Allergic Reaction After Drug-Eluting Stent (2006 archive)
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Archived Postings from 2006 (151 postings): • This topic has certainly become popular in
the past year. It is sometimes difficult to sort out possible allergic
reactions to the stents, or to the metal or to one of the many drugs
used by heart patients. Awareness of metal allergies is not new. This
has been known since stents were first used over a decade ago, and
all package inserts caution physicians NOT to implant stents of any
sort in people who have known allergies to stainless stell or nickel.
Drug allergies, such as reactions to Plavix, are also well-known --
but sometimes they don't manifest immediately, and sometimes they may
not be drug allergies, but a hypersensitivity reaction to the drug-eluting
stent. Trying to sort this out is the subject of a research study now
going on. As we have noted previously, Angioplasty.Org has teamed with
a group of university-based researchers who have launched a significant
study of this phenomenon, and they are looking for patients who feel
they have experienced an allergic reaction after implantation of drug-eluting
stents. For more information, email us at stentstudy@angioplasty.org.
Your privacy will be respected and your email address will not be given
out to anyone. We will send you more information about the study and
a contact email, should you wish to pursue it. It is, to our knowledge,
the ONLY study currently being undertaken to examine the area of drug-eluting
stent hypersensitivity. • I finally found something that helps. Phosphytidylcholine (PC) IV therapy. This is not chelation, very different. My problem started the day after a DES was inserted in my LAD artery. Felt like an elephant on my chest the second day after my stent, and severe every day for many months. Fever of 101 for 31 days. Also severe nausea, extreme weakness, etc. I tried all drugs, calcium channel blockers, beta B's, anti-inflammatories, anti-histamines, hundreds of different drugs and supplements. Nothing worked. I had hoped for anti-histamines to help, but not helpful. I went to Thailand for a $30,000 stem cell heart surgery with Theravitae/Vescell; it did nothing for me whatsoever. I then read about and took oral "Phoschol". Google their "Phoschol" site, go to their "library" on their site, and click the pdf e-book titled "Phosphytidylcholine as a Membrane Therapeutic." Many government and med school studies on Phosphytidylcholine for all diseases, and heart disease. Oral Phoschol is a nice product, but did not help me at all. Stent folks need PC through IV, and that worked for me to some extent. My MD gets his own IV PC bags through a pharmacy, custom made. But there is a company PLAQUEX that also makes it. Google the PLAQUEX site. Interesting studies, though some are geared to sell their product. Some are product neutral IV PC studies. IV PC takes about 40% of my pain away, not all my pain. And you have to keep doing it once or twice a week for several weeks. It is a 2 hour drip. Instead of feeling like I am about to die, I feel like one who has angina, nausea, etc. I still have to have a low stress life, etc. I still can't work. Everyone (including cardiologists) should read about IV PC, find an MD that does it. It saved my life, (and others I have met) though it is not a perfect treatment. It won't remove my stent, but it saved my life many times. I was in very bad shape. But every time it gets bad I go back and get more treatments. Even this improvement I am grateful for. It may help others more than it helped me. I do it once a week for a few months then stop for a while. Works far better for me than all the many drugs I have tried (and chelation was not effective for me). E-mail me if anyone else has had a good result with IV PC, Phosphytidylcholine or PLAQUEX. I would be interested. More doctors should make PC available, and order their own IV bags from a pharmacy, which is made for about $30 for doctors. Treatment with MD costs the patient about $135 each time. The result is impressive for one who is in trouble. I also believe it was likely responsible for my zero calcium score I now have, shown on my CT, and raising my systolic ejection fraction from 39 to 72, though I still have significant diastolic dysfunction. I have records to likely prove the EF and calcium improvement. Also, see the new study that shows proof sirolimus
on the Cypher stent kills cells, prevents collateral growth, stops
necessary angiogenesis. A well known interventionist who reviewed all
my angiogram CD's told me I now have far less microvessels everywhere
below the stent all down my left descending artery, since my stenting.
Prior angio CD's showed very healthy microvasculature. So my problem
is likely this. Cypher polymers may also be a cause, but most likely
it was sirolimus (a poison which stops cell growth) which drips downstream
from the stent for 9 months. Thus the DES problem is worse than just
an allergy, rather a permanent damage caused to nearby/downstream microvessels,
perforators, collaterals, etc. Perhaps PC brings the remaining existing
microvessels and perforators more temporarily back to life a bit. Though
it is not likely that PC will help grow new ones. • Bob -
I had a similar incident with itching. I had two Taxus 2 stents placed
in July. About a week ago I got a case of itching all over my body.
I couldn't get relief and had difficulty getting to sleep, having to
get up every 5 minutes to scratch my back. The next morning it was
gone and hadn't returned. • Hello I have been doing a lot of research
on the topic of systemic allergic reactions to nickel and the way it
interacts with other drugs. I am highly allergic to nickel but it didn't
stop there. After discovering some drugs interact with nickel in ways
no one understands I did further research on this topic and although
I am not a medical professional in anyway this is what I think. It's
just a guess. Some drugs bind with nickel. After initial exposure to
the drug and the binding occurs your immune system recognizes this
new bound antigen as that an antigen and your immune system kicks in.
It's a very individual reaction and that is why you see so many different
symptoms. I have hired a toxicologist to help me understand what happened
to me after my nickel implant. • IS IT POSSIBLE AND LIKELY THAT THE DES TAXUS
STENT ALTERS IMMUNITY OVER TIME AND INCREASES THE ALLERGIC RESPONSE
TO PLAVIX, PRODUCING HIVES MONTHS AFTER PLAVIX WAS INTRODUCED? THIS
IS MY STORY AND EVERYONE THOUGHT IT COULD NOT BE PLAVIX, BUT IT WAS
8 MONTHS LATER! • My father had three Medtronic drug-eluting
stents inserted during an angioplasty procedure on Dec 1,'06. After
about 25 days, he has started to get red rashes all over his body -
back of the knees, back and arms. Also a bit of swelling on his tongue.
At this stage, they are not especially painful or troublesome, but
the rashes seem to be spreading. His cardiologist is not sure what
may be wrong, and referred my father to a dermatologist, who has prescribed
over-the-counter skin creams. My father was on Plavix for about 15
days, after which he has been on another thinner. He has been on aspirin
all through. There has been no changes in his food or environment.
Thanks for any ideas. • To all posters in this topic about allergic
reactions after drug-eluting stents, Angioplasty.Org has just teamed
with a group of university-based researchers who are about to launch
what will be a significant study of this phenomenon, and they are looking
for patients who feel they have experienced an allergy to drug-eluting
stents. For more information, email us at stentstudy@angioplasty.org. • I had two Cypher stents placed on the back
of my heart in April of 2005. I have had a burning between my shoulder
blades since that time. Now, more recently, when I drink something
cold, it burns more intensely. I did take Plavix until one month ago.
I had begun to review this forum of information and then had a kidney
stone "blasted" and definitely had to stop taking Plavix for that reason.
I bruise too easily now, so I am not taking the Plavix. I do understand
the increased risk of clotting when not on it, but I don't want to
bleed internally either. Can anyone report on whether they have had
this intense burning? Also, I did have severe hives when I went back
on Plavix after the kidney stone procedure in late November. It took
over one week for the hives/welts to go away and heal. My other information
to provide is that I know I am allergic to stainless steel and my cardiologist
did not ask about any metal allergies prior to the procedure. Thank
you all very much. • Lois -- it is hard to say what the cause of
your pain is. It could be a blockage starting to form in the stent
-- a stress test will hopefully help answer this -- if there are questions
you may need to have another angiogram and, if there is a problem,
have the stent re-opened at that time. Doesn't sound like the typical
allergic symptoms that others have been reporting, but this is a new
and not very well-documented area, so please let us know what you find
out. • I am a 66 yr old female who had a Taxus stent
put in LAD 6 weeks ago. I have been in cardiac rehab and doing pretty
good for someone who had never exercised prior to this stent. I had
a 70% narrowing, no heart problems but found this after a CT scan so
the cardiologist felt the need to do the stent as a preventative measure.
I take Plavix and aspirin every day. Yesterday I got very severe chest
pains that were crushing and we went to the doctor's office where they
said the EKG was normal and gave me Nitro for the pain. I have never
experienced anything like this and now I am on 1 Isosorbide pill every
day for two weeks when they will do a Treadmill Myoview Stress Test
to see is something is wrong. At time of stent, all other arteries
to the heart were fine. Has anyone experienced this unbearable chest
pain weeks after feeling okay after the stent was put in? I am so depressed
and scared as to why this happened as I thought I was "fixed" as my
doctor said. • Dawn in Michigan, I am responding to your
posting of the problems you have been having with the hive-like rash
on your chest, shoulders, back and face. Have you gotten any relief
from your symptoms? My dad is having the exact same effects and had
had them for over 2 years now. He has been everywhere for help. It
has not actually spread to his entire body. None of the doctors know
what to do for him. Please share any information with me that you can. • My wife had stents in July (three taxus drug
type and one bare metal). She has since been getting progressively
worse with many symptoms (burning pain, muscles spasms and general
very poor health). She finally got off plavix and is feeling much better.
She is still weak hopefully she will continue to recover. She is not
on statins just BP and thyroid. She is taking aspirin for clotting,Ticlid
was worse than plavix.We found a canadian medwatch mention of this
and found the patient also got better going off plavix. We are concerned
that aspirin will be sufficient for clotting control. Going to get
aspirin resistance test. Also planning ahead with a surgeon in case
she has a need for emergency surgery. I'm also seeking advanced life
support training in case. All this for a case of stable angina. No
previous heart attack. • Gwynne -- we'll be sending you information
about the stent hypersensitivity study. • I'm writing to obtain more information about
the studies being conducted re: allergic reactions to DES. I have a
Taxus stent that was placed in August of 2005. I posted a note on your
forum page while I was in the midst of that reaction. My reaction lasted
exactly 3 months. Therefore, my cardiologist, internist, infectious
disease specialist, and I all FINALLY concurred that my reaction was
probably related to the Taxol, and not to polymer on the stent. I want
to participate in this study if I qualify. I also want to be able to
have the information for future use, if I require a second procedure.
