Aa
artski
i am a 59 yr old male that works out 6 days a week and has no symptoms but had both parents die of heart disease (one heart attack one stroke by the age of 60). my ecg is considered "different" and combined with family history went through a series of tests (nuclear stress test, regular stress test both normal) but angiogram showed 90% long blockage in the LAD which cannot be stented and 70% blockage in 2 other arteries.
i have differing opinions from cardiologists as to whether to have a triple bypass or medical therapy with reduced exercise intensity because i have no symptoms.
i really don't want to have to alter my lifestyle or live with the fear of an attack at any time but the thought of a bypass is scaring considering i have no symptoms now and son't want to feel worse later.
i have differing opinions from cardiologists as to whether to have a triple bypass or medical therapy with reduced exercise intensity because i have no symptoms.
i really don't want to have to alter my lifestyle or live with the fear of an attack at any time but the thought of a bypass is scaring considering i have no symptoms now and son't want to feel worse later.
Best Answer
With such an extensive blockage in your LAD and having no symptoms PLUS working out so much, I would suggest that the Cardiologist is not giving you the full picture. You must have developed several collateral vessels (natural bypasses) which are doing a pretty good job. In such a case, they should evaluate where this bypass feed is coming from and ensure that vessel has no restrictions. If this source vessel closes up, it will affect the LAD too and almost certainly you will end up in a fatal situation. The other 2 vessels have 70% blockages, but are they above or below the collateral feeds? Before you jump to any conclusions I would ask more questions.
You don't want to alter your lifestyle, and you don't want to have the bypass operation? Artski, I think those are your only two choices, other than to do nothing and wait for nature to take its course. Possibly you could life a long life by doing nothing, because you never know. You could be one of those unusual people who manage to live for the next 20 years with a 90% blockage in the LAD. But if you don't want to just wait for the other shoe to drop, then pick an assertive path. With no symptoms, I personally would want to try exercise and diet, for at least a while. You have baseline measurements on record, so you will be able to tell in the future if your disease is progressing. If the arteries get any worse, you can decide to have surgery later. Some people would feel differently from me and would want to go ahead and make a clear channel for the blood to flow through as soon as possible. Your relatively young age, I think, does weigh on the side of going ahead and doing the operation. In any case, it's not an either/or proposition. If you choose to have bypass surgery, you still need to live a healthy lifestyle. The surgery doesn't take away your original risk factors. You got a wake-up call, and you have a chance to take care of yourself. Good luck.
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