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constant chest pain after stent placements
I am 47 year old male, very athletic but unfortunately 4 months ago I had a heart attack/my left ventricle artery was 100% occluded/ and 2 regular metal stents were placed in my left artery. It was a big shock for everybody, especially for me, since my cholesterol was 170 at that time and even during my heart attack my blood pressure was 124/80. Plus genetically nobody has had or died of heart attack among my relatives. I do not eat fried or fast food so my diet was generally ok. My pain never stopped after that- I was experiencing constant chest pressure and shortness of breath but my doctor here did not pay any attention. He was saying that “etiology of my pain is not known but it shouldn’t be anything cardiac since my stress test was ok”.Last month I ended up in the emergency room with re-stenosis /one of the stents was clogged 99% and another stent was placed on the top of those two. This time was Xience 5- drug eluted stent that went on the top of the other two. The doctor started paying a little attention and even apologize that he did not listen to me.Since then/it’s been only a month/ I continue to experience the same problems. Every day I have pain- it doesn’t matter if I exercise or just sit in my office. The pain may start in the middle of the chest but moves to right or left, goes to back/upper part only/ and my shoulders/. Right above my breast bones hurt sometimes more and it is very tender to touch. Before I had my heart attack, I have never experienced anything like that- everything started after the stents were placed. Any suggestions or comments will be greatly appreciated- I can not function normally. I hope the stem cell science will advance much faster than we anticipate and will bring a new avenue and hope to people like us.
When angioplasty procedures are performed, a coronary artery can go into spasm. The tickling sensation of the catheter touching the artery lining can trigger this to start occurring. Spasms can occur at any time of the day and don't necessarily need anything to start them off, and are very often overlooked by Doctors as a possibility. Nitro spray works against them with 'some' people, but not everyone. One very successful way to stop them, is to take calcium channel blockers. Calcium is absorbed through the artery lining, through tiny channels, which give energy to the muscular layer in the artery wall. CCB prevent a lot of the calcium entering those channels, so the artery has far less energy, and prevents the spasm. I took them for just a few weeks, and after stopping them the spasms had vanished.
Spasms can constrict arteries anywhere between 5% and virtually a total occlusion, so the variation between patients is a huge range. This means some people could possibly find spasms fatal, while the other end of the spectrum is no symptoms at all. The symptoms for most sufferers is angina, but not all show EKG problems or indeed on an echo scan. Symptoms seem to be the only indication in many cases. I had never had spasms before, and had 5 or 6 angiograms/angioplasty procedures between 2007-2009 none of which caused any problems. However, in late 2009, a very intensive angioplasty procedure on my LAD, 5 long stents, laser and rotablation, caused my LAD to go nuts.
So perhaps this could be an option to consider.
For information only :-
I took Diltiazem 30mg x3 a day. You cannot drink alcohol or have grapefruit/grapefruit juice with this medication.
Spasms can constrict arteries anywhere between 5% and virtually a total occlusion, so the variation between patients is a huge range. This means some people could possibly find spasms fatal, while the other end of the spectrum is no symptoms at all. The symptoms for most sufferers is angina, but not all show EKG problems or indeed on an echo scan. Symptoms seem to be the only indication in many cases. I had never had spasms before, and had 5 or 6 angiograms/angioplasty procedures between 2007-2009 none of which caused any problems. However, in late 2009, a very intensive angioplasty procedure on my LAD, 5 long stents, laser and rotablation, caused my LAD to go nuts.
So perhaps this could be an option to consider.
For information only :-
I took Diltiazem 30mg x3 a day. You cannot drink alcohol or have grapefruit/grapefruit juice with this medication.
How are the chest pains now Tony,
Have the experts managed to give you a reason for them? and more than that fix the problem.
I have been getting similar pain after a couple of stents were put in me November 2010. Cant take statins they absolutley do not agree with me tried all kinds! but am taking Clopidogrel, Aspirin, Bisoprolol Fumerate, Bezafibrate and Ezetrol.
My chest pain is not too bad but when you have had 2 heart attacks (minor) and an invasive treatment like stents you tend to focus a bit!
I have not been to the doctor about the chest pain but looking at all the info here it sounds like it would be not too much point anyway!
Have the experts managed to give you a reason for them? and more than that fix the problem.