I also want to pass the information on to my cardiologist. • my husband had a Taxus stent implanted in
May of 05. Prior to implantation he was asymptomatic. After implantation
he had episodes of "feeling like he couldn't catch his breath", sweating,
extreme fatigue. These symptoms are still occurring but with less intensity,
especially after heavy physical exertion, like carrying objects from
the car or basement, gardening etc. Is anybody else experiencing symptoms
like this? Let me know. • I have a Boston
Scientific Taxus Express 2 in my RCA. I have not experienced any negative
effects except for itching for 2 days. In reading some of your comments
I saw this in many. I had itching over my entire body. After 24 hrs
it began to subside and I had mild itching for a few days later. Since
then it has not happened again. This was about 9 months after stent
implant. It happened after I ate some microwave popcorn so I thought
I had some weird reaction to something in the popcorn and a med i'm
taking. I really don't know. Like many others I'm on plavix, toprol
xl and altace. I'm also on advicor, so I thought maybe it was a niacin
reaction. It's very difficult to discern what caused it. Before having
the stent implanted I've had a few episodes of weird itching episodes
but usually with rash. This recent reaction was itching with no rash.
Other than that I seem to be fine. • Jeffrey -- thanks for your comments -- our
only addition is that this information IS on the front page of our
website -- we have a link to this Forum Topic on possible stent allergic
reactions and if you Google "Stent
Allergy" you will also come to this topic. • My post is in response to many sad posts I
have read on this site. I wonder why doctors tell people there is no
problem with stents, no rejection, etc., when the World Congress of
Cardiology met in Sept '06 and the announcement was that drug eluting
stents are dangerous, not useful, and should now never be used except
in very unusual circumstances, tiny vessels only, and even then only
rarely. They cited recent discovered severe problems. And the announcement
was all over American TV news in September 06'. I wonder also why people
posting on this site are not aware of this. The World Congress of Cardiology
said bare metal stents should be used less also. They announced problems
of thrombosis, clotting, rejection, allergy, etc., especially with
the drug eluting stents. Some at the meeting suggested that these problems
are all related. The suggestion of many at the conference: avoid PTCA,
and if necessary just PTCA ballooning with no stent. And if stents
are necessary, bare metal only. If you don't believe this, just Google "World
College of Cardiology", and "drug eluting stent" and you will see the
many articles. I have had nothing but severe chest pain, weakness,
nausea every day since my drug eluting stent was inserted. Wish it
was never done. H2 receptor blockers (e.g. OTC Pepcid) which are essentially
antihistamines are a tiny bit helpful for me. And some (patients, cardiologists
and scientists) have the theory it will limit histamine/immune related
inflammation in the heart/vessels. Scientists are now studying this.
H2 medicine has some side effects though. And stents cannot be safely
removed. Mortally dangerous to try. So one is really stuck. I have
tried every remedy possible. Nothing works. In case some wonder if
my problem is esophagus (or GERD) related symptoms, I have tried proton
pump inhibitors (e.g.. Nexium) and all possible related GERD medicine.
Nothing helps but occasionally Pepcid, since the problem is not gastro
caused but heart/histamine rejection/allergy caused. Recent interesting
studies also bear out that PEPCID may be helpful for heart failure
generally on its own. Pepcid is not a perfect solution, but may be
helpful. Google these issues and you can learn on your own. The stent
polymers never wear off, per the manufacturer, and if they did, the
metal may also be a problem. No answer except to try to live as long
as possible with the stent, its pain, and all of the other stent related
discomfort and problems. If anyone has had success with gastro-antihistamine
like Tagamet, Zantac or Pepcid, please post so we can read about it.
Some informed cardiologists are now trying antihistamines (including
Benadryl) on stent reject patients. Some cardiologists are even suggesting
the more dangerous and less successful try of prednisone or celebrex,
which are not a good idea. Surprised these things are not being posted
or explained on this site. It should be on the front page of this entire
web site. • My friend has
been to the Mayo clinic for the past two days and no one seems ready
to accept the fact that this is an allergy to nickel. She has seen
another allergist, rhuemotologists (3 because they are curious) she
had the nuclear medicine for her heart and the all exciting stress
test which she lasted exactly four minutes and the Dr. came running
into the room to get her off the treadmill and laying down and taking
nitro. She had to lay there for over an hour while they determined
if her symptoms were dangerous enough to be concerned about. So far
the doctors at Mayo are all "frustrated" and have no idea what to do
about her symptoms. All symptoms point to an allergic reaction, but
since there is no "data" no one is willing to admit or acknowledge
that these symptoms might be an allergic reaction to the stents. We
are no closer now to knowing what if anything can be done for her.
We see the cardiologist on 12/10 or sooner since they told her today
they would be evaluating all her testing and possibly scheduling more
appointments for her. The symptoms are the same as so many people on
this forum, that I feel sorry for them because I know what this is
like to live with, but from a second hand nature, I don't know what
I would do if I was living this nightmare every day. • I had 5 stents put in in April and May 2005.
Two in April were J&J Cordis DES and 3 in May were Taxus Express 2
from Boston Scientific. In addition had 5 previous stents from 2002
and 2003. Since my stents in May 2005, I have had long spells of chest
pains lasting 2-3 weeks at a time, nausea, and episodes of low blood
pressure (as low as 80/40). Just one more thing. I do get this strong
pulsating (Fluttering) feeling in my thighs and it lasts about a second
each time but leaves me very concerned. Has anyone else had similar
experience. My doctor has no explanation. I am unable to work and trying
to fight for disability. Any help!!! • need to know if
anyone has had the problem i am having. i received a taxus express
stent on november 1 2006. now 2 weeks later i have broke out in a hive-like
rash on my chest, shoulders, back and face. have been on plavix for
years now, so that is not the problem. have used Benadryl and it subsides
for a while then i get a new outbreak. • hi my husband had a heart attack in may of
2006. The day after he had a stent put in his heart. Then the cardiologist
told us he would need 3 more. So the next month, June, he went back
in and had another one put in, at that time we also found out that
the 1st one had clogged up. That was why he was having chest pains
again. In July 2006, he had 2 more stents placed. In August 2006, we
were back to the hospital with more chest pains. ER docs told us it
was an infection in his lungs, gave him antibiotics. Chest pain subsided
for about 2 months. In October 2006, had to have another stent. Now
he is having soreness and selling in his chest. Could this be a side
effect of the stents? Or his meds, he is on plavix ,aspirin, lopressor,
prilosec, glucophage, crestor, reglan? We are at a loss here. Husband
can't work due to his illness. All he wants to do is sleep. I feel
like I have lost my best friend and husband. I don't know what to do
anymore. PLEASE HELP!!!!! • My husband age 69 just had three stents from
bio [Boston] scientific placed in his heart. first couple weeks fine
but weak, now itching, choking feeling, rapid change of blood pressure
from high normal to really low, weak heart beat, flushed, aches, chest
pains. He is a total mess and not dealing at all well with this. • Update to June
24, 2006 posting for Bill Blanton's Cypher DES. We are still
trying to get test materials from a different avenue at this point.
We may be able to get them. Bill's heart doctor told him last week
that in January they will run some test that shows the stent by use
of a camera. It should show exactly where it is and if it is healed.
Depending where the stent is they may be able to take it out. If
it is too deep in the heart they can't. It would still be very risky
and also bypass would have to be done at the same time. Bill was
wondering about this thinking that the polymer wears off in time.
Most doctors don't think it goes away. Does anyone have any information
on why or what makes some doctors think it may wear off? This has
been mentioned on the forum. At this time, after 13 months, Bill's
burning & pins and needles sensations are getting worse. Bill still
has a sore throat and hoarse and has since the beginning. The sores
on rectum and private areas have healed. No one really knows why.
He still has sores in mouth. His energy level is good and he eats
much more. Stomach doesn't bother him much anymore. This whole thing
is strange. Looking forward to a reply and thanks to the forum for
listening! • I had a Taxus Express Stent 2 put in 7/3/06.
The day after,I complained of chest pain. Told by my cardiologist I
shouldn't have any pain. According to him, I was good as new. I've
continued to have chest pain I never had before the stent was placed.
I've been to the Dr. almost weekly with the same complaint, chest pain.
I've asked my family dr. & my cardiologist if I could be trying to
reject the stent & was told that hasn't ever happened. Now I do believe
that is exactly what is happening. Who can I contact or where can I
go to get help for this very painful condition? They make me feel like
I am crazy for even having that idea. I am allergic to surgical steel & nickel.
I've just turned 44 (female) & don't look forward to a life of pain & more
meds. Too many now as it is. I am so frustrated by all this. Any help? • I came across your forum by looking for information
re: Nickel hypersensitivity after heart surgery. I was a healthy 53
year old 3 mile a day runner before my prophylactic!!! mitral and tricuspid
valve repair 5 mo. ago. I was absolutely amazed to see posting after
posting the same symptoms I have been experiencing. Hives, itching,
chest discomfort, periods of stabbing or dull heart pain, peri clavicular
and back pain, pressure on my throat when bending, SOB, nauseating
dizziness, exercise intolerance, episodes of rapid pulse during rest,
palpitations, no energy My sed. rate during one of my Hospital admissions
was 100%. I had to have fluid drained from my right lung. My platelet
count is twice as high as before the surg. I knew from day one I had
all the classic symptoms of an allergic reaction. I was only on 325mg
of Aspirin for a few weeks afterwards because it was done robotically.
I'm on no other Meds!!! After requesting a copy of my surgery report
I read to my horror that numerous Nitinol (Nickel/Titanium)clips had
been implanted around both valves. I knew I was allergic to Nickel
and had even told the nurse during my pre-op assessment. I have been
running into brick walls ever since. Nobody wants to point fingers.
The surgeon asked me" are you depressed?". No!!! But I'm getting there.
One Allergist/Immunologist refused treatment the other wanted to treat
me for asthma. My primary care MD calls it "post surgery syndrome" because
she has no idea what to do with me. I made a copy of a manufacturers
warning not to use their nickel containing device for patients with
known allergies to nickel, to show to my cardiologist. He was well
aware of it, he says it comes with all the devices he uses for stent
placement. DOCTORS WHY DON"T YOU ROUTINELY SCREEN YOUR PATIENTS !!??
