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Avatar universal

TOO MANY STENTS????

First of all I want to say hello to everyone as I am new and this is my first post.  I have a question that has been bothering me.  I have 5  DES stents in the LAD , 3 from a previous MI and 2 from a blockage 1 year ago. I had a cath recently and the results were good ,no blockages.  My new cadiologist says that  , that is too many stents for 1 artery ,that I should have had a bypass rather than put more stents in that artery. I got a copy of the CD of my most recent cath , I could see all of the stents back to back with no gaps inbetween them and they measured a total of about  3 & 1/8  in.  I know there is alot of controversy lately about stents, but I don,t understand why my cardiologist would think that 5 stents is too many in one artery.   Does anyone have an answer to that?            Thanks,
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Avatar universal
I had 2 heartacts last one was server i waited 5 hours to go to hospital they daid i had server damage i have defibrillator how do you think my life exspand would now i have 3 stents an said my heart only pumps 30%
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Avatar universal
I had 2 heartacts last one was server i waited 5 hours to go to hospital they daid i had server damage i have defibrillator how do you think my life exspand would now i have 3 stents an said my heart only pumps 30%
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just joined this site. I have 4 stints in one artery and a total blockage also but in a minor channel.
Just failed my 2nd stress test and my cardiologist wants to put 2 more stints into a 2nd artery.
I know that in Canada that when an angiogram is done that if there is a blockage it is fixed. Here in the U.S. it is done with 2 procedures and while you wait for the blockage to be fixed and the stint, you suffer.
Also, by doing 2 procedures the risk factor for a failed artery increases as my right wrist in now not available to be used any more.
What happens when my femoral artery fails?
Is 6 stents a and a blockage too many?
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2 Comments
hi i have 32 stents in my heart and counting is there any legal advice out there for me
hi i have 32 stents in my heart and counting is there any legal advice out there for me
Avatar universal
unfortunely, i did have quite that same problem.  My first stent was placed in 2004, afterwards I could not breathe....some pain.  I KNEW something was wrong, went to another cardiologist who promtply took me to surgery, and fixed THE STENT that had collapsed.   If u get really short of breathe for no reason, I would guess ur stent has collapsed.  Well that is what happened to me.  I am not a dr. just sharing....pup
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Avatar universal
I cant believe all the horror stories of stents causing problems, like shortness of breath, pain, and the ore stents, etc. What is the issue with the Medical community. Do they really have an solutions. It is a total crapshoot
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Avatar universal
hello everyone, this is my first post and I would be very grateful for any help.  In 2007 I had a triple bypass and 18 months after that 2 stents were fitted.  I have been fine until now. In fact until October of this year I was even jogging on the treadmill of the gym I was attending and felt great. Then in October I got a bad case of bronchitis that took 2 months to go and have not felt well since.  I had an angiogram last week and told I have blockages on all 3 arterial grafts, 80%, 95% and 50%. by my cardiologist but my surgeon says the arteries have shrunk until they are very narrow which is quite rare.  I live in Greece and sometimes it is hard to understand exactly what is going on as I do not speak Greek.  My cardiologist and heart surgeon are trying to decide if another bypass or stent would be better (the stent carries a high risk because of it's position). Has anyone any idea what could cause blockages or such shrinkages in the width of the arteries in such a short time? Thank you,  frances
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Avatar universal
Does anybody notice other weird symptoms that they didn't have before the stents were inserted?
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Avatar universal
Welcome to Stent Hell.  I have never felt good after the first DES was inserted.  I had a plain stent that never bothered me for ten years and I think is still good.  Now I have 5 total, never feel good and get pain and sweats without any activity.  I wake up with heart palpitations and get shortness of breath.  I am very small and really don't think these doctors know how to undo the damage done to me.  I just pray for a miracle.  My life has totally been changed since the DES'S were put in and I didn't even know what they were or I would have chosen the plain stent.  They can charge more for the DES stents.which might be a motivation.  P.S My cardeologist was against the DES'S but they must have put pressure on him to change his mind.  I'll pray for you.
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2120963 tn?1334888507
