 35-40% blockage that they could not get to. That was about 3.5 months ago.

The bypass will involve disconnecting the left internal mammary artery from my chest wall and reconnecting it downstream of the stents in my LAD, or at the "target". The mammary artery comes off of the aortic arch or subclavian artery, I forget, but it has a great supply and befuddles scientist/doctors as to why it rarely becomes occluded or diseased.

Time is of the essence for you. The ionizing effects of this radiation appears to be very aggressive. You must devote much of your time studying this and remember that this is your life, and that you are ultimately in charge of maintaining it.

G-d bless you and welcome to the board.

Jack