I want to scream it from the roof tops. Not that it would do any good,
they can't hear us, their heads are sticking in the sand. • The Mayo Clinic gave us great information
today. We were told that my friend's problems may be renal and the
toxins in her body are what are causing the "storms" she has. The joint
pain and swelling appear to be something that with medication and monitoring
can hopefully be treated and will make her life livable again. At least
we were guaranteed that the stents can not come out and they would
not ever recommend removal of them especially since her heart muscle
is still very strong and healthy. I am not sure where some doctors
get their licenses or their information, but is was very reassuring
to listen to doctors who use actual data and statistics to make their
diagnosis. She will still have tests that need to be done, but feels
reassured that someone is finally looking at something other than her
heart wanting to do surgery that certainly should not be done. • Thank you for your
response to my post. My friend is going to the Mayo Clinic here
in Phoenix tomorrow. Hopefully they will be able to help her with
her health issues. She had the three stents 2 years ago and since
then the complications and illnesses relating to this allergy have
done nothing but increase steadily. The stents were all placed in
the RCA and her cardiologist was fully aware of her allergy to metals,
in particular nickel. She is experiencing excruciating headaches,
extremely high blood pressure peaks, and continued muscle and joint
pain. She has been on plavix since the beginning and doctors insist
she stay on it. Have stents ever been removed successfully. Her cardiologist
told her not to worry, it was only a little nickel. Regardless of
the amount her allergist has stated that she is so allergic to metals
that if she wore jewelry over time it would eat the tissue around
the jewelry. The allergy test for nickel burned a hole in her skin
within 24 hours. Her cardiologist was very aware of the allergy and
in fact did not disclose the materials that stents are made of to
her. She found out herself when she was home from the hospital and
read the brochure from the manufacturer. I am hoping that the Mayo
Clinic has some answers for her. The pain and suffering she endures
is becoming more frequent and severe. • I had a Taxus stent placed about a month and
a half ago, and ever since I left the hospital, I have had a low grade
rash under my eyes. It can get more or less red at different times,
but remains constant. I am curious if it could be the stent or the
plavix that they put me on at the same time that may be causing the
reaction? Any advice? Benadryl does not seem to help. • My father has been battling Lyposarcoma for
12 years with relative success. He is 71, 6 ft tall and 130 pounds.
After having a medicated stent put in in March of 06 he became very
ill. The tumor which was 7 cm in March, grew to over 15 pounds 32 centimeters
.He could not eat. They could not operate until July because of the
Plavix and stent. He has suffered many complications and still is very
ill. He cannot eat, has esophageal ulcers and confusion. While I am
sure some of the complications are from the cancer, we believe that
the stent was the final factor which made him so ill. What help is
there for patients who need a stent removed? what are the risks? • J.B. -- an obvious question, but was there
anything else that occurred 5-6 months ago? New drug prescription,
etc. that you hadn't taken in the previous 2 years? While it would
seem that an allergic stent reaction, or a reaction to a drug you've
been taking would not take two-plus years to manifest, there is some
thought that, as the polymers on the stents are slowly broken down
by the body, the hypersensitivity reactions only then begin to show
up. It can take a year or two before that process even begins. Let
us know. • Need information. Cordis stents. Sweating,
cold, after taking toprol, or Nexium. Have 2 stents 1/29/04 installed.
Found that after taking benadryl feeling of sweats and cold started
to diminish and then were gone. Is there anyone else out there that
has had a problem like this? This problems just started in the last
5 months. HELP. • I had a cypher stent put in on 9/15/06. I
have had 3 prior bare wire stents 2003 2004. My dr is normally reliable,
but this time he put in the coated stent, with "Sirolimus" and polymer
coating. Problems from day 1. I AM ALLERGIC TO MYCIN DRUGS. He was
well aware of this and admits he made a wrong choice, and is now under
pressure to find a fix for problem. I am short of breath, suffering
muscle spasms, have BP running 140/75 to 202/98 without activity. Also
have a pacemaker from 2003. The Mycin problem is killing me slowly,
and Johnson and Johnson has no history of problems with improperly
used stents. Anyone that can help?? Please. • I have been reading these postings with great
interest. I am 50, had an acute MI in 12/2004. Fixed with a stent.
Now I have 3 Taxus DES, 2 Cordis, and 2 Guidant DES's. On a different
note, I have a great cardiologist, my stents have given me none of
the problems listed and I feel very lucky. However, I was wondering
if you have any info on the growth of scar tissue posing problems with
restenosis? Thank you and I am glad I found your web site. Lynn Jackson
jlynn@sc.edu • Thank You Forum Editor for your speedy response.
I have been on Plavix now for 26 months for the first 3 DES stents
and 17 months for the last stent. I want off Plavix soo badly. I feel
a lot of my "not me feelings and itching" may be coming from the Plavix.
I hope someone somewhere can tell us just how long we need to be on
this drug and when it is safe to get off. I did have a blood clot 9
months after the first 3 stents which resulted in the 4th DES stent.
But, I never got off the Plavix to warrant this blood clot. They were
going to send me home from ER but decided to take one more set of heart
enzymes. The last set, Troponin was elevated 5.0 (peak) and so was
the CK-MB. The heparin was then started. They wanted me on 2 months
of Coumadin but since I was on Plavix they changed their mind in fear
of hemhorraging. Thanks so much for this forum. It is a God Send. • I HAVE HAD THREE STENTS IMPLANTED IN MY LEGS
THE FIRST ONE IS STILL STINGING AND BURNING AND MY LEG GIVES OUT I
KNOW THIS IS A REACTION TO THE STENTS BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM
BEFORE. MY TOES SWOLL UP AND BRUSTED OPEN AND THEY ITCH ALL THE TIME. • Glad to see that the FDA now recognizes the
fact that some people are either allergic or hypersensitive to the
metal in stents. So, what are possible complications of having 2 in
the cardiac arteries? I've read somewhere that the components of stainless
steel can cause liver damage? And what do I do now that I've learned
the cardiologists ignored the warning on the manufacturer's package?
Is there anything I can do short of having a bypass? I don't want to
have more surgery, but I don't want to die either - I've already lost
too much of my life thanks to the cardiologists and vascular surgeon. • Lise from Texas -- the itching you describe
in your earlier post may be a reaction to Plavix. This can't be determined
without taking you off Plavix long enough to see if it stops and then,
if it does, putting you back on to see if the itching returns. To do
so, however, is not recommended because you need to stay on
antiplatelet therapy. An exception would be switching to a
different antiplatelet drug, such as ticlopidine -- although it has
its own set of allergic or adverse reactions. Talk to your interventional
cardiologist about this. As for "covering" your drug-eluting
stents with bare metal stents, there'd be no reason. You'd only be
adding more metal and more chance for a reocclusion or blood clot.
This whole issue has been very confusing to patients (see our "Patient
Advisory") and more information about drug-eluting stents
is going to be coming out in the next couple of weeks. It's important
to put headlines in perspective -- the new drug-coated stents are not
filled with "toxic materials" and they have been shown to
reduce the amount of restenosis seen -- this means less repeat procedures.
They have also been shown to cause a slight but nonetheless significant
increase from bare metal stents for stent thrombosis (blood clotting)
which means that this can be prevented by keeping patients on antiplatelet
therapy longer than the FDA has recommended -- currently 3-6 months.
This is something cardiologists have been doing for a while, and certainly
more now are aware of this -- most cardiologists now prescribe Plavix
and aspirin for a year or more for drug-eluting stent patients. • To: Forum Editor. I recently posted
below. Do you know if there is any way that Bare metal Stents
can be used in conjunction with the DES stents? I am wondering if
they can place 4 BMS inside of or on top of the 4 Cypher DES. I know
I am not alone in my thinking ever since the news came out on the
DES and toxicity and DES and long term use of Plavix. My doctor is
not talking. Sad indeed. Thanks soooo much for this forum. • Nora -- the Driver is not a drug-eluting stent,
but a bare metal stent made by Medtronic. It is not made of stainless
steel, but a Cobalt alloy which allows it to be very strong, but with
very thin struts, making it less susceptible to re-closing. Medtronic
states in their Directions For Use (DFU) "Persons allergic to
cobalt, chromium or nickel may suffer an allergic reaction to this
implant." Does your husband have any of these allergies? • My
husband had a Driver stent put in in May. In June he started pains
in his groin and legs. He came off the lipitor and plavix, no improvement.
He is hardly able to walk he is in so much pain. All tests come back
negative. Last week a neurologist said it was arthritis in both hips.
How come this started right after the stent was installed and getting
worse by the day. Does anyone have any answers. • I have had 4 Cypher
stents placed 5-6 months apart. I am on Plavix and a Beta Blocker and
a statin and baby aspirin. Every since these stents, I have had left
breast discomfort. I asked the Stent doctor if he had to use the defib
on me during the procedure as this is how bad I hurt. His answer is
NO. I am also itching...itching where I have scratch marks all over
my body. I KNOW it is either the Toxic material they claim is in these
DES stents or the Plavix. I also have low serum Globulin and a high
Globulin/Albumin ratio and low Ferrtin. This was never seen before
these stents and Plavix. Doctors have no clue. I want these DES stents
gone now. Give me the bare metal. )-: • Dan A. -- thanks for the followup. It's really
important for patients to read stories like yours. Yes, there are problems
and complications. Even allergies. But perspective, especially over
time, is very helpful. A cardiologist recently told me the importance
of figuring out about these allergic reactions is not that anything
in particular can be done once the stent is in, but to give patients
the understanding of what the cause is, and that it is not permanent
-- he believes the allergic reactions will subside as the body breaks
down the polymers on the stent. In any case, whether or not you had
an allergic reaction, getting back on the horse, or in your case, the
bike, is so important. And we're very glad to see that you and your
cardiologist were able to discuss your problems and help resolve them
together, as partners, with understanding as well as medical care.
Thanks again for the post and happy biking! • Follow-up to my first post of 12-30-05 -- I originally reported possible allergic reactions to drug eluting stents as described in my post below. As time passed, those symptoms largely subsided, but two symptoms appeared which persisted for a time and required medical attention: 1) occasional unexplained, sharp localized pains in the area of my heart. I swear I could feel the heart muscle and the pain was right there. These were transient and have largely disappeared over the 10 months since my procedure. 2) PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) also commonly known as "skipped beats." These have also largely subsided. I sought and received consultation and monitoring for the PVCs. My cardiologist explained that the symptoms I'd been experiencing were not uncommon and were understandable as the body is acclimating to the insertion of a foreign body in the critical heart area. These symptoms are also known to be related to stress, so one must be careful about blaming one cause or another. The 48-hour monitor test showed a peak of something like 250 PVCs per hour, but none were sequential or repetitive. The doctor said this was not sufficient to intervene, but that if symptoms persisted I was to notify him. As the months have passed since my procedure, I have been extremely faithful to my exercise routine, walking 1/2 hour or bicycling around a local path that includes some long grades. I have found biking to be a superior workout, and as a bonus it has much lower impact than walking. I really enjoy it. I recently had an incident that still goes largely unexplained. In early August I began experiencing pain similar to that which preceded my Dec 2005 stent placement. The pain was accompanied by cold sweats, heat flushing and light-headedness. After a couple days of this I spoke with my doctor and he suggested I go to hospital for tests. Upon checking in I was observed to have a fever of 100.7 F. I was given a nuclear scan stress-test (my 5th in 6 years) and the results were very good. My exercise had paid-off: it was the best observed response since testing began at the beginning of my heart problems in 2000. My symptoms were suggested by doctors at the hospital
to have been a virus. The pains were likely muscular rather than angina.
