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Current Postings on This Page (14):
• EH -- check out our Patient
Guide to Heart Tests.
A nuclear stress test is non-invasive and shows how well blood and oxygen
are flowing to the heart. But it can yield false positives and negatives. A
multislice CT angiogram is also non-invasive, but to see "inside" stents
can only be done in optimum situations with the very latest high-res
equipment and operators trained in these techniques. Both of these tests
do use radiation. A simple coronary calcium score exam, also done with
CT but a a much lower
radiation
dose, can show the amount of calcium and while it doesn't show the specific
artery, it can be a low-cost indicator of major coronary disease. Ask
your cardiologist for his/her recommendation. Hopefully you do not have
the title of this Forum Topic, "In-Stent Restenosis". Also congratulations
on following the lifestyle diet and exercise plans!!
Forum Editor, Angioplasty.Org, August 17, 2009
• I had three stents in the major left artery
approx. 10 years ago. What are the options for taking a look at them
now? Is a catheterization the only way?I have some discomfort in my chest
at
times. I also follow a very healthy diet and exercise program - Ornish
and Fuhrman. However, I do realize that stenting is not the long term
solution to this problem and I would very much like to have a non-invasive
test
done if such a thing is available.
EH, Newfoundland, Canada, August 17, 2009
• JA -- if you read through this topic you will
see that stents that have reblocked can be reopened using a balloon, and
possibly another stent that is placed inside the blocked stent. This is
technically "off-label" but is the most common way that in-stent
restenosis is treated.
Forum Editor, Angioplasty.Org, July 26, 2009
• My dad had a stent put in four years ago. The
doc would have rather done another bypass but none of my dad's veins were
good enough to use. He is now having more chest pains and pressure. Can
a stent be restented (not sure how to ask this)? Thanks.
JA, Minnesota, USA, July 13, 2009
• I am a 41 year old woman I suffered a Heart attack
in February 09 I was flown to Hospital and had 60% blockage in the LAD
they placed a bare metal stent in, I was put on a few different tablets
one being Plavix for 6 weeks,1 week stopping the plavix I started to get
pains in my chest out of breath and burning I went to the Doctors 3 times
and told him something wasn't right I was eventually flown to hospital
once again I was found to have 95% blockage after only 2 mths! and had
2 drug eluding stents placed in the LAD I am terrified of another blockage
I am a mother of 6 wonderful kids and I am so scared of my life being a
short
one. How did you all cope with your feelings after your events.
Kim, Australia, May 26, 2009
• My husband has two DES placed in RCA that was
100% blocked February 27, 2009. No complications. Feels wonderful. He
is 55 YO, does not smoke, is not overweight He takes Ticlid (and an army
of
other drugs) as he was allergic to Plavix. How do you know if the stents
become clogged or blocked? Most info/comments are negative in nature
as to how well stenting works. Can anyone share any positive experiences
with
DES?
GP, Kansas, USA, May 4, 2009
• Hey Dan from Canada, I have had the same problem
as you. I had a drug eluting stent put in back in Sept. 2007. I kept having
some problems off and on so I went back in May 2008 and had another cath
done. They said the stent was blocked about 30%. Thing continued to get
worse so I went back Jan. 2009 and that same stent was now blocked 90%.They
put a different stent inside that one and things were better for a few
days. I still have some discomfort from time to time and my feet and legs
swell really bad every day. I am taking lasix 40mg. Helps some but not
a lot. I still get short winded when I do physical activity.
Terri Waller, Atmore, Alabama, USA, February 11, 2009
• My dad, age 75 had bypass surgery in 1991. Last
year (October 2007) it was discovered that one of his bypasses had a
90+% clog so a Cypher bare metal
stent was put in. In Feb 2008 he had to have a Cypher DES placed in the same
artery. In May, the artery was already 50-60% blocked again, the Cardiologist
wanted to use the wait and see approach to see if further clogging occurred.
