Coronary Heart Disease Support Group

I had the 3 by-pass a year ago and 5 stents since then 2 days you are still sore. and the site can be swollen and bruised. You will be ok. and don't worry about bleeding you are ok. they say don't lift anything over 5 lbs for 2 days. I always went back to work the next day except for the last one they kept me in the hospital a extra day. Just rest and if you are still experiencing pain on Monday call the DR. LL

You should feel fine within a few days I had 3 stents inserted 4 yrs ago. it is scary the first few months, you think every pain is a heart attack waiting to happen.Recover at your own speed.I have not had any major problems since the implants. Try to follow a new and healthy life style no somoking if ur a smoker eat lots of fresh veggies and fruits ..etc.It is hard to change eating habits if you have bad ones, you have to work at it. I have to work at mine every day to stay on track, its hard for me anyway.
Good Luck and FEEL BETTER SOON!!!!!

Any pain should be reported to you cardio doc immediately as if it is angina you may still not be getting enough oxygenated blood to the heart. That I had stents and angio grams and tests and test and still a year an a half later I had to have a quad bypass. I wish I had done that first.

I just had a 3rd stent inserted 5 weeks ago. Yes, being sore is normal. Being tired is normal, random pains might be normal. Tell your cardiologist about all of your pains.

Are you a sissy? Yes. But remember, sissies live healthier and longer. No one cares if you are a sissy so long as you are healthy.
The drugs do weird things to us. We all react in our own way. But you need to tell your doctor what is going on. He is paid to know what is going on with your body. So keep your doctor informed so that she (he) can treat you appropriately.

Consider augmenting with alternative medicine, such as a acupuncturist. My acupuncturist has been awesome and far more wholistic than my Western docs. He determined that I was anemic, whereas the Western docs, just blew it off.

hi, i had triple (widow maker) surgery, 2003, have a pacer, every one who cared, is DEAD, I take mediactions, The gardioligst said I should put a gun to my head, I did not quit smokeing, he said "all what we did for you, you did not quit smokeing, Put a gun to youre head, just as well. we did every thing for you. that person still is at the clinic, I really do hate to go there, he told me to DIE by my own hand, yeah I smoke, drink beer, no sexual diease, except for 28 yrs ago. I cannot help that a gall-blader operation was blothced, they were the ones to know what was going on.

It's all confusing at first and more psychologically traumatic than any of the doctors will prepare you for. I had a 5x bypass one year ago to this day. It was horrid.
Since then I moved to England for 6 months on a short term work assignment and walked like a mad man and got my heart strong. Of course this was 4 months after the surgery and I did Cardiac rehab...I strongly encourage doing that.
I got actively involved with the health care debate in our country to funnel my anger after being financially ruined by the crime of being "under insured".
I still have bad circulation in my feet but wil deal with that as best possible.
This site kept me sane...use it...the people here are wonderful
Obviously...don't smoke, eat healthy , exercise , do the meds that you must.

Eleven years ago at age 45 I had 3 blocked arteries. One was 90%, 50% and 30%. I lost 60 pounds walked two miles every day. I ate a very heart healthy diet In year I still had to have 4 angioplasties with stents. There were no medicated stentsback then. Procedures have changed a lot since then. They didn't give you blood thinners for a year. The arteries they opened in me closed up with scar tissue from the angioplasties.
There were no plugs. I had to lay flat on my back for 8 hours with a sand bag on my the incision. Then the doctor applied pressure with all his weight onthe puncture with his hands for 15 minutes. Talk about hurting like hell! I finally had to have a triple bi-pass. The surgeon told my family my arties were so bad I had 5 to 8 years to live. Well its been 10 years and I am still alive. I owe my life to God and Medications.
I found the doctors don't address the depression you go through. You have to seek help yourself.

Nana, my cath was two weeks ago, and I didn't get stent, but I didn't get a sand bag, either. I got Chad. Chad seemed like a nice enough guy, but that was my second least favorite part of the whole thing. Lying immobile for 6 hours was the worst part. If they had made me lay there for 2 more hours, I think I would have needed sedation.

I joined this site like two minutes ago. I am 50 for another week or so. In 2006 I had a stent placed in my proximal LAD with an angioseal device to close. I had a reaction to the angioseal and they had to remove it. I did not have a pseudoaneurysm, but they checked for it. I am waiting now for an appointment at a University Hospital for a Neurosurgeon to see if he can help as the femoral artery has adhesed to the femoral nerve and both are adhesed to the skin from underneath. It is very painful with each step, but, I have to move, right?

I am familiar with the 'pain' you describe. I believe we are more aware after something is done, whereas before, it was just a possibility something was wrong. Now we know something could be. I think it is natural to react this way. In fact, I worked at the time for a Neurosurgeon who was only 38 and he had to have three stents placed a few months after mine. He also said he was aware of every gas bubble, every tiny possible pain. So, it isn't just us.

Depression is inevitable when you face your mortality. And no, no one is going to treat it without you seeking the care. Do it. Even if you don't think you are depressed. Talk to someone about your symptoms and just see if they think you may benefit from some mile medication.

I hope this finds you feeling alot better. I feel like a new cardiac patient because nothing is finished for me. I am currently wearing a 30 day event monitor for tachycardia. My heart rate goes to 170 after 5 minutes of treadmill and my B/P is so low they can't medicate me any more. I take Toprol for the heartrate and Altace for my kidneys. Heart disease is just horrible.

Hi! Hope you are feeling better/ After my stents it felt like someone had been rattling around in my heart. But I got better and felt lots better after, more energy. But can relate about being paranoid about every little pain. But I thought ya know The pain I had when I had my heart attack was unique and if I ever have it again I will know it.
I did go on to have triple bypass surgery 7 years later. But I blame myself, I kept smoking, ignored my diet and generally ignored what the Dr told me to do. In other words I didn't take it seriously. If you smoke stop. I stopped 2 months ago finally, and still struggle with it. My diabetes had more to do with damgaing my heart, that and genetics.
Take heart it will get better