A month later I met someone in my age group (55+) who had an almost
identical experience to mine at exactly the same time in the same hospital.
I do not know if he is a stent patient. They told him the same thing:
a possible virus. I take aspirin and Plavix daily and haven't had any
unusual reactions to it that we know of. I had taken it in 2001 for
6 months after my first angioplasty (bare metal stents) with no problems.
I also took it for several months in 2003, which produced gastrointestinal
symptoms like heartburn, so I have been on Pepcid AC twice a day since
then. My second procedure in December 2005 allowed my surgeon to examine
the bare metal stents and all five were clear, about which he was very
happy. The recent news about late stent thrombosis is of concern, but
as my recent tests have shown marked improvement in exercise tolerance,
I am happy to report no significant problems of late. • I had a drug eluting stent placed on July
18th in one of the arteries with 99% blockage. I am not sure of the
manufacturer of the stent. I do get intermittent mild chest pains on
the side. I also feel sensations like burning spots and popping nerves
all over my body. I am on Plavix, baby aspirin, Toprol 25mg and Vytorin
10/20. Now I know that this is not in my head. This site is of great
help. I can [give] specific questions to my cardiologist when I visit
next time. • Hi. I
wrote earlier about negative reactions to the stents. My husband
has since gone to a naprapath who
found he was overly sensitive to nickel, Zocor, and other things
that were causing his allergic reactions. He is being treated and
the night sweats have gone away and it seems to be working. Others
with allergies might want to look into it if nothing else is working. • Cheryl -- Where were
the stents placed? Were they drug-eluting stents (probably not, unless
they were coronary)? Most stents are made of surgical stainless steel
which contain nickel. All of the DFUs (Directions for Use) for these
devices contain warnings, required by the FDA, to the effect that they
should not be used in patients with a known allergy to nickel or certain
metals. The problem comes when such an allergy is not known about beforehand
or, if it is known, it has not been communicated to the cardiologist.
We have heard that steroids have been used to quell temporarily some
symptoms. We would also suggest consulting another immunologist --
did yours actually say your friend would die a slow painful death?
It may be that when the stents become covered with endothelial cells,
these allergic reactions may subside. The period varies, but should
be in the first six months. By all means report this to the FDA. They
need to know about these adverse events. Maybe it will force them to
publicize the metal allergy aspects more. Meanwhile, we'll do what
we can to inform patients. • I have a friend who is highly allergic to
nickel and has had three stents inserted. Cardiovascular surgeons have
told her surgery to remove stents is always fatal. Her bad days are
outnumbering the good due to joint swelling/pain, "metal storms" that
cause blood pressure to spike 180/110 on medication that rest of time
maintains blood pressure. Her allergist assures her that her death
will be long and very painful without the stents being removed. Is
there any surgical procedure that can be done to remove the stents
or any further treatment for her pain. Her quality of life is beginning
to deteriorate and in this day and age I can't believe something further
can't be done for her. • My wife had four stents in July 2006. She
also took plavix. She has had severe burning leg pain and some arm
burning and back pain since August. She went off plavix to ticlid and
her pain subsided some. Doc put her back on plavix for safety reasons
and now is miserable with pain. She is also on neurontin for pain.
When will medicine be honest and up front before people buy into unproven
medicine. We asked before if there were any complaints about plavix
and we were told nothing major. We also were told you don't need CBC
tests done on plavix only ticlid. Both can give you TTP. A neighbor
got TTP from ticlid a few years ago. almost died. Doc told him his
case was one of ten world wide. Believe that and I'll sell you the
Brooklyn Bridge. • Email sent to the FDA: I am writing you about
a coated stent that I had placed in my heart in March of '06. Since
the placement of it I have had all kinds of medical problems starting
with vomiting 2 weeks afterwards, then elevated histamine levels, taken
off plavix put on ticlid given prescription allergy meds off aspirin
back to plavix off allergy meds then my bladder started spasing, kidney
on the left hurting. Took blood test found blood and infection on antibiotics
2 weeks later flu like symptoms muscle aches, fever, nausea, loss of
appetite, headache. 3 weeks approximately later another UTI was sent
by family doc to an Urologist who ran test found slightly elevated
bacteria trace blood. Gave me antibiotics July 13th I doubled over
in pain and had a lot of blood in my urine. Called the family doc saw
them went back to urology doc who did more tests and incidentally found
a mass on the pancreas. Placed me on a low dose of antibodies (which
I am still on) Sent me to a gastroenterologist who did a magnetic scan
in which they found a 9mm cyst on the pancreas and several smaller
masses that are two small to characterize on the left lobe of the liver
as well as the left kidney. She was concerned of Pancreatic cancer
but are unable to examine this due to the plavix that is required because
of the stent and chance of blood clots. They are monitoring the growth
of this. I will be seeing them on Oct 18 again. I have vomiting every
5 to 7 days for a day. constant pain in my left area including the
kidney the bladder and what I will describe as something Jagging me
that is sharp around my Pancreas area. There is something wrong. The
flu like symptoms appear every few days for about 12 hours. The last
week I have felt as if the heart is closing and there is pain developing
around the Left breast near the lymph node under the arm, The top middle
of my back to the left shoulder blade hurts. I have told all who will
listen that I think my body is rejecting this stent. From the cardiologist
to the gastroenterologist All of them, I will see him this Thursday
October 5th at 9am. I have had my family doctor get in touch with another
cardiologist and I will be making an appointment to see him in DC.
I know that this is an allergy and it needs to come out even if this
means open heart to by pass. Please remove these until further test
is done I don't want others to go through what I am going through.
I am 48 years young with a active lifestyle and a 10 year old son and
this is kicking my ass I can't imagine if those who are not as healthy
as I am having this done. Thanks for your time. If any questions Please
feel free to contact me. • My husband had 3 stents
placed in the circumflex artery in April. He has night sweats quite
severely. He also can't focus, is fatigued, has headaches and muscle
cramps (including back aches). We don't know which stent but know it
is a drug stent. He is on Plavix and Zocor. Is only 52 and was quite
active but is now quite frustrated. He doesn't have the itchy rashes
that we hear others have but something is definitely wrong. All the
blood tests were inconclusive. Thanks for any ideas. • I just saw this topic on allergic reactions.
I have 4 DES, 3 Cyphers and One Taxus. Last stent was in late 2005.
I take Plavix. Recently, I have been itching all over the body. No
rash but redness where I have dug at the skin. I have never been allergic
to anything. I am wondering if I could have a late reaction to either
the coating in the stent or the Plavix? I have also had a wheeze constantly
for over a year like I have ASTHMA. I never had this before the stents
or the Plavix. My doctor is of no help. he cannot be bothered with
female complaints )-: Just wanted to share this information. • My name is Annie, I feel the same way that Bill
Dudley feels. I had a stent put in the LAD in July and
I haven't felt better at all. I keep getting pains in my chest
and short of breath plus the shakes and I'm always nerves. I feel
that it is the plavix. Also what symptoms are there if I'm allergic
to the stent. I just feel bad all the time. But my doctor tells
me to continue to take the Plavix. He is going to do a echocardiogram
in a couple of weeks to see if the pains are coming from any thing
having to do with my heart. I still say it is either the Plavix
or the stent. This is really got me down. • It is 3:35 AM EST. once again I am awake-itching,
itching, lips and tongue burning, throat feels clogged. I am on Ticlid-which
I suspect is the problem ( I am allergic to Plavix.) It seems when
I stop it for a day, the symptoms subside-I am very uneasy to even
do this, but I get so miserable. In fact, the whole experience with
the placement of the Taxus II drug eluting stent has been miserable.
I have chest pain, SOB, that odd heart beat that sent me to the cardiologist
in the first place again and my stress test is abnormal still. Apparently
my stent is mid LAD and in an area that is very small, intersecting
another artery so a second stent is not a good option. I wish the stent
had never been placed and I suspect I am echoing the sentiments of
many patients. The thing that is troublesome to me is that the possibility
of a stent was never discussed with me (although there was a full year
from the time of an abnormal echocardiogram to the cardiac cath to
do so: I received a call from the hospital on the initial scheduled
date of my procedure informing me that the equipment had malfunctioned
so my procedure was delayed and it it took me some time to get up the
nerve to do the procedure, given that I had some odd symptoms that
presented after a heart cath in 2001-joint pain, muscle pain, muscle
twitching problems swallowing, various DX-Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Guillian
Barre, Lupus-left me unable to work for two years: I literally begged
my current cardiologist not to do anything that would set off my immune
system again) nor did I agree to a stent: I agreed to an angioplasty.
now I am in a position that I cannot return from- I am very concerned
that I will go back to that terrible pain and loss of functioning again.
I am in my early fifties, I was enjoying being with my grandchildren,
I has returned to school to get my master's, was working and life was
returning to normal-here we go again. How can a procedure, with no
return, like this be done without serious communication and informed
consent along with use of more conservative measures first? Does anyone
else feel violated? I guess I wouldn't be so put off, if I had not
told my doctor about my odd immune responses in advance. I have a real
problem with medication sensitivity-I have since I was young. I am
not the only one in my family with atypical immune responses of which
my doctor was aware. Can any of this be changed other than a high risk
removal of the stent and wouldn't this still require the use of either
Plavix or Ticlid? It makes me sad to see myself and so many others
trading our quality of life to exist like this. • YES I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY MY HUSBAND HAS
HAD 5 STENTS PLACED AND HAS BEEN SICK FROM THE VERY FIRST STENT. HE
NO LONGER HAS CONTROL OVER HIS BLADDER. HE HAS TO CATH HIMSELF TO GO.
HE HAS BOWEL PROBLEMS, HE HAS HAD A SORE THROAT SINCE THE FIRST STENT
4 YEARS AGO HE HAS BEEN ON ALOT OF ANTIBIOTIC MEDS FOR THIS WITH NO
RELEIF HE HAS BURNING IN HIS LEGS AND TINGLING IN HIS HANDS. HIS BLOOD
PRESSURE IS UNCONTROLABLE. HE SLEEPS VERY LITTLE AT NIGHT. HE IS VERY
NERVOUS HE IS ONLY ON A FEW MEDS NOW AS THEY HAVE TRIED ALOT OF DIFFERENT
THINGS HE NOW TAKES TOPROL LOW DOSE A ASA AND XANAX .5MG BID. PRILOSEC
A VITAMIN. POTTASIUM AND MAGNESIUM. HE HAS TRIED ALOT OF THINGS THE
DR HAS HAD MRI OF BRAIN DONE X3 FOR MS AND TO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON
BUT NO ONE WILL ADMIT THAT HE MAY BE ALLERGIC TO THE STENTS THE CARDIOLOGIST
SAYS HE CANT BE ALLERGIC TO THEM HE DID COALATION THERAPY FOR SOMETIME
AND ALSO HAD THE PEROXIDE TX DONE. NOTHING SEEMS TO HELP HE FALLS ASLEEP
WATCHING TV HE HAS NO ENERGY HE HAS PROBLEMS CONCENTRATING ON THINGS.
