what kind of a lifestyle and what kind of changes can I expect after this procedure. Does it last, or need to be redone often.
what kind of a lifestyle and what kind of changes can I expect after this procedure. Does it last, or need to be redone often.
Four weeks ago, I had an emergency angioplasty, one stent implanted in my left anterior descending coronary artery which was, amazingly 99% blocked. No history or prior history - but 30+ years of hypertension, controlled with meds. All other coronary arteries looked good! I'm now attending a seven-week education/support group called "Heart to Heart" at our local Heart & Stroke Foundation office, which is very helpful because most of the 20 participants, unlike me, have had their heart 'incidents' several months ago. Last night, the man sitting next to me told me that he is golfing three times a week and playing squash, six months after four stents were implanted in his heart! This is encouraging - especially since I've been feeling very down in the past couple weeks. Another person had a stent installed 12 years ago and is doing fine - she is only attending our group to accompany her spouse, who recently had triple bypass surgery. I'm hopeful that as time goes by, and after I attend a 3-month Cardiac Rehabilitation program, I'll be BETTER than before.
Has anybody else hear similarly optimistic predictions? I've been reading everything I could get my hands on - with both negative and positive prognoses.
thx
Carolyn
thank you for your reply I have almost the same exact blockage as yours 99.9 on my left and had my angio yesterday just got home, still sore but Im sure I will feel better soon. I talked with my cardiologist before release and success is comparable with bypass, so I should be fine and so should you, was your stent coated, and are you on plavax, these will greatly increase your chance of no further blockage, regardless of the length of time your meds are prescribed stay on a anti-clot for the rest of your life, if possible. The best of luck.
Rick
Hi Rick
Yes I'm on Plavix, Lipitor for cholesterol, ASA for bloodthinning, plus Accuretic for hypertension. The word on Plavix apparently varies from one-month to six-months for bare metal stents, up to one year for drug-eluting stents. I live on the west coast of Canada - according to my cardiologist, bare metal stents are mostly used here in our hospital, which has an outstanding reputation as a cardiac teaching and research centre. I've also read that the coated stents have recently had some controversy with blockages, which sounds weird because you'd think that's the beauty of the coating, right? Check out this Mayo Clinic link for more info: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-eluting-stents/HB00090
I've also read that coated stents cost four times what a bare metal stent costs, so 'bare vs. coated' could also be basically a matter of dollars and cents within the health care system.
GOOD LUCK!
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