Responses:
 
I am a 48 year old male professor at a university. I had angioplasty
done on my left circumflex coronary artery a week back. A 3mm by 13mm stent
was placed at the spot of the 90% blockage. I would like to know from others
who have undergone this procedure as to what their post-procedure week was like.
Was there any pain or discomfort of any kind in the chest? At times, I have
felt sharp but mild pain in the upper left chest area. It lasts for a few seconds.
As I have also started to learn to play guitar in this post-angioplasty period,
which means my left arm, hand, and fingers are being used in unusual way, there
is a certain soreness and muscular-joint pain in the shoulder and lower arm
area. Could it be that this left-arm discomfort is being caused by the heart?
How can one differentiate between the two causes?
Aura
Syed, Northern Michigan University, Michigan, USA, March 6, 1999
 
Is it common for one to experience fatigue and a very tired feeling in
the days after an angioplasty? My 75 year old mother had the procedure done
5 days ago. I guess we expected almost immediate surge of energy, but Mom gets
pretty tired. I am wondering if this is normal. She has no other illnesses.
Leslie Welden,
Bellingham, Washington, USA, October 17, 1999
 
Having had angioplasty and a stent implanted 10 days ago, I have the
same concerns as does Aura Syed. I too have experienced very minor discomfort
in the chest area with an occasional sharp pain in the chest when for example
I reach quickly for something. I've heard from a couple of people that have
had this procedure that they experience no discomfort at all. This of course
is allowing my imagination to run wild. My senses tell me that with 10 days
of this, if something was wrong it would have increased in intensity, which
it hasn't. But then I think, why doesn't it go away, If there was bruising or
something of that sort, shouldn't it have healed enough by now to alleviate
these symptoms? For three or four days prior to my procedure I felt great and
expected to feel better yet afterwards. Very disappointing. My doctor is very
hard to speak with, but tomorrow I will become insistent. His office tells me
everyone is different and I should give it more time. Time for what. Regardless,
I would rather hear directly from my doctor than office personnel.
Gary Harris, Virgina,
USA, October 24, 1999
 
Hi Everyone: My sister had an angioplasty done on Friday and return to
work on today, Monday, with no recuperation. Please let me know if this is normal,
for I'm very worried about her. She also had a heart attack 2 yrs. ago. What
was your recuperation period if any. Please let me know, I'm so worried that
she's working too hard.
Vickie Scott
Weed, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, October 25, 1999
 
Had angioplasty and stent 6 months ago in 95% blocked LAD and have been
doing great since then. I vigorously exercise for an hour 5 days a week, cholesterol
is incredibly low. Anyone know how long stent and angioplasty can last?
no name given, November 6, 1999
 
I am 54 yrs, male, live in Jakarta, Indonesia. After having angioplasty
my doctor said I can do light excercises, such as walking, whenever I feel fit
to do so. One week after the angioplasty then I started walking. I felt warm/hot
inside my chest. Then I report to my doctor, he said that I had too much lying
down resting. The following days I continued walking again. There is an uphill
street, about 25 meters high and 40 degree slope, I walked, then I felt so hot
in my chest but kept continue walking because I said to myself "This is only
because too much lying down resting". But at the top of the street I felt very
exhausted and having cold sweat. For one week I felt discomfort on my chest
and difficult to sleep. Then I saw the doctor and he asked me to make treadmill
test. The test result is not good because the same hot chest was felt again
after 3 minutes testing and then stopped. The conclusion was I had ischemia
myocard. Now the doctor ask me to have another catheterization again to find
out what went wrong. What I learned from this is that whenever you start feeling
discomfort with your chest, although the doctor is very optimistic about your
condition, never continue whatever activity you are doing at that time. Hope
this information useful to other people too.
Umar Abubakar,
Jakarta, INDONESIA, November 23, 1999
 
I had my AP done on 11/15/99 by Dr. Levine at St. John's Hospital in
Santa Monica, CA. I was watching the procedure on the monitor, and, obviously,
it was quite fascinating. I was home the next day, with instructions not to
resume an exercise program for four weeks. So far, the healing has been progressing
as expected - no pain, no lumps and only mild discoloring of the groin area.
There have been no chest pains whatsoever, and, a week following the discharge,
I am back to almost normal work regime.
Eric Forster,
Los Angeles, CA, USA, November 24, 1999
 
Please note the following disclaimer: The information contained in this web site is accurate to the best of the knowledge of Angioplasty.Org. None of this information should be viewed as a substitute for medical advice or as a consultation with a medical doctor. It is highly recommended that readers discuss any advice with a medical doctor before deciding on a course of action. Angioplasty.Org or its producers assume no liability for any actions taken as a result of information contained on this site, whether implied or expressed. Opinions and recommendations expressed on the FORUM are solely those of their authors. All submissions are reviewed and posted at the editors' discretion. FORUM submissions that are primarily commercial in nature, advertising services or products, are not posted. Any medical advice expressed on the FORUM does not necessarily represent the views of Angioplasty.Org, its producers, or of anyone associated with it, or of others appearing on this web site. Please note that this is a moderated discussion, so your response will appear after a short review.
Angioplasty.Org Home • PatientCenter send comments & suggestions to "info at angioplasty
dot org" Angioplasty.Org is an editorially independent informational health
site |