CAN ANYONE OUT THERE HELP US HOW CAN WE FIND OUT FOR SURE IF HE IS
ALLERGIC TO THE STENTS PLACED HE HAS 1 MEDICATED STENT AND 4 OF THE
OTHER ONES. • about the right renal stent that was put
in 2005. my allergic reaction happened right away...from the moment
it was over i had this awful burning and stinging in my back. i did
tell the doctor, and no remarks were made..he also saw the sores on
my legs which he thought was the altace. i have since been tested for
nickel, negitive..however thirty five yrs ago i had gall bladder surgery
and was stitched up with stainless steel wire sutures.. they were removed
seventeen yrs ago, it took me that long to find a doctor who listen
to me..the pain , the burning it was the same, as today. that is why
i believe its the stent..but I'm having trouble again, because this
is all so new and not much information. • Hi All My name is Bill
- male-60 yrs. old-was very healthy I thought But-June 1 -06 had drug
coated stent installed after going to ER with chest pains - Think it
was the left LAD First couple weeks felt pretty darn good - little
weak. Now for last 30 days or so my chest area is very sore at times
or when I move in bed just right. I stay nauseous and weak most all
the time. Blood pressure floats from 117/60 to 135/69 throughout the
day. Food now makes me sickly feeling, as a matter of fact my tastes
have totally changed. Meds are Toprol-25mg-Altace-5mg.-Plavix-Aspirin-lipitor-40mg
- Doctor took me off Plavix and Lipitor for three days to see if made
any difference , but really didn't. If I work outside any or exercise
any the chest area around heart hurts-not big pain-just very sore and
begin to get very jittery-shakey feeling. About 2-3 weeks ago had ECG
and 8.5 min. Stress test and both were good. My doctor says he does
not know what is wrong but to get checked out by family doctor to see
if something else is wrong, that might be unrelated to stent procedure.
If anyone else is having such problems as these or have found some
answers be glad to talk to ya , as I need some help - as my world is
turned upside down now as is so many here. LOVE this site - my email
is bdd@ntin.net By the way I have no insurance and this is costly.
WOW. • So, it's been 10 months since I had 2 Cypher
stents and an ICD put in. I have finally convinced my PCP to give me
a referral to get allergy testing done for the materials that compose
my stents and ICD. When we finally got around to talking about it specifically,
she said she was hesitant to request the testing because she said "it
would be a dead end". My final argument was that at least there would
be a written record of my allergies. What she was implying though,
is she doesn't want to do anything with the information. No one wants
to assume the responsibility of taking all this stuff out though I
am the person who would be taking the risks. To me the risk is worth
it because the quality of my life would drastically improve. At this
point with the misfiring of my ICD in April (10 times in 20 minutes
and i was in sinus rhythm when it went off)I am afraid to do anything,
including nothing. • To
Mickie, Tennessee, USA "Allergy doctor, arthritis doctor, heart
doctor say it is the stent but don't know what to do about it. help
ANYONE." Mickey, why is it that so many millions of patients are
not having such a problem with the stents? Could there be something
wrong with your vascular system which is reacting to the stent? This
could be caused by inflammation, constriction and what is now being
referred to as a pre-existing state of endothelial dysfunction. Correct
that and your body maybe able better tolerate the stent. Seek out
diets which fight inflammation. Also check out a non-invasive, FDA
approved, CMS reimbursed, outpatient treatment option called Enhanced
External Counterpulsation or EECP. It not only may help grow new
collateral blood circulation to the heart, it may also restore normal
endothelial function which decreases the possibility of restenosis.
These are unique patient benefits not realized from invasive procedures.
Visit www.eecp.com and read as much as you can. Then, seek out the
experiences of other patients using or trying to use EECP which is
a topic on this forum. Now, physicians often will not mention EECP
as a treatment option because, IMO,they are not fairly reimbursed
for the time and service they render to deliver EECP. But if the
patients ask for it and demonstrate that they have a knowledge of
the advantages of the treatment, the physician will almost always
oblige them if it is at all possible. Good luck. • Sue -- pretty sure that the Express stent
in your renal was not a drug-eluting type, so if it were causing the
problem, it would be due to a nickel or other metal allergy and most
likely would have shown up relatively soon after (you didn't say when
your symptoms began). A possibility is a reaction to one or more medications
-- we've read of purple spots, etc. with Plavix. Look up each drug
you're taking (including any over-the-counter non-prescription meds)
and see if you find an adverse reaction that fits -- although don't
change or stop any meds without consulting your doctor! Let us what
you find. • In 2005 I had a right renal express stent
put in because of blockage and high blood pressure. I am on 50mg of
toprol, 10 mg altace 2x day, Hydralazine, zyrtec, lipitor have these
awful red sores, and itch. Upon healing I'm left with big purple spots.
My biggest problem is the heat spots or burning in my back. To date
getting worse, cant sleep, work. as I always feel I'm on fire...pain
little below waist feels like burning and nerve ends. Nobody even my
doctor understands this or why it's happening...ANYBODY ELSE HAVE THIS? • Thanks to all who've been writing in. A couple quick notes. To those taking over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medicines such as Benadryl, we urge caution. Benadryl is a vasoconstrictor -- it narrows the blood vessels -- which for those with high blood pressure can aggrevate the condition. Also, if you've had a procedure to open up a blockage, narrowing the vessel is the opposite of what you want. We're not saying don't take it, but we urge you to discuss this (and ALL OTC medicines) with your cardiologist or other doctor. On a second point, this is a particularly complex
issue and, for those patients who are having what they feel may be
allergic reactions post-stenting, a very frustrating one. Not much
is known about this issue and very little has been written in the medical
literature, but Angioplasty.Org is one of the few (if not the only)
places on the internet where patients have been discussing these potential
allergic (hypersensitive) reactions to drug-eluting stents since they
were introduced a few years ago. To that end, we will soon be announcing
some interesting news and urge our readers to continue posting and
check back to this topic over the next week or two. Thanks. • My name is Mickie.
I had the coated stent 5-23-06. I have had all the bad things happen
to me too, and I get no answers from my doctor -- rash, hives, temp,
RA factor went up to 240, was put on steroids, sugar went over 500
at times -- take up to 5 shots a day now going crazy trying to find
answers. Allergy doctor, arthristis doctor, heart doctor say it is
the stent but don't know what to do about it. help ANYONE. • I am 37 yr old, male. My mother had a CABG done at the age of 55.. I do not smoke, but had high cholesterol which was under control on Crestor I was off Crestor for last 2 month because of high cpk(500). I experience chest pain on 25th may while attending a conference. Fly back to home other day and went to ER. Two sets of cpk and troponin were negative, not sure about the third one. Next morning 9hr after being in the ER cath was done , showed 90 % lesion in LAD, and a 2.5mm Cypher stent was placed. During stent placement I woke up with the pain, probably when they were deploying stent. After stent since I was complaining of substernal chest pain, two cath were done one on the same day of initial cath and one after two days. Both times, stent was found to be patent. I was discharge on following medication: 1. Plavix While at home, I continue to experience chest pain, which is constant in nature. Common locations were left sternal border, close to 2nd and 3rd rib, axillary region radiating into left arm, tip and medial border of left scapula, with tingling sensation on the anterior surface of arm and radial and ulnar borders of forearm. Also have itching in left axillay region. While walking on treadmill, it do get more pronounced. I had a stress cardiolyte test done after two weeks, which did not showed any ischemia, I was able to do it for 10 minutes, peak heart rate of 190, but test was stopped secondary to fatigue and shortness of breath. No significant increase in chest pain and there were no ekg changes during the test. CBC was normal, no eosinophills. ESR and C-reactive proteins were normal. Normal ANA and factor V. A CT angiogram was done after 4 weeks which was also read as negative. Although the intensity of rest pain has decreased, but chest wall pain, or pain at back around base of scapula get pronounced on treadmill. I have my second nuclear stress test done after 8
weeks, was also normal. I went to see a top cardiologist at Mayo, who
after reviewing my records ruled out ischemia as a cause of my pain.
Did not give any satisfactory explanation of chest pain. When I raises
the possibility of allergic reaction, he said its extremely rare and
there is no way of knowing if I am having allergic reaction. He also
recommend L-arginine. After coming back from Mayo clinic I started
my self on Benadryl I notice decrease in severity of pain. I still
have soreness, but the punch of pain has gone. I am not sure why I
am having this pain, what should I do about it. Could it be stretch
pain? Am I having allergic reaction? If I am having allergic reaction,
what can I do? Can stent come out? • I am Male 53, who thought was in good health until I experienced MI in May 2006, although I did smoke, until the day I had heart attack. I was treated with drug eluting stent to one artery 90% blocked, I am unsure of which stent was used, although I do know I am included in a special trial of a new stent. I have been back to my cardiologist 3 times complaining of fatigue, some chest pain, lack of energy, etc. I feel much worse than I did prior to the MI and subsequent treatment. Subsequent tests indicate echocardiogram is normal, nuclear X-rays of blood flow in heart is normal, and EKG appears almost normal, with one small spike in the signal. My cardiologist says I had a very mild heart attack, with miniscule damage to the heart muscle. I did walk into the emergency room on my own. Drug therapy includes, 75 mg plavix, 81mg aspirin, 50 mg Toprol XL, 40 mg Lipitor, and 10mg Lisinopril. Doctor changed Toprol to Coreg 6 mg twice a day on my last visit, but it made me feel worse and I went back to the Toprol. Chest pain has since subsided, but I have otherwise continued to feel much worse. In the past few weeks I began experiencing itching, starting with inside of nose and mouth, some sores in the mouth with the itching being the roof of my mouth. The itching has since spread to back, arms, hands, feet, face, especially forehead, and genital area. My hands are ultra sensitive to the touch of leather, paper, and other smooth surfaces. I had a similar reaction several years ago to niacin, prescribed for high cholesterol. I went out of town last weekend and accidentally went without my medication, so I missed Friday night, Saturday morning, night, and Sunday morning regimen. I had up until this time thought I was depressed, causing the fatigue, lack of energy symptoms. However, after having missed medication doses, I felt much better by late Sunday afternoon. I resumed medication on Sunday night when I got home, Monday morning and by late Monday all of the symptoms were back, with itching seeming to be much worse. I made an appointment to see my cardiologist this
Thursday afternoon (tomorrow)as soon as I could get the appointment.