I have been getting similar pain after a couple of stents were put in me November 2010. Cant take statins they absolutley do not agree with me tried all kinds! but am taking Clopidogrel, Aspirin, Bisoprolol Fumerate, Bezafibrate and Ezetrol.
My chest pain is not too bad but when you have had 2 heart attacks (minor) and an invasive treatment like stents you tend to focus a bit!
I have not been to the doctor about the chest pain but looking at all the info here it sounds like it would be not too much point anyway!
Thank you very much for the post. If a blog is initiated, I will be more than happy to participate. In the meantime, let us keep surching...I am sure we will find the roots of this.
I am in a similar situation. I experienced 3 bouts of pain prior to having a stent and now am in constant pain. I had a stress test and all looked good.
There are a number of reports related to pain after stent implantation on the Internet. I was NOT told about it as part of the INFORMED CONSENT prior to agreeing to have this procedure. I believe a good lawyer may help to expedite attention to this problem and am looking for class actions on this issue.
I would like to see a Blog devoted to this problem essentially warning people about the potential of severe pain after implantation side affect of stents. Balloon angioplasty may be the procedure of choice for some individuals. It is a less expensive procedure. On the down side it DOES have a substantially higher incidence of restenosis. In hindsight, I so wish I had insisted on balloon angioplasty and resisted the coercion of my cardiologist. I understand that cardiologists must make the case for using the stent by providing the associated statistics. However, I believe the choice between balloon angioplasty and stent implantation should be left up to the patient without undo coercion from a cardiologist for the use of stent.
It is important for patients facing this problem to know the effect of stents in terms of attracting plaque as a stent does not provide the smooth, pliable surface of the natural artery. In fact, the spring of the stent provides a very uneven, corrugated surface. Patients need to know how this stiff piece of stainless steel tubing lined with a spring affects blood flow. Yes, it temporarily opens the artery, but what about its corrugated-like surface exacerbating plaque buildup over the long run?
What if a person is highly sensitive to having a foreign body placed in their heart for religious or philosophical creed concerns? Religious concerns play a heavy roll in the efficacy of treatment. All of these issues should be weighed and given credence prior to the procedure as it cannot be reversed. There is no buyer's remorse here.
If a Blog were initiated, I would like to see it focus on solutions related to finding and treating the cause of this pain-after-stent implantation while providing legal insight for expediting the aforementioned.
There are a number of reports related to pain after stent implantation on the Internet. I was NOT told about it as part of the INFORMED CONSENT prior to agreeing to have this procedure. I believe a good lawyer may help to expedite attention to this problem and am looking for class actions on this issue.
I would like to see a Blog devoted to this problem essentially warning people about the potential of severe pain after implantation side affect of stents. Balloon angioplasty may be the procedure of choice for some individuals. It is a less expensive procedure. On the down side it DOES have a substantially higher incidence of restenosis. In hindsight, I so wish I had insisted on balloon angioplasty and resisted the coercion of my cardiologist. I understand that cardiologists must make the case for using the stent by providing the associated statistics. However, I believe the choice between balloon angioplasty and stent implantation should be left up to the patient without undo coercion from a cardiologist for the use of stent.
It is important for patients facing this problem to know the effect of stents in terms of attracting plaque as a stent does not provide the smooth, pliable surface of the natural artery. In fact, the spring of the stent provides a very uneven, corrugated surface. Patients need to know how this stiff piece of stainless steel tubing lined with a spring affects blood flow. Yes, it temporarily opens the artery, but what about its corrugated-like surface exacerbating plaque buildup over the long run?
What if a person is highly sensitive to having a foreign body placed in their heart for religious or philosophical creed concerns? Religious concerns play a heavy roll in the efficacy of treatment. All of these issues should be weighed and given credence prior to the procedure as it cannot be reversed. There is no buyer's remorse here.
If a Blog were initiated, I would like to see it focus on solutions related to finding and treating the cause of this pain-after-stent implantation while providing legal insight for expediting the aforementioned.
Tony, I think you just reposted your original question in this same forum. It doesn't look like you have made it into the expert (Ask a Doctor) forum yet. Again, click on Forums at the top of this page, then click on Heart Disease on the set of forums on the right, where it says Ask a Doctor at the top of all the different forums.
By the way- in order to ask a doctor a question, it cost $20.00. At least that;s what is says...
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