Life After Angioplasty

Question

I had a stent inserted after suffering a heart attack from an obstruction in the circumflex artery that was classed as creating unstable angina. I gather from a lot of comments from the surgical team and the fantastic people who cared for me so well from the very 1st minute , that I am one lucky man , as so few people who have an attack of this nature and have no history of angina , actually make it to the hospital to be given the chance that I was .
I guess the questions I have are , is it normal to feel semi useless after a great recovery ? by this I mean the way it feels to have no confidence in your body anymore and to see others treat you as tho your going to cause them a problem by having another heart attack ? { ie I felt great and recovered well physically , but seem to have some sort of delayed mental thing 3 months later )
What are my chances of recovering to the point where I can trust my body again and am not seen as a bad risk for simple things , such as travel insurance or going off to places not close to major medical care ?

This discussion is related to Catheterizations.

ed34 · Answer

You are young to require a stent? Was the stent necessary due to a coronary artery blockage?

nijil200 · Answer

26 years of age...Went through an angioplasty and have a biodegrade stent (they say that it will dissolve over time)....any advices

ed34 · Answer

Well, there are some things to also take into consideration. You need to address the reason/s you had blockages and rectify your lifestyle. If you don't do this, there is a high chance your stents will block or/and you will develop further blockages. You need to look at the risk factors and see which affect you, then change them in your life. There is smoking, high blood pressure, emotional stress levels, healthy low fat diet and regular exercise. If all those are under control, there's no reason why you shouldn't have your life back to normal.

rawatrajesh5 · Answer

Your article is great help for me as I have two stents implanted weak ago and was wandering id I will have normal healthy life hear after but after reading this I feel confident.

kenkeith · Answer

I had a silent heart attack 6 years ago, and you are correct, if I had had a warning I could have had time to treat the blockages (probably several years prior).  My heart was enlarged and the heart was unable to pump and adequate amount of blood with each heartbeat resulting with congested heart failure.  I had a 98% block of the RCA that was stented, 72% blocked circumflex, not stented and 100% blockage of the LAD that has developed vessels that feeds into the area previously done with the LAD artery.   

I didn't feel (shortness of breath) bad going into ICU for several days to stablize the oxygen level.  Felt more energetic leaving the hospital...mowed lawns on two of my properties with ease.  My brother-in-law had a couple of heart attacks and bypasses.  He wasn't depressed from a heart attack nor did I.  If one does have depression, it is the result of one's human nature.  Depression that first appears after a heart attack may represent fear of dying or grief over loss of health. Fear and grief don’t necessarily respond to the same treatment strategies, so figuring out the cause of the problem may help in finding the right therapy.  If you need treatment.

I find what helps is a routine of exercise 3 times a week, proper diet, etc. And yes, you can expect to have many good years with the proper treatment and self help.  Take care..

samc0430 · Answer

To: ed34 

Some great advice that I will focus on as I am hopefully at the end of “getting back to normal” stage.
I had my 4 stents put in, I just had a follow up stress test and finally my first stress test in the last 1 ½ years with no “chest pain” and normally raised and recovered blood pressure.  
I start Cardiac Rehab this week and then hopefully back to work in 2 weeks.

ed34 · Answer

Lack of confidence and depression are common things with heart attack and can be a real issue with some people. I remember I used to talk non stop about heart conditions to my wife and it drove her nuts. In cardiac rehab, patients partners were allowed to visit the centre on the first session, and it shocked me to hear all the wives complaining how much the men go on and on and on about their heart. So, from that point on I decided to put things into a different perspective. You had a blockage, and that blockage is now open. You and your cardiologist know the condition of your coronary arteries and you are on the correct medication to help prevent further problems. You can make lots of lifestyle changes to improve your health and stop the disease keeping it at bay. Think about the millions of people who are walking around with blockages who haven't yet realised. These are the ones who should be the most worried. Keep healthy, enjoy each day as it comes and stop wondering if you will wake up tomorrow morning because you will.

vas406 · Answer

Hi,
I am 43yrs old had angioplasty done last week. I had one block and while I was confident, the way my loving & affectionate caregivers started handling me with kidgloves, made me wonder if I was being a wee bit casual about my heart and had started denting my confidence a bit. Reading your post helped. I am determined to lead a healthier life style and eat wisely. I am sure my quality of life will be better than it has been before.

theblind1 · Answer

Thanks for that , just what was needed :)

pilgrim56 · Answer

I had a heart attack a little over 3 years ago.  A stent was put in my circumflex. I went through many of the things you went through. I felt a loss of confidence in my body. About one month after my heart attack, I started to show symptons of depression, primarily problems in sleeping. I would fall asleep at night but wake up a few hours later and be awake the rest of the night. I also started to have crying jags for no reason. I talked to my doctor about my problems and she put me on Zoloft which was a big help. Within a week or two, I felt normal.  The other thing that help me was going to rehab. By exercising under supervision, I regain my confidence that I could do things and that my life was not over(I was 53).  I also met other people at rehab who had gone through worse things than I had and they came back.  It gave me confidence that I could come back as well.

I also tlak to my doctor about my lack of confidence and my sense of loss.  She told me that my old worldview had been destroyed with my heart attack, but my new worldview was not yet built. It would come but it would take time. She said take it one day at a time.

I went back to work part time about 2.5 weeks after my heart attack. My colleagues were very sympathetic but tended to treat me as china doll or invalid. I had to keep tellling thne I was not made of glass, that it would take some time but I would be back to 100%.  

It took a few months to feel 100% but I feel great. I've changed my lifestyle to healthier eating and alot of exercise.  I am stronger than ever.

In closing, you are experiencing the same thing that others have felt when they have had heart attacks. It's normal. Your life is not over. It will take some time and effort on your part, but you can, and will, come back.

Hope this helps!