My question is: how much risk would I be taking to stop my medication
for the next two days, or could I skip one or more of the medications
short term without risking restenosis? I think my reaction is due to
the plavix, but of course I am not certain of that. I do know that
one of the drugs is causing the itching, even if the other symptoms
are due to another problem. Thank You. • Hi, My wife has a carotid artery break but
is highly allergic to nickel...does anyone have an option for her or
know of stents without nickel in their composition? chrisnchris@msn.com • Update to June
24, 2006 posting re: Bill's possible hypersensitivity to Cypher
Drug Eluting Stent. Bill's allergy Doctor called and canceled his
appointment to be tested for allergic reaction to the stent because
Cordis and the manufacturers of the materials for the stent refused
to send the materials. This doctor said he exhausted every avenue
available to get these materials. No one would help! He said he cannot
get them. I think he contacted Boston Scientific also. He could only
get the Sirolimus from a drug company but it would be around $1,000
and the insurance would not cover it. In my opinion this is not a
show of good faith; it's more a show of not caring. Has anyone else
had any luck with this? Bill went back to his regular doctor last
week because of more skin problems and he told Bill he thought he
was hypersensitive to the stent and told him, "if the medicine
I give you doesn't work we can't heal you." The doctor told
him he is in a minority and we cannot please everyone. Bill told
him that doesn't matter -- someone needs to help us that are [in
a minority] -- he didn't answer him. Has anyone else had sores in
the mouth, on privates and rectum? If so, were you treated successfully?
Bill and I thank the Forum for all that it is trying to do for all
of us. • My husband had a Taxus Express 2 Paclitaxel-eluting
coronary stent placed 4 weeks ago. He was placed on Plavix, Aspirin,
Metaprolol, Lipitor, and Protonix. After 3 weeks, he broke out in hives
necessitated his first trip to the E/R. He received a shot of Benadryl
and a burst of Prednisone. He continued with a severe rash and was
back in the E/R less then 24 hours with the reaction threatening his
airway. We contacted his cardiologist the next morning to report the
event. He took him off all meds except Plavix and Aspirin and added
a regular regimen of Benadryl and Prednisone. As if things weren't
bad enough, now he had severe joint pain and swelling and the rash
coming and going in waves,strangely worse at night. Trip 3 to the E/R
with the addition of Oxycodone for pain. Over the next 3 days the joint
pain and swelling became so severe he could not even lift himself up
to stand. Finally he had an appointment and Plavix was removed and
Ticlid took it's place. He also added the rest of his meds except Lipitor.
It's been 4 days now and he's just starting to feel a little better.
We're hoping it was the Plavix causing the allergic reaction. We're
praying it's not the stent and the Paclitaxel it contains. I hope this
helps someone out there as in this period of time 4 doctors told us
they've never seen a reaction to Plavix this severe. • Shirley in Kansas -- there are many possible
reasons for negative reactions after any medical procedure. If you
read through the many postings on this and other Forum topics, you'll
see many similar reactions. Possibilities are: reaction to one of the
several drugs prescribed for heart patients -- statins can cause muscle
pain, Plavix can cause rashes, blood pressure medications can cause
a range of etc. Secondly, more research is being done into possible
allergic (hypersensitive) reactions to drug-eluting stents -- this
can be from the drug being eluted, sirolimus in your sister's case,
or from the polymer material that coats the metal stent, or from the
metal in the stent itself. There is also the possibility of a psychological
reaction, usually depression and fear, that can come with any serious
procedure. All of these are real and should be treated. From our many
postings, it would seem that not enough emphasis is put on possible
allergic reactions, and too much on psychological explanations (e.g., "it's
all in your head") -- however, the mind is a very powerful medicine
and can trigger very physical reactions or vice-versa (for example,
Dr. Dean Ornish successfully treats his heart patients with relaxation
and meditation, as well as diet). There's no question that a person
who had been unaware of any health problem, and who suddenly finds
that they have a chronic disease like atherosclerosis that requires
an intervention, can become depressed and distraught. Who wouldn't? • Consider investigating an allergy to metals
or NICKEL. I've had the T.E.S.T. patch test which showed definite reaction
to nickel. It's hard to find an allergist who does this test but keep
looking. It's not very expensive especially when one considers the
fact that you'll have some answers. Most stent manufacturers warn against
inserting them into persons with sensitivity/allergy to metals. Many
doctors don't believe in metal allergies although there are studies
supporting this. So far my doctor won't deal with this. The horrible
itch can be controlled but the medication puts me to sleep. • IN APRIL 2006 MY SISTER HAD TWIN STENTS PLACED
IN BOTH LEGS , NO PROBLEM, THEN IN MAY 18, 2006 THEY PLACED ONE STENT
IN THE HEART, NEAR A SMALL VEIN, SHE ALSO HAD ANOTHER ARTERY THAT WAS
40 TO 50 % BLOCKED, BUT DID NOT FIX. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DR. HAD
PLACED THE STENT , SHE HAD SEVERE PAINS IN HER CHEST COULDN'T BREATH
NECK PAIN , THEY GAVE HER IV NITRO, AND THROUGH THE NIGHT, SINCE THAT
TIME SHE CONT TO HAVE PAINS IN CHEST , SOB, AND AT TIMES JAW PAIN ,
AND HAS NO ENERGY AND FEELS TERRIBLE. THE HAVE RAN SPEC TEST, AND OTHER
TEST AND STATED THEY ARE ALL NORMAL. MY SISTER IS VERY DEPRESSED AND
SCARED, SHE WASNT HAVING ANY PROBLEMS WITH HER CHEST BEFORE THIS ,
ONLY HER LEGS HAD PAIN IN THEM. SHES FAR WORSE OFF NOW THAN BEFORE,
AFRAID OF LOSING HER JOB. SHES ON PLAVIX, AND NITRO , SHE HAS GOOD
DAYS AND BAD DAYS . SHE IS VERY FRUSTRATED. NEVER BEEN SICK AT ALL
HASN'T MISSED WORK IN 4 YRS. TIL NOW. ANY SUGGESTION PLEASE I THOUGHT
MAYBE IT WAS THE MEDICATION ON THE STENT. CALLED SIROLIMUS . THE COMPANY
SAID IT WOULD BE OUT THE SYSTEM IN 90 DAYS. PLEASE REPLY. • I have had this stent, not warned about reactions,
and started getting stopped nasal passages first night, next morning
had almost completely lost my voice, losing my breath when trying to
speak, and a feeing of being choked. A few days later, i am getting
progressively weaker and tired. I have lost all sense of taste, and
some hearing. I need to know if this med will diminish any in the 9
months i am told it will continue to leach into my system. I am also
nauseous, and have a terrible "medicine like taste" in my mouth. • Thanks Forum Editor: I stopped all medications
on the advice of my Physician Associate's advice in the absence of
my cardiologist. I went to my regular doctor who put me on Lipitor
only to have the same effect on me -- it felt like my esophagus was
going to close up -- they told me it was anaphylactic shock. Another
issue I am having with my doctor is the fact that I had seven blocks.
Two have been corrected and the cardiologist said that's all we are
gonna do. I said oh no, you have at least five more -- two are in a
hard to reach place and are very small. They were pushing for a bypass
but i feel since my heart is in such excellent condition why should
I get a bypass when a bypass is usually for a non-functioning or severely
damaged heart. Isn't his being reluctant about unblocking the others
doing to hurt me in the long run? I just don't want a bypass at this
time I am still in very good health. He even commented on the excellent
shape my heart is in. • Just wanted to chime in here to strongly caution
patients about taking or stopping medications without discussing such
changes with your cardiologist -- and this includes over-the-counter
meds as well. First off, Jay, from NYC -- as we have stated in numerous
articles, "Don't Stop Taking Your Meds" -- clopidogrel (Plavix)
and aspirin are extremely important to continue after
stenting to prevent stent thrombosis, an extremely serious event, should
it occur. If you are having an adverse reaction, discuss it with your
cardiologist. There are ways to desensitize patients, or to switch
to ticlopidine (Ticlid) another antiplatelet drug. But don't just stop
(see our recent
news article about this problem). As for antihistamines,
again any medication should be discussed with your physician. Antihistamines
are vasoconstrictors -- they narrow the arteries -- quite the opposite
of what you want, as a patient with coronary artery disease. And some
drugs like Allegra have a pseudoephedrine component, and that is contraindicated
for heart patients. Finally, the likelihood of stent allergy is probably
greater than is reported -- one would have to conclude that from the
many postings here -- but there are many possible reasons for problems,
and these should be discussed with your doctors for two reasons: (1)
it helps you; and (2) it helps your doctor to better understand that
some patients are in fact experiencing less-than-optimal outcomes,
and perhaps this can reveal and help solve this problem. • My God. Reading through all of these is phenomenal!!
I have had the same trouble as most of you. Especially the itching
but with no rash. I am on Plavix, 88 mg aspirin and Tricor as well
as Toprol. I just quit everything accept for the 88mg of aspirin and
I feel great. I still have light heart burn though. When i was registered
at the hospital they had me under pressure to get French Stents but,
I don't know I am having some problems with the regular ones. They
said the french stents are the rave here in the States. Please help
French or American stents. • Anybody have any success with antihistamines:
Allegra or Zyrtec. Studies show that these are the safest two for heart
people. I tried Benadryl (strictly at nite) had some slight success,
but perhaps not the safest for heart folks (some say it is, some say
it is not). Also, Allegra and Zertec are either non drowsy or limited
drowsy. I have bad angina and other symptoms known to be stent rejection,
but no flow problem at all, no narrowings, all via many studies, and
a zero calcium score, and an EF of 72. Obviously a stent rejection
problem. • I just received two stents on June 16, 2006.
I am 40 yrs old and diagnosed with coronary heart disease. I have 7
blockages with two that have been corrected with stents. Ever since
my stent insertion I have had a mild case of low grade heart burn constant
thru out the day. I have had itching from my groin down to my feet
up to my chest and basically thru out my entire body. I went to the
emergency room and was given a prescription for prednisone. I was wondering
to if I was allergic to the medicated stents. • Update to April
12, 2006 posting about Bill and his cypher DES. Bill went through
immune system tests and they all came back normal. His mouth is the
same with a lot of pain, sores and burning tongue with a white overgrowth.
