Still having pain after heart attack and 6 stents.

[Shelley9164]

In July of 2010 I had a heart attack and had a stent done....after the surgery I came home hurting and by the next morning I was hurting so badly that I called my Cardiologist and was flown back to the hospital where I was told my stent had collapsed and he reopened that one and put in another.  Over the next 8 months I had 4 more stents put in.  I was put on beta blockers, crestor, isosorbide....many different drugs and gained 20 lbs.  I have had pain ever since.  I am not able to walk for any distance without hurting.  I have been back in the ER on several occasions with chest and back pain.  He has cathed me 11 times.  Says I have several tiny arteries that are clogged but nothing can be done about them.  I don't want to have a bypass but I would give almost anything including that to lose the pain.  I just want to feel normal again.  Is there anything that can be done?  I'm not sure why he doesn't want me to have a bypass.  If that would help I'd be willing....I do dread the scarring but would be so happy to not hurt anymore.  Please give me some advice....what shall I do?

[ed34]

Some medications cause discomforts and are very often overlooked by Doctors. A good friend of mine was on Aspirin, Clopidogrel, Bisoprolol and Lipitor. For 2 years he went to his Doctor complaining of chest pains and they had no explanation. They suspected "MAYBE" artery spasm or small vessel disease, but they were really guesses. Just before Christmas just gone, he had enough and stopped taking all his medications. After three days he started to improve and felt much better. He started to do a lot of gardening, walking to the shops and had no pains or shortness of breath. He tested this for a month and his condition improved a lot. He then started all his meds again and within a week all his problems returned. He is now trying different brands of medications with his Doctor to see which one/s are causing the issues.
I am in no way suggesting that you stop any meds, but I am saying it is a strong possibility. Clopidogrel (plavix) is a medication given after stenting and this causes shortness of breath with me. I had to endure it for a year and when the medication was stopped, it was like I had a new pair of lungs. ALL medications have side effects but at different severities and are often overlooked.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

If repeated stenting and medications are not helping with your symptoms, then CABG, coronary artery bypass grafting, is the next choice. This is however contraindicated in the absence of an open major artery 1 mm or more in diameter beyond the obstructing lesion; the absence of viable myocardium in the area supplied by the stenosed artery; and coexisting severe noncardiac conditions with a poor prognosis. So, please discuss with your doctor about the contraindications for CABG.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.