am about 6 weeks post a new stent,have been having chest pains , again , for about 2 weeks ,on a daily basis 3-4x , feels like someone is squeezing my heart. and pain goes from front towards my back, occasionally into my L.arm as well. saw the cardio. PA. yesterday . We know its not chest wall pain . fx my L arm last year and can adjust that by using massage . She seems to think the heart may be "cranky" , suggested ,nitro-which did help - watch the pain -3 nitro >go to ER>>>> and possibly the stent may be starting to occlude. not exactley what I wanted to hear. :angel: blu

blu,

The best that I can tell you from my experience is that if the pain is the same or very similar to how it manifested itself before that stent, then don't hesitate to go back in and have them do another angiogram and examine that artery where the stent was placed, as well as your other coronary arteries for any occlusions. Did you have a stress test with Tl & Tc prior to your angioplasty?

When I had my first stent placed in the RCA, my LAD artery was 50% blocked near the top of my heart (S1). I would get out and walk and when I would push it, I started to notice "discomfort." When I started to try to run, that same characteristic L arm and both shoulder pain returned for me, so back in I went 3 months later. That time my LAD had progressed to 90% blockage so I had another stent put in, but my initial stent was fine. After being out of the hospital 3 days after the second stent, I went back in due to anxiety about some L arm discomfort. After a third angiogram (which lasted 60 min), all was still alright. Finally, I became anxious again over some arm pain a few months later and went back to the ER a 4th time in 2002. This time, I had the stress test I mentioned above. For the first time, all looked great on it, and ever since that trip I have been fine. The message I want to convey is don't hesitate to go back in if you don't feel right--much better safe than sorry. My record is 2/4 now, with those 2 false alarms. I don't regret my choices of having them check at all. Far beats the alternative of not going in and having something really go wrong.

My stent failed during the 3 month period after it was inserted, but 6 weeks into it was when I began getting discomfort like you describe. At that point it had narrowed to about 40% went back in a few weeks later and narrowing was at 60%. By almost the 3 month mark it had narrowed to 97% causing me to need emergency bypass. Don't hesitate to get back in there if the nitro protocol is not working. After stent and bypass I still had pain similiar to what I had when the stented are was restenosing. I was told it was probably artery spasms and another cath didn't find any further blockage so it's difficult to tell the difference.

It is a shame that there is nothing less invasive to check out the condition of a stent. Or IS there?
A catheter procedure every time we feel anything untoward to our stented hearts just isn't in the realm of common sense and using a recurrence of angina as a marker for a problem seems positively STONE AGE MEDICINE to me.


Alas!

blueferry,
It seems that your stent is furring up...you shouldn't be depending on nitro at this time unless blood flow is compromised.
If you felt good immediately AFTER the stenting the indication is that it's NOT another artery causing the problem, but the repaired one.
NExt time they get "cutesy" with you with crap like a "cranky heart" ask for some Journal references for the condition!:mad: