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Newbie to heart disease and looking for advice

jube217
0 Recommendations

Hello Ladies,

I have been lurking on the board for 4 weeks, that is when I found out I have heart disease. I have suffered from High bp for many years and been on multiple meds for it. 4 weeks ago i left work because I was having pressure in the chest, sweaty, and nausea. went to the er and i was admitted on the 24 hour heart watch. the cardiologist, who i happen to see 3 weeks previously and diagnosed me with cardio chondritis ( inflammation of the chest) still was not convinced it was my heart. i am 41 and also have rheumatoid arthritis and asthma, so normal stress tests were out. they did the cath and found a 70% block in the right artery and did the angioplasty and placed 3 stents. they also found a 90% block in a branch of the left artery. because i was losing my job we have decided to hold off on the left angioplasty for now. But I am feeling worse than i did before. my bp is back up and i get real tired when walking and the whole body just hurts. Any advice from you wonderful ladies? I just don't feel like myself and when will I be back to normal?????????????

Thanks in advance! :-)
Jube

Explore topics in this discussion:

Exercise Asthma Heart disease Surgery Arthritis Anxiety Angina Pain Pacemaker Heart attack Rheumatoid arthritis Stent Stress

22 replies

chill

Welcome to this wonderful site! And, welcome to the sisterhood of heart disease. I am somewhat new to all of this myself (heart attack May 16 with 2 stents and then a pacemaker June 20th)...but have found wonderful information from this group! I am still trying to get my arms around it all and to find a new normal. It takes time...I know I am not there yet. Just know that everyone is here for you and don't hesitate to post when you have a question or need to vent about something! We have all done it! You have received lots of good advice, take the time to process it, and most of all, be kind and gentle to yourself!

grace5

Hi Jube and welcome! I also grew collaterals (or rather my heart did!) and never needed a second angioplasty. I remember feeling like I was a 100 years old in the early days, I really thought this was it, the new me, a physical and mental wreck, not so! It's coming up to 2 years for me and I can honestly say I'm back and feeling great. I guess it took a while for my body to adjust to all the medications, I had to get the mix and the dosage right, and quite a while for my brain to accept what had happened. You'll get the hang of it, but it's a slow process.
Good luck on your journey back, just keep an eye on your symptoms, oh and google everything to check for side-effects and ask lots of questions on here, sometimes the way you're feeling is not down to your body but the drug side-effects, some of them can make you feel really horrendous.
Wishing you well!
Grace x

itseybit

I am very new to site I found it yesterday,I feel very blessed that I did. and the advice you are giving Jube I know will help her,the fact that you can talk to others that understand means alot.And Jube I know how you feel about getting back to normal I just had surgery on 09-04-08 and I didn't and still don't want to face the fact that my life has changed BUT with places like this I will make it.Please know you are in my prayers

martzj

Jube,

I had smaller blocked arteries too little to be stented and I'm still here 12 years later. Thought you might like to know that there is lots of living to be done beyond blockages. (smile) And it can be done while some blockages remain or your heart grows new feeder arteries to create its own 'bypasses'.

Take good care,
Jaynie

heart39

Hi & Welcome Jube,
I, too have some blockages in small arteries that are not stentable or would do more harm than good to try to clean out or "fix". Those are what I think of as my job to help out with meds, diet & exercise. I know it's all very new, just remember we're here & understand.
- Peg

Ecksunbeam

Dear Lurker,

I am one of those fortunate sisters who has developed collateral arteries. I attribute it to exercise. I regularly ride a bike, walk, do Chi Kung, and do not pamper myself when it comes to physical exertion (except to rest afterwards, if need be). My best recommendation is that you start with cardiac rehabilitation and then develop a regular exercise routine to suit yourself. It starts with simple things, like parking a distance from the entrance to the store, or walking to pick up your meds. Several women on this board find they are re-learning how to enjoy swimming or water aerobics. It doesn't matter which form of exercise you choose, but do yourself a favor--and choose.

May the Blessings Be!

Sherrie

Alloriea

Welcome Jube,
I'm also glad you found us. This site has been a godsend for me, I can say that the people here honestly care, and feel free to vent, lord knows I do it often enough. I haven't been through the blocked arteries, (mine dissected then ruptured) hopefully I won't but I have come to realize that no matter what happens, having a strong support system helps. Know that we're all here for you :-)

CJA

Welcome Jube,

Our community is full of the most amazing women on Earth. Each of us has something different and something good to bring and share. Your new living situation is unfamilar territory for you, as it was for all of us.

First, I would like to tell you that it's very important that you listen to your body. Nobody knows how you are feeling except you. It' hard to know exactly what's going on, but never hesitate to seek medical help when in doubt.

Things will never be the same for you, but you're life can be just a fun and exciting as before. Reach out to those that have been where you are now. Remember to ask lots of questions from your doctor. When in doubt seek help.

We are here, we are listening and never forget, we care. We are your sisters in heart disease, we know what's it's like and we have all something common and that is to live as best we can.

Keeping you in my prayers, today and everyday,
CJ

nancylee

Welcome Jube! Glad you found this site even though I am very sorry you needed it.

I am new here also but there is a wealth of knowledge available from some wonderful and caring women so never hesitate to ask for advice. They have all helped me so much already and I know they will do the same for you as well.

God Bless, Nancy

smokefreeme

Kennarina is so right... She understands that each of us has had a different experience and sometimes we forget that each of us is unique and it is true that sometimes they leave blockages so the heart tries to repair itself. I am a true victum of that theory and it did work. At one time they told me I was the perfect candidate for a transplant because my heart disease was so severe. I have had 11 angiograms and 2 heart attacks and I am still here. I work full time and went to college full time as well. I was 43 when my first heart attack hit. I am 54 now. I Graduated from college, still work full time, and life is good. I even have pizza and beer on Friday night. Yes, I have to take several perscription meds, and once in a while I get a scare but there is nothing I really want to do that I can't. Life does go on and I still battle with being overweight. However, I was able to quit smoking and that was huge for me. Sometimes ya just need to sit back, take a break, and realize that while you may be down, you are not out.
Don't worry about your new "Normal" it will find you. There is nothing you can do about the past but the future is still yours. It will be what you make it. It is a given, you will worry sometimes, you will forget sometimes. It is ok... Everyone here is awesome. If you have a symptom and just need someone to vent to,.. this is the best place I have found. Just remember, most of us are not Dr.s and sometimes we may even be wrong but every single person here speaks from their heart literally. If you have a Dr. you trust, my honest advice would be to take his recommendation. Ultimately it is your health and your piece of mind. My very best to you. Hope you come back and visit often. Diane

jube217

Thank you all!! You have given me some new hope. As for the other block, he told me it is not the Main artery but a branch of the main. He also said, that it may be too small and would cause more damage to go in than to leave. I am in the process of finding another cardiolist for a 2nd opinion.
Thanks for all of your time and i will keep y'all posted.

Love y'all
your heartsister jube :-)

Kennarina

Heart Sisters, there are sometimes good reasons that almost-fully-blocked arteries are not stented.

Depending on the location and size of the artery in question - and Jube tells us only that her blocked unstented artery is "a branch of the left artery" (not the big LAD) - as well as the condition of the patient and the type of blockage, not all blockages are or should be stented. The amazing phenomenon of "collateral" arteries is sometimes why - these are a network of small heart arteries that are not usually active, but can develop when an artery becomes blocked, in order to carry adequate blood supply to affected heart muscle. More info on this do-it-yourself cardiac miracle from the Cleveland Clinic: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/cad/cad_arteries.aspx

Jube, it's important to keep in mind that you are in the very early weeks of recuperation after a major health crisis, likely to feel easily overwhelmed even by the most well-meaning advice. And because every diagnosis, patient and situation is unique, none of us here knows enough about your particular medical background to be telling you to have or not to have a specific medical treatment!

Good luck to you....

XOXOXOXO

kwinner

Dakota - please know you're not alone, we all know that terror all too well - the fear of going to sleep because you might not wake up, the fear of every pain being "the big one", but I promise you, the terror eases in time (which isn't to say it doesn't come and go, it does), how much time is different for all of us. We help each other get through it, because the people around us can't possibly understand. I thank God every day for this site, for a place to vent the fear, the anxiety, a place to form relationship with women who actually get it in a way I never imagined, and most important, a place to laugh again, to find humor in everyday silliness when every day we're smacked in the face with our own mortality. I'll be praying for you too, just wanted you to know you're not alone!
Hugs,
k

martzj

Hi Jube,

I also had a blocked RCA, 90% and LAD at 41. Because it was an emergency cath, the cardio could only get the RCA stent inserted and placed....had to back out and leave the 2nd stent in LAD until I had stabilized more about 6 weeks later. I felt really awful and barely moving the entire time. It wasn't until the LAD stent was in that I felt an immediate difference in energy surge. I still felt awful, but my body was able to move a lot better from that point on.

You have a lot of issues to deal with. I hear how complicated, scary and frustrating it is to have to make choices like that.....your job or your heart. I hope you can find a way to have the 2nd stent. THe LAD is very important to the function of that side of the heart.

Best wishes to you.
Jaynie

Shae1961

Welcome! I am fairly new to this community as well. I lucked out on my cath, the nuclear stress I had gave a false positive. However, I now you are stuggling and I can definitely assure this is "the best place" to get the advice, support and companionship for what you are going through.

Head up, faith in God and follow-through with another cardio if need be!

Patybluetx

Hi Jube,
I don't have any advise that you haven't already heard. But I did want to welcome you to our group :). You're right life won't ever be the same, but if you look at things from the right perspective you can be more appreciative of life overall now that you've survived something as life changing as heart disease. Once you get your meds straight (which takes a while) and you get all the stents you need you can begin adjusting to your new life. You'll notice that life slows down, which is kind of nice b/c you miss less of it. You'll finally HAVE to 'stop and smell the roses' there's something pretty sweet about it :).

Welcome again, and remember were here for you, so if you need to vent, wine, complain, cheer, SCREAM, or just need a hug this is the PERFECT place for it.

Martha

heartgoddess

Hi Jube,

First of all, if that artery goes to 100% you will do damage to your heart, and that cannot be undone. Get the angioplasty now.

Then, yes, you will be more aware of your heart than before, but I can honestly say that after nearly 5 years since my MI and open heart surgery, I am better than before, and I rarely think about my heart, but I am probably an exception! But there is life with heart disease, and you can have many wonderful years and many wonderful experiences!

dakota65

I don't want to steal the thread but Gracie62 I want you to know how much I agree with what you said. That is exactly how I am feeling right now. No one seems to understand how I feel but I too am mourning life as I knew it. And the constant awareness of every pain that before I probably wouldn't have even noticed, now I live my life in terror, I don't want to die I am only 43. Anyway I just wanted to you to know how much I relate to your words.

kwinner

Hi, and welcome from me too. I'm so sorry, this has to be so stressful for you. If you haven't lost your job, does that mean you still have insurance at the moment? If you do, please don't wait, have it done. An emergency situation would be much more expensive, and also much more threatening to you. Please be safe! I'll be praying for you, I know it's so much to go through, and new normal sucks, until you realize it beats the heck out of the alternative! Then you celebrate having any normal at all - and new's not always bad, you begin to notice things you never did, and you appreciate things in a way you never imagined.
Hugs,
K

gracie62

Hello Jube:

Welcome to our community. No one wants to join, but all are welcomed with open arms. I, like Dory and Laura, cannot fathom why your doctor would not go ahead and stent the left artery too. My first stent was 98% of the LAD. Second was 80% of the LAD. That 80% blockage had my symptoms so severe they interfered with my daily life. I had angina attack, after angina attack, had no energy, would break into a cold sweat with little exertion and I could go on and on. A blockage can go from little to complete in a matter of days, plus the material building up can break loose.

Laura was so right about your new normal. You can't expect life to be like it was before. You have a greater awareness of your own body and your mortality. You know that your body has betrayed you and now you have to cope with a lot more uncertainties than most people deal with. The good news is that in time it gets easier. But at first, it is harder than anyone who has never fought this battle can imagine. The best advice I can give you is to allow yourself to feel whatever you feel, whenever you feel it.

I had people tell me 1 week after my first stent how lucky I was and how great I was doing. I didn't feel so lucky at 39 to have heart disease. I had a lot of people telling me you should be doing this or shouldn't be doing that and you should be feeling so positive and don't dwell, etc. I needed to adjust. I needed to be angry. I needed to mourn life as I knew it. I needed to cry. I needed to be alone. I needed to laugh. I needed a lot of things back then. And the more people told me the shoulds and should nots, the more I realized I had to do what was right for me. If I needed to be a little selfish, I did. If I needed to cry, I did. Once I did what I needed to in order to cope, everything fell into place - and that includes physical. If I needed to sleep in one day, I let myself. If I couldn't bring cookies to the school on a certain day, I begged out without guilt. If I wanted to clean the whole house top to bottom another day, that was okay too. We all have highs and lows emotionally and physically.

Please don't let that 90% blockage wait too long. And allow yourself to cope with all this on your own timeline in the way that works best for you.

Take care -
Dianna

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