Lord have mercy! I have 9 stents. I am so pissed off at my cardiologist who I asked to advise me of my particular circumstances regarding my arteries. I had so many test from 3 different states where I was at the time, (Sacramento, Atlanta, NY). Sacramento caught me before I had a heart attack and placed my first stent in a coronary artery that was 95% blocked in July of 2010. I was put on Plavix for 3 months. Then while visiting a daughter in Atlanta. There they tested me and claimed that my arteries were twisted and suggested a bypass. But when my mouth hit the floor, they told me they could do stents. They inserted 2 more stents and put me on Plavix for a year. Since then, I have experience more angina and tested again in NY which told me I had more blockages of 90% & 85%. I had 3 stents before and now I have 9. They inserted 6 more when I gave them permission to do open heart/bypass if best. Afterwards, my doctor told me that I should have had the bypass in Atlanta. But when I saw him in his office he told me that I am no longer a candidate for a bypass because I have stents in every major artery of my heart. He also said that stents are permanently placed and not removed. A couple of weeks afterwards, I was in the hospital with pneumonia. Though I was fortunate that it was a mild case, they told me that I had a blood infection that had a tendacy to attach itself to the heart tissues. So more test were done to see if there were evidence of that. After a CAT scan and claiming not being able to see all sides of the heart, the put a hose (what seriously looked like a garden hose) down my escophocus (throat) with a little camera on the end of it. My throat was so sore afterwards. No evidence of growth was found, but though that test was in November of 2011, my throat still feels sore. Pudding and ice cream become very soothing to my throat.
I have to find another cardiologist to tell me the truth about my condition because I still feel tightness in my chest and quite frankly it is scary.
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Avatar universal
I recently had 4 stents...it was a whirlwind ordea. I came in for a mild case of the flu which I found out immediately was not the problem. An vein was closed from plaque had obstructed another artery. I am post operational 3 days. I will let you all know the drawbacks of the surgery.
Unforturnately. at the time stents were my only option. They are giving me beta-blockers and I really don't like them. I wonder can stents ever be removed after the vein heals? As for soluable stents, my doctor did not mention them to me. I would have preferred to have went that way as something foreign in my body, plus the meds one has to take are not a good thing for me. I prefer natural ways. I will check back here later after i am healed. Good luck to you all as we all have joined the stent club...like it or not.
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Avatar universal
I have got 5 stents, 3 needed unblocking. My cardio, who is into the bioabsorbable stents told us that up to 18 stents can be done.
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Avatar universal
Hi,, I have 5 stents in my heart,,and 3 weeks ago they had to go in an re-stent 2 of them
and they had to put 3 more in the 3 three new arterys I had grown,,they can do wonders today.
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Avatar universal
IN 2004 i had to have 2 stents put in.  10days later due to complications i had another one put in.  2 years later they put a stent inside of a stent to open it back up.  This past year they went in again and the artery was completely blocked off but i had grown 2 new arteries on my own.  So i know they can put stents inside of stents in some patients.
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Avatar universal
Thanks so much for the info,  I am really lost here. I guess it will take awile to learn my way around.     Thanks again,
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Avatar universal
Hi, I also do not have a lot of stent experience.  Just two points:  1)  The most significant stent controversies surround the issue of coated stents vs. uncoated.  I have not heard of a magic number for stents.  2)  Different doctors have different oppinions about many issues (does not help with anxiety).  However, the doctor that recommended the multiple stents surely had a good reason for thinking it was the best treatment.  Maybe you contact that doctor to understand his/her reasoning and what lead to that decision.  Good luck.
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21064 tn?1309308733
Just a quick note to say HELLO and WELCOME to the Heart Forums.  I hope your find the forum informative and supportive. I'm not too familiar with stents and CAD, but I know there are several members who can probably help you out.  In the meantime, if you click on the "People" link at the top of your screen, you can search for other members who have similar interests.

Also, you might want to try posting your question on one of the EXPERT forums.  The links are on the right side of your screen.  You can try the Cardio Prevention, Interventional Cardiology or the Heart Disease experts; the doctors are wonderful about answering quesitons.  The expert forums take a limited number of questions, so you may not get in right away.

I hope that helps.
connie
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