1st: I am not a clinician or doctor.
2nd: I am a heart patient. !st stents in 2000. Emergent quadruple by-pass in 2011. I make a list...one for my doc, one for me. Makes them a bit crazy at times but I AM MY BEST ADVOCATE FOR ME!!
3rd: Get approval from your insurance (if necessary) and get a second opoinion. NOW please.
4th: Sign records release at each physician and hospital and make a binder of you care. Knowledge is power.
5th: These are suggestions. You aren't alone. Let us know how things are going. God Bless You.
elliot777
You certainly do need at least some form of anticoagulant with medicated or bare stents. Clotting can occur with both, so I have no idea why your cardiologist even said that. You have been through a very similar ordeal to my own, only my triple bypass failed after 3 months. I've now had 10 stents. I was put onto a strong aggressive statin (lipitor 40mg) and ezetimibe 10mg to help boost it. One act son the Liver and one on the digestive system to lower fats. I had my first attack at 46 and my disease kept progressing. I cut my sugar intake right down, took lessons in handling stress and then my disease seemed to stop. Even with high average blood pressure 140/99 - 140/103 the disease still hasn't got any worse. It isn't about surgery or stents, it's about BIG lifestyle changes. Surgery and stents can only alleviate the problems being caused by your lifestyle. I eat very little meat now, I mainly eat fish. I no longer trust chicken, especially in the UK because they feed them so many steroids and antibiotics. Free range are supposed to be better, but I have no idea what is injected into those, so I avoid them. I buy fresh fruit and veg, never packaged stuff in supermarkets. I cook using ingredients, never packaged meals anymore, and I haven't had a take away in years. Packaged meals are packed with sugar to make them taste better. Diet plays a huge part in heart disease so the more you can change it to the healthy side, the better. Drinks should also be watched, especially sugar levels. I read that some children died relating to energy drinks packed with sugar and overdoses of caffeine. If your heart bypass didn't work the first time, and if your Lima is blocking, then I would have to ask why it work a second time around. If in your shoes, I would go with stents again but make big changes in my life. You have to break the vicious cycle.