They gave him prednisone again -- helped a little with the pain but
broke his private areas out. Bill's other symptoms are the same coming
and going. His doctor has scheduled him with a allergist to test
for Sirolimus. Even though it has been 9 months they say it can present
itself for as long as several years. Also the allergist is contacting
Cordis to get samples of the metals in the stent to test him for
that also. We will let you know how that goes. Has anyone else had
these problems? I know Rabil's father had pain in his mouth. His
doctor doesn't think it is hypersensitivity but he said he could
be miserable the rest of his life and didn't know really what to
do. Bill's doctor does think it is stent related but has tested Bill
already for other conditions caused by stents such as peripheral
neuropathy, arthralgias, etc. and have found nothing. His doctor
said some people can be desensitized to drugs such as plavix, aspirin,
etc, so they can take them without problems. I asked him about the
prognosis for people who are hypersensitive and he said the stent
will close and the outcome is probably death. The doctor quoted 5%
of people are. That is one out of 20-sounds high to me. I also asked
the doctor about the stent metals being sealed off after it was healed.
He said that is true with a bare metal stent but DES because the
polymer is porous can still bleed through to the blood stream. If
you get a infection in a polymer you can't get rid of it either because
the germ will harbor in it and the antibiotic can't get to it. We
had this happen to our son 30 years ago with a procedure. We would
not have chosen this because of that. A stent is listed as a option
by Cordis and even in some of the AMA literature. This either needs
to be rewritten or patients need to be given an option. I asked the
doctor if some one was allergic to nickel and other metals and had
trouble with aspirin, What would you do? He said I would put a stent
in without nickel and put them on plavix. Polymers, nickel, and all
these other metals have been around forever and the medical profession
and the FDA knew people had problems with them. Really people having
problems with this stent is not any surprise. It would have had to
been expected and predicted but no one seems to have any answers.
I would like to hear from Darrell and some of the rest of you about
how you are doing! Better I hope. • I really have a bad reaction for 2 years now,
from my one big stent sandwich (2 cypher stents in one, sandwiched
Jan 28 at Cleveland Clinic, first little stent May 04'). I did not
know this was the problem, until I just thought of it some months after
recent angiogram and CT confirmed: completely open vessels, zero calcium
score, and 72 EF. Yet severe angina pressure type pain all nite and
in the AM, then less severe throughout the afternoon and eve. Coronary
Endarterectomy is the only way to remove stents. Very tricky and dangerous
surgery. I will see if it can be done via the Da Vinci robot at Cleveland
Clinic. My symptoms are not simple things like hives. I have pain signifying
a life threatening situation. I am developing inflammation throughout
the heart whenever I try to exercise, and other times. I was previously
very athletic. I also have nausea when it happens, and tingling all
over my chest and upper extremity, and burning in the heart, and some
arrhythmia, and a feeling like you have an infection but you don't.
Also exhaustion. I had fever for 30 days each time stent was placed.
All my drugs were researched and excluded by me over and over again.
I tried many things to at least lessen inflammation of myocardium,
other heart tissue, etc. Tried many medicines, supplements, to no avail.
Turmeric a tiny bit helpful, but be careful, a strong antiplatelet
(blood thinner). Also rubbing arnica cream on chest over and over a
little helpful. Toprol XL very necessary. I like to try these less
nasty remedies. I know many other people with the same medical story
I have. Correspondence with anyone welcome. Just post a response. • Dear M.J. -- without getting into your
specific case, we'd just like to point out that the reason angioplasty
(and often stents) are done when a heart attack patient presents
is not just to prevent a re-arrest, but to literally stop the infarction
in its tracks. Angioplasty is THE recommended treatment for Acute
MI with ST segment elevation (STEMI) and the use of it can save precious
heart muscle (time is muscle). The AHA/ACC guidelines states that
angioplasty and/or stenting are not recommended for blockages of
less than 70%. • Carole -- sorry if you interpreted our information
as an argument. There really is none and we wholeheartedly agree with
your comments about patients and physicians working together. This
also applies to M.J.'s comments about
not being "sue happy", but just wanting to serve as "a
change agent". We call to your attention an article that appeared
last month in the New England Journal of Medicine (it's on
our news page -- scroll down to the May 25, 2006 article "Making
Patient Safety the Centerpiece of Medical Liability Reform" by
Senators Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama) which offers some of the
same advice. The quote we pulled was: "Studies show that the most
important factor in people's decisions to file lawsuits is not negligence,
but ineffective communication between patients and providers. Malpractice
suits often result when an unexpected adverse outcome is met with a
lack of empathy from physicians and a perceived or actual withholding
of essential information." We can't make recommendations for medical
care, but let us know if you find a doctor who is able to help you
with your particular situation. • Editor - I'm not interested in trading barbs
with you. I have a serious problem which has cost me a lot both in
terms of a life and money. I'm trying to find a doctor who also shares
the belief that doctors and patients can learn from each other. Maybe
if we worked together, some of these problems can be solved, but only
if a dr honestly listens. I'd hoped that I might find such a doctor
from this site. • Dear Editor, Your advice
is well noted about going to an "Interventional Cardiologist". I have
finally been referred to a Heart Failure Specialist (same thing). With
testing, it has been determined there is no infection, which was a
symptomlogical concern. The next step is an ultrasound to determine
the content and density of the pocket the pacemaker is in and also
ELISA testing will begin at that time. These are the least invasive
procedures and part of their process of elimination. That said... I
have been told and done research as to the reason for putting the stents
in at the time a person is admitted to an ER in cardiac arrest. Implantation
can stop the immediate risk of re-arrest by opening up blocked blood
vessels. Mine were not totally blocked and blockage was NOT the cause
of my arrest. There was no reason to put the stents in at the time
they were, other than it was convenient because everything was in place
to do so. It would have been just as viable, though more time consuming
to "cut away" plaque build up or to implant just a balloon, till the
person is fully conscious and able to make a qualified decision. I
am angry but not sue happy and hope that I can become a change agent
to this process which I feel violated my freedom of choice and my right
to give informed consent. • My 83 year old stepmom has been complaining
of nausea, severe aches, and an overall feeling of achiness, fatigue
and just feeling awful. She had a medicated stent put in within the
last year and was put on Plavix. I am trying to help her through this
process and am brand new to this particular problem. Specific questions
1) Can she ask to have the medicated stent taken out and a non-medicated
stent put in? 2)From the little bit I read in Forum, it sounds like
Plavix and the medicated stent can produce similar symptoms. Is there
any way to pinpoint which source her problems are coming from? Would
appreciate your input. • Carole -- you've sent a number of postings into this Forum and, as we've written, we sympathize with your problems. And yes, we edited your previous very-long post to make it easier to read. We also edited the post below for the same reason (we ask our readers to be concise and we state on the submission page that we might edit long posts for readibility). We also must take exception to your assumption that this site is "monitored" by the medical profession and/or industry (I believe you mean "censored"). Angioplasty.Org is an independent educational site. We know of few places on the internet that make it possible for cardiology patients to share these types of stories. We hope that by sharing these experiences, patients and physicians can learn from each other and become partners in solving these health issues. That being said, the issue of metal allergies is well-known by surgeons -- most surgical implants have some metallic component, usually surgical stainless steel. It may be that in your case you were not asked, as others have reported here. This is why we have this topic -- to call attention to this issue to both patients, their families and physicians. And we hope that yours and other stories will do just that. On the flip side, literally millions of patients
around the world have had stents implanted without the kinds of allergic
reactions you've experienced, and many have had their lives bettered,
if not outright saved. The procedure has been well-established as a
treatment for over two decades now. Which is not to say there are not
problems which need solving, or that your experience is any the less
painful. Perhaps a specialist
who treats allergies could help you. Maybe your symptoms are not
from the metal -- it would seem important to verify this. Speaking
of specialties, you refer to vascular surgeons -- do you mean interventional
cardiologists? We're assuming you had a stent placed in your heart's
arteries. We hope you find some answers and, if you do, please let
others know by posting here -- concisely, please.... • Editor-- Just read my edited post. 1)Yes,
a vascular surgeon told me that there is no such thing as an allergy
to nickel. Yes that is shocking, especially since the promotional information
of a stent manufacturer was in plain view, not 3 feet from where he
stood. Then saw another vascular surgeon who knew that some stents
are not to be inserted into people with NICKEL allergies. He he didn't
realize that stainless (or surgical) steel is not an entity unto itself,
but is a composition of other metals. I am in terrible pain, and have
been for years. Drs from several specialties agree with me "off the
record" yet the vascular surgeons deny there is a problem. Like the
other lady, neither I nor my family were EVER ASKED for any information
as to whether or not my body would tolerate a metal stent. I didn't
ask for these stents. I wouldn't have ever taken this chance if I had
had the opportunity to investigate them - there were alternative, MORE
PROVEN, alternatives to my problem. No one gave me that option. So,
is there a website NOT MONITORED by the medical profession or device
manufacturer, as this site must be, at which other victims can share
information? • My fiance, who is only 35, has just had a
stent put in because of a blockage in his aorta that caused loss of
blood flow to his foot which caused pain & discloration in his foot.
A few days after the stent has been put in his foot will look like
it is getting a normal coloring back, but then might look darker & more
discolored an hour later, is that normal? • Dear Forum Editor, Thank you for posting my
first blog and realized after reading your response and re-reading
what I had submitted, that I left out a key piece of information which
is that I was unconscious when the decision was made to put the stents
in or I would have never agreed to them because my reactivity to nickel
is near toxic with actual burns developing with dermal contact within
the first hour of contact. It is possible the polymer coating and immune
suppressing drug reduced this initial reaction but on the other hand,
I have never found anything which will create a barrier to nickel isotopes
and my skin. Another angiogram is in the offing as I am having symptoms
consistent with restenosis and as I said before, potential bypass surgery
to remove the stents. • Dear M.J. -- we sympathize with your problems.
The companies, however, don't seem to be witholding the information
as you state (see last month's
posting from W.S. -- a list of all the materials used in their
stents, supplied by both J&J and Boston Scientific). The ICD can
be removed, although it's a bit tricky and definitely. like all procedures,
has risks involved -- although it's not open heart surgery. Stents
cannot really be "removed", although your surgeon may be
talking about bypass surgery for other reasons. As we've stated many
times, allergy to stainless steel or other metals is listed in all
stent manufacturers' Instructions For Use (IFU) as a contraindication,
for bare metal stents as well as drug-eluting stents. The question
is whether your symptoms are actually being caused by the metal in
the devices. Check out other postings -- Mr.
