slow recovery from stents

[monica_20122]

is it possible that you can need up to 3 months to recover from having angina and heart stents?  having to do things slower than normal and avoid stress for this long?  and can you still feel fatigued after this amount of time from doing small activities?  

[ed34]

I think it might help to also know a bit more of the problem in detail. If any cells in the body are without sufficient oxygen for a period of time, then suddenly a burst of oxygen comes flooding in, due to stent or bypass etc, then it causes damage. Inside your cells are power stations, thousands of them, called mitochondria. They basically charge up tiny batteries for all the protein machines to use inside the cell. Machines such as repairers, soldiers, dna readers/copiers, spare part factories etc. A sudden burst of oxygen overloads those power stations and they let off free radicals. A bit like a nuclear power station over heating and becoming unstable. Those free radicals, which are just tiny particles, bounce around inside the cell and smash into things.
There are new drugs now developed and ready for human trials to prevent this. The drugs are administered and they temporarily shut down the power stations. After stenting or bypass etc, the power stations will slowly switch back on and not go into overload. So although the reactions which cause angina are fixed, you then have the problem of the cells requiring a lot of repair.

[Flycaster305]

Like Ed, I have a lot of stents, and I always had almost immediate relief after a stenting procedure.  However, beta blockers prescribed after heart issues can and do really leave you tired for awhile.  There is also the possibility that the stent has plugged up again.  I would bring these concerns to your doctor.
I had bypass surgery fairly recently and put off letting my doctor know that I was fatigued, etc., and learned that my bypass arteries plugged up again 100% and can't be re-opened.  Had I been pro-active and alerted my doctor sooner, the bypasses could have been opened.  I strongly urge you to ask your doctor to investigate your discomfort with a stress test.

[ed34]

I would say six weeks to three months, but then it depends on how much of the muscle suffered. It does take a good exercise regime each day to get your heart back into condition faster. At cardiac rehab I was told to do a brisk walk every day for 30 mins. On top of that, twice weekly I was doing exercises on their equipment, e.g. exercise bike. We wore heart monitors and it was interesting to watch my heart rate over those weeks. On the exercise bike, it started off at about 160-180 bpm. By the end of 6 weeks, it was about 90 bpm for the same level of exercise. So it just goes to show how the heart needs to be built up again, just like a working muscle.

[monica_20122]

people keep giving all kinds of different info on recovery time and am just getting uncertain.  there is no more angina.  it was the reason for the stents along with severe high blood pressure.  there is fatigue in general but improving slowly.  so you agree that recovery time can be this slow due to a high blockage, damaged heart muscle, and lots of medication?  what is your opinion on an average recovery time under these circumstances?

[ed34]

Hi, and interesting question.

First of all, it's important to realise that in many cases, a stent will not give instant relief. If a patient had a 75% blockage for example, then the results would likely be instant and dramatic because a substantial blood flow was still available. If the blockage/s involved were in the 90+% range, then relief is likely to be more gradual. However, you should not be feeling Angina if the blockage/s has been opened up. For example, chest pain.
The whole thing about chest pain Angina or throat discomfort, is the heart cells complaining bout the lack of Oxygen. When good blood flow is restored, this should stop. I have 10 stents, and with each treatment, throat discomfort and chest pain has stopped immediately, before leaving the cath lab. What you can expect is energy levels and shortness of breath to continue for three months, due to the heart muscle needing time to recover. Depending on the size of the blockage/s involved, the cells may be damaged and need time to repair internal damage. It is slow in heart muscle because it is in continual use, it never gets to rest. There is also the beta blocker medication given to many patients, to prevent the heart from reacting in sudden bursts. I remember I would stand up and start a brisk walk but my heart rate took quite a while to build up, and sometimes it would not build up much at all. I think the most I could get was 120-140 bpm. Once off this medication, my heart could go to 180-190 bpm in just 10 seconds or less with sudden vigorous exercise. If your Angina involves chest pains or throat discomfort or jaw ache, then I would go and see your cardiologist. If it is just fatigue or shortness of breath, then I would ask if you can be removed from beta blockers if you are taking them. There are other medications which can also give shortness of breath, plavix does this for some patients.
If you are speaking of feeling fatigued AFTER activities rather than DURING, then I would suggest this is down to general fitness.
As a last point, many heart patients are instructed to change their diet to a healthy one, from a poorer one. In a worse case scenario, imagine someone shovelling lots of fatty foods into their body for many years, and suddenly switching to a high vegetation diet. They will feel awful and lethargic for quite a while. Their whole metabolism has been geared around using fats for energy which is slower, but long lasting. They will now have to switch to quick burning energy which depletes much sooner and we are talking about trillions of cells here. The first and important issue on your hands is to ensure the stent isn't blocking with scar tissue. Perhaps a trip to the cardiologist would be a good choice just to be on the safe side. It could just take a stress test to see if this is happening.