Last week (August 2008) the same artery had a 80-90% blockage so a bigger
Taxus DES was placed this time. He has been on Plavix and Aspirin since
October 2007
and not ever been off of it. The doctor says this will be the last stent
he places and the next time (if this happens again)would be bypass again.
His heart is
in otherwise good condition. Apparently this artery is an important one.
My
family and I are wandering what could cause this same artery to become
blocked so quickly.
His Cardiologists is always in a hurry and doesn't take time to explain anything
to us. It doesn't make sense that plaque would build up in just this one
artery in such a short a period of time. Why wouldn't other arteries be
blocked if
this were the case?
Cissy, Kentucky, USA, August 27, 2008
• I have had 5 angioplasties and 7 stents -- the
last 2 on March 11th due to restenosis in two previously implanted stents.
The cardiologist used 2 Taxus stents as the previous ones were Cypher stents
and put me on Pletal® [Cilostazol] for 1 month to help prevent restenosis.
Feel pretty good after 1 month from procedure. Has anyone else had similar
situation.
I am also a diabetic.
Jim Savage, Bank Officer, Staten Island, New York, USA, April 12, 2008
• C.M. -- this is called in-stent restenosis --
the situation where a stent gets blocked up. It's not common, but it
definitely happens and it is typically treated by reopening the blockage
with a balloon
and sometimes putting in another stent, usually a drug-eluting type,
which has less tendency to block up again. Do you know what type of stent
you
got originally? Bare metal or drug-eluting?
Forum Editor, Angioplasty.Org, March 22, 2008
• i had stent fitted 6 months ago, then last
week i had to have another
one
fitted in the same place. Is this normal?
C.M., Great Britain, March 20, 2008
• Hi Mary and Dan, I have been reading your
post, My right was 90% closed when I had my first stent inserted, I
felt great for about a week and a half, then things just started going
down
hill, but I couldn't get anyone to listen to me, because I should have
been feeling great they say, This went on and on, I started becoming
so tired my eyes would close, automatically, then I started getting
cold, I couldn't warm up, I was freezing for days, but there was nothing
wrong.
I woke up one morning to have coffee with my husband, and before I
could say good morning, I was in a full fledged heart attack. My bare
metal
stent had closed off on one side with scar tissue, so I had another
inserted, this time a drug eluting stent, to help avoid the scar tissue.
Do I feel
better now, This was done in January, 2008, but now I don't feel good,
my biggest thing is the heart burn I have had now for the past three
days, I started having this problem, off and on since my last stent,
but now I have it all the time, along with a cough, it is so annoying,
I have a lot of chest pain, but I am told its probably from the heart
burn, I guess the pain I have in back is caused from the heart burn
as well, when my hands and feet go numb with pins and needles it's caused
from my heart burn as well. I find I am right back t where I started
from, I don't feel well, but no one will listen until it's too late.
Patsy, Nova Scotia, Canada, February 8, 2008
• My mom just turned 70 in aug. When she was
49 she had a heart attack. Her main artery was blocked 100%. This past
april she had a spell that put her into the hospital. they put five stents
into her main artery. they put her on plavix and topiral. she was allergic
to topiral. five weeks later stress test show something not right. did
another heart cath. four of the five stents closed they replaced those
with medicated stents. my mom has been so sick with her stomach and weakness
and her teeth have her so much pain shes been in the er 4 times times
this week. monday she is scheduled to have 4 teeth pulled with being
on the plavix. i am so scared for her. on top of this my dad is having
surgery on his bladder there is a mass we dont know if it is cancer.
someone email me please.
mary venables, massillon ohio usa, November 17, 2005
• Had a stent put in in May, 2 months later
I started getting angina even while at rest, it became so severe(the
angina) that my wife drove me to emergency, where next day I underwent
another angiogram to see what was wrong, the stent had blocked to 90%
(all in two months) the cardiologist inserted a new drug eluting stent
inside the old one. I feel great now except that every evening my ankles
and feet swell up, then are OK next morning. .anyone else get this problem?
Dan Danaher, Saskatoon SK Canada, October 31, 2005
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