King from North Carolina reports that a prednisone shot helped
him. Let us know what you find out. • I had J&J Cordis Cypher stents put in
November 2005 as well as a St. Jude's ICD. I was unconscious when
I was admitted to the hospital. My daughter swears up and down she
told the emergency room personnel that I had severe metal allergies.
Years ago I was tested for reactivity to surgical stainless steel
and nickel. I was later informed that my arteries were not completely
occluded and not responsible for my MI. It never occurred to me that
anything other than plastics or plastic coated products would be
used internally and so did not realize the stents and also an implanted
ICD were composed of metals which were in direct contact with my
tissue. I have had problems consistent with an allergic response
since I became cognizant of my surroundings; swelling in my left
chest region under the clavicle, up the left side of my neck and
frequently my jaw aches. My left shoulder is locked up and I'm unable
to fully use my left arm. there is mild discoloration to the skin,
it itches yet is painful to touch. There are other things also but
because of the side effects to the medications I am on it is uncertain
where one thing begins and another leaves off. The team of doctors
I am now working with are trying to determine the extent of my immune
response to the various metals. I have been told, that potentially,
I am looking at open-heart surgery to remove the stents and the ICD,
well that subject hasn't been broached yet. It frustrates me that
J&J are so proprietary over their product, they will not provide
samples of the material the stents are made from. Like with any research
topic, Confidential Disclosure Agreements are common and binding.
If signed by doctors receiving the materials to be able to perform
testing, J&J would benefit by receiving more complete and conclusive
information regarding their stents. • I would like
to thank the Forum for its existence. Regarding possible stent allergic
reaction -- I posted my concern on June
27, 2005 after I had been stented with 3 Taxus2 drug
eluting stents realizing that I had a nickel allergy. (Frankly, the
cost of stenting vs. open heart was a real consideration.) I had
developed hives. After a shot of Prednisone these did go away. (Long
term Prednisone use would not be a pleasant option because of very
real posibility of mental side effects). I did consider possible
drug allergies and decided to stay on [Plavix] because Ticlid seemed
to have a larger number of possible side effects. The hives have
not returned. From what I am reading it seems that the long term
possibilities of the nickel reaction would lessen. It would be interesting
to know how many people continue to have reactions after the drugs
are changed, or if people do develop reactions after having the stents
in for a long period. I personally hesitated posting again as I wanted
to see if the reaction would resurface in the near term. • Dear W.S. -- we ran an article about stent
allergies and the study published by Dr. Bennett back on December
29, 2005. We also have spoken with Dr. Bennett and applaud the
work of the research team. As you can tell from the fact you found
this Forum topic (currently almost 140 postings), our site is one of
the few places where this stent allergies are discussed. That being
said, we are impressed that you have gotten all the information below
and, moreover, that you have found a way to test for all these posssible
allergies. Please keep us informed as to the results. You are right
about nickel -- all stent manufacturers include a warning in their
IFU (Instructions For Use) that cautions physicians not to use stents
in patients with known allergies to surgical stainless steel (nickel
is a component). Of course, as you can read below, there are definitely
cases where the information about a patient's allergy is either not
known, or not communicated. • My mother needs to be tested for stent ingredient allergy before the procedure. Received stent ingredients from J&J's Cordis Cypher Sirolimus Stent and Boston Scientific's Taxus Drug Eluting Stent. Ingredients from each manufacturer Spring 2006 are as follows: J&J Sirolimus Stent: 316L stainless steel which is made up of: Carbon 0.018%, Chromium 17.23%, Copper0.13%, Manganese 1.73%, Molybdenum 2.66%, Nitrogen 0.036%, Nickel 13.57%, Phosphorus 0.02%, Sulfur 0.001%, Silicon 0.56%, Iron 64.04%, Rapamycin (Wyeth drug on Stent), Polymers (Medical plastics) which is made up of: Parylene C, Polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate, and Poly n-butyl Methacrylate. Boston Scientific Taxus Stent: 316L stainless steel which is made up of: Carbon 0.018%, Chromium 17.23%, Copper0.13%, Manganese 1.73%, Molybdenum 2.66%, Nitrogen 0.036%, Nickel 13.57%, Phosphorus 0.02%, Sulfur 0.001%, Silicon 0.56%, Iron 64.04% Paclitaxel (Bristol M/Squibb Drug on Stent, Translute Polymer Carrier (plastics) which are made up of: SIBS [ poly(styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene] which breaks down into, Styrene, and 1,3-di (2-methoxy-2-proply-5-tert butyl benzene) isobutylene units. I found an allergist who is willing to test my mother;
however, I am having great difficulty getting medical samples from
Johnson & Johnson. Boston Scientific is helping more and I may actually
get some samples from them. Other things I have found out on this arduous
journey is that nickel may be the culprit in some allergy cases. Interesting
article on allergic reaction: www.virtualallergycentre.com/news.asp?artid=7655.
Dr.Bennett who is listed in the article has met with representatives
from Johnson and Johnson as well as other companies and is a champion
for stent allergy test kits. I hope this helps anyone who is looking
to be tested. Good luck! We need it. • Carole -- if you read through the postings
on this topic, especially our
reply to C.M. on April 27, you'll see that contraindications for
patients with metal allergies ARE noted by the stent manufacturers
in their package inserts (required by the FDA). So no patient with
a known metal allergy should be getting a stent. Fortunately these
patients are few. But since there is no routine testing for metal allergies
before stents are placed, it seems to be the working assumption that
patients with an allergy to metal should already know that they have
this problem. And then, are they routinely asked this specific question?
You don't mention how you have found proof of your allergy. And we'd
hope that a doctor wouldn't really say that "there's no such thing
as an allergy to metal" -- perhaps the doctor was saying that
he/she didn't think that an allergy was the problem in your case. As
for removing the stent via vascular surgery, that's not really practical
or even possible. The stent gets covered over by the inner arterial
lining within a few months -- at which time the metal is no longer
in contact with the bloodstream, so allergic symptoms should also subside. • I've had several angioplasty procedures. Now
I have proof that I have an allergy to metals, including the components
of stainless or surgical steel. My doctor ignores me and my problems,
another says there's no such thing as an allergy to metal. So, does
anyone know of a vascular surgeon near Atlanta, who will get this metal
out of me? • In January 2006 I had a Taxus Express2 placed
in my RCA, since then I have experienced periods of swelling in belly,
hands, face, legs, I am on Plavix and now 81mg of aspirin, prior 325Mg,
I am wondering if any one else has had this problem, along with throwing
up blood. • My angioplasty was less than 3 weeks ago.
I have a drug-eluting stent and today I was shocked to see red splotches
on my legs and stomach that are itchy. At first my wife thought they
were mosquito bites. I remembered reading about some side affects reported
for drug eluting stents. Could I be experiencing this? I did have some
unusual back pain yesterday, which I didn't think was related, and
otherwise just had a check up which everything looked great. My blood
pressure is 120/66, and I've healed perfectly at the incision site.
My breathing has been relatively good, but some shortness of breath
occasionally. My cardiologist said it was normal, and that I'm doing
well and should begin my normal excersize routine. I plan to resume
playing tennis and walking everyday. Has anyone else experienced these
itchy splotches? • Diagnosing an allergic or adverse reaction
like the ones being reported below can be challenging. There are people
who are allergic to the metal in stents. It's surgical stainless steel
and contains nickel. Interestingly Dawn, your old AVE stent is made
of this material, so the fact that you haven't previously shown reactions
is interesting. Then there's the polymer plastic coating on the new
drug-eluting stents, as well as the medications embedded in them. The
number of proven allergic reactions to these is very small, however,
it's widely agreed that stent allergies are under-reported. Still,
the wide range of medications that stent patients get put on all have
some side effects associated with them, again very small. But when
there are so many possible sources the chances that a given patient
may have an adverse reaction to at least one of them is likely. We're
not doctors, but a suggestion to patients is to sit down with each
medication you are taking, both prescription and any over-the-counter,
and look at all the known side effects. For example, some ACE inhibitors
cause a dry cough, Plavix has been known to cause a rash, statins can
cause muscle pain. And depression after a heart procedure, especially
in women, is a known "side effect" and is something that
can be treated. One of the purposes of this Forum is for patients to
post experiences and trade stories. And maybe help each other deal
with these complex issues and help their doctors (who have very limited
time) as well. • My mother had 2 medicated stents (not sure
of which medications) inserted on Feb.14, 2006. She had been a vibrant,
fun loving woman prior to the procedure. Since the procedure, her life
has been a nightmare. Dr. placed her on Toprol, plavix, altace, lipitor,
and an aspirin. She immediately began to experience terrible side effects
which include: anxiety, confusion, sleepless nights, dry cough , rash-like
appearance on her cheeks, stomach problems, trouble swallowing (feeling
as if there is a lump in her throat, trouble concentrating. Needless
to say we have been back and forth to the doctor's office more times
than I can count. Dr. blamed Toprol and she was weaned off. Symptoms
have not disappeared. Of course Dr. now suggests she should speak to
a therapist. She had never experienced problems prior to all this medication,
so I am sure this is a direct result of all this medication. Thank
you for this web page. I am at my wits end trying to figure out how
to help my mother become the woman she was before this procedure. Had
we only known, we never would have had the procedure done. Any advice
is greatly appreciated. I have exhausted all avenues. • I had my 1st stent in 2001 in RCA area. Afterwards I felt better than I had for at least a year prior, (bouncing off the walls)with so much energy.The stent used was an Ave. Never appeared to have any problems with the area and it is still open and working. In August 2002 I had a stent placed mid LAD, did not feel well from the time I was released. I was having problems and they did a brachytherapy on the stent 3-4 months later and then back in to have another stent butted to it in June 2003. Both stents done to LAD were by Cordis, 1st not medicated, 2nd was. I ended up switching cardio clinics and ended up having triple by-pass January 2004. I am 48 now and still continue to have problems. I am very allergic to metal (nickel). The hospital was notified of allergy before procedures and I do believe that is what has caused all of my problems. I found out last July 2005 that the lower by-pass is closed so now take imdur to keep chest pain away. I have not felt right since the Stent that was done in 2002, I tire very easy, metal taste periodically, rash on both hands they call Granuloma Annular(it is under the skin and forms along the veins) and the Dr's say they don't know what causes it. I have had infections affecting tonsils at least twice in the last year, my lower legs will itch horribly and get a heavy feeling/ache, my skin on arms appear to have a rash sometimes and lower arm darker discoloration and sun sensitive. More sensitive to jewelry that contains nickel than I was before. The number of times I ended up hospitalized and ending up with | ||