I just found out I am having 3 stents put in Thursday morning. A little freaked out about it. Any insights into what to expect. Thank you.

First good luck on your procedure. It has been a few years since I helped in the cath lab but the procedure is pretty straight forward. You will be prepped and an IV started. They will give you a mild sedative (if needed). The groin will be prepped with a cleanser and draped. There will be a nurse handling any medication request by the cardiologist and a tech or nurse assisting with instruments and wires. The cardiologist will insert a needle and a small diameter sheath into the groin after numbing the skin. They will insert a wire and try to pass it into the blocked artery in your heart. If successful they will basically inflate a balloon at the end of the wire which smashes the plaque up against the wall of the artery and opens the vessel.

If all goes well you will end up staying for a while with a sandbag on your groin to hold pressure to the groin bandage.

Above all else if you are anxious don't be afraid to tell the nurses and ask early for something to help calm you. If you wait until you are going into the procedure room it's the wrong time as things will go pretty quickly.

I'm sure you will be fine.

Congratulations on getting this found out and fixed before it got terminally fatal. Modern medicine is amazing. You'll probably get a new religion at the church of eating healthy and exercising.

I have a single stent as a result of failing a routine physical. I'm lucky, I never had a heart attack.

You'll be just fine. My best wishes to you.

The most dangerous part is behind you.
You're in good hands.

I have 3 stents and a roto-rooter in two procedures 6 years apart.

It's not unpleasant. Usually you are up and around astonished how much better you feel very shortly.

The most unnerving part was the first procedure. After it was done, I was put in recovery where a very large black man put pressure on the wound in my groin for a certain length of time, to stop the bleeding. That worked. There were several of us, a couple men, a couple of women, each in our own private screen area. There I lay, naked as the day I was born, when several nurses held a conference in my screened area. I'm sorry to say I do not know what good manners requires in that situation.

The most recent procedure went just as smoothly. There was some talk about attempted suicide by chicken fried steak or something.



A couple of my friends have had a dozen procedures or so.

I have 3 stents in two procedures. First about 99. Then about 2004 for another artery. First time Had to drill through a 95% blockage in my LAD artery, (aka The widowmaker). Rotoblater. Luckily I knew what to expect as my wife was a cardiac cath lab nurse. Only real pain was the stuff they used to numb your groin. Burned for a couple of seconds. Not really painful, just irritating. I convinced them to let me keep my glasses on so I could watch the procedure on the screen as they guided the device into my heart. Quite facinating . I could see the blockage and watch the tools deployed. Doc described the events as they happened.
Laying still after the procedure while a nurse held pressure was annoying because I don't like to lay still. Jallen was right. You feel a lot better after as your body is perfusing more blood/oxygen into your body.

Laying still that night was painful as I have a bad back and my back aches if I lay still. Otherwise it's not a scary or unpleasant experience. I actually found it very interesting to watch. Would have really been entertained if I wasn't the patient. I kept telling myself that I should be nervous or scared but it wasn't a frightening experience.

Best to you.

I had two put in through my wrist 2 years ago. The part I hated the most was the blood thinners that I had to stay on for a year. Looks like I'm on 80 mgs of motor, which kind of makes me bacon proof although I don't eat it every day any more.

I've had them installed. The improvement in your life can be significant. I can do more strenuous tasks without breathing hard. You MUST take up a regular exercise program from now on to make sure your arteries and stents stay open. If you don't, you'll visit the OR again. It's definitely a life changer, and worh it. First time I was in the hospital 2 days, second time over night. Maybe next time they'll have a drive through service. (<- a joke).

I had a heart attack in 1991. I had an angioplasty and had stents installed and have had no problems since. I had to give up some good tasting stuff such as pork chops. Just stick to the prescribed diet and do the recommended exercise (such as walking).

I don't shovel snow anymore but I can push it up a slanted driveway. I can still dig a few holes to put additional small plants in the garden.

I'm 77 years old now and closely watched by my wife to ensure that I don't do foolish guy things such as lift to much.

Another member of the stent club here. Next month will 14 years. I woke at 2:30am feeling "weird"-as soon as I sat up I presented all the classical heart attack symptoms. Called 911 and a couple hours later I was in the cath lab. The doc asked if I wanted to watch the procedure on a monitor but I was so doped up and not wearing my glasses I passed on that.

The first thing I noticed was how I went from being in a very cold lab to an amazing warming sensation from the internals out. The procedure didn't last terribly long, awake but goofy the entire time.

A collagen plug was inserted into my femoral artery upon completion and I had to lay flat and not move for 8 hours. I don't know what was placed over the plug but it was hard plastic and pulled very tight. It hurt but I was so medicated I didn't care lol.

Here I am today, a relatively healthy 60 yr old-well type II diabetes not withstanding, almost at my fighting weight of 168 (173), no heart issues since.

Oh the worst part? My cardiologist at the time had a female PA, yes she was hot and very well proportioned, that was the first one from the office to check up on me in recovery. Not fair!!!

I'm sure you'll do just fine-nothing is routine in a medical procedure but this is pretty damn close today.

Almost had one. Had strange feeling in upper chest, drove myself to the ER. Was admitted and told needed either angioplasty or bypass. Doctor advised against stents--something about Diabetics doing better with surgery--so I had a quadruple bypass instead. That was 10 years ago and so far, so good.

I'm sure your treatment will be routine.

flashguy

If they weren't doing angioplasty, they'd be doing a bypass. The angioplasty is a walk in the park compared to that.

I had three in left leg and one in right leg. That was 10 years ago. No problems since.

I'm not Diabetic. Just ate the wrong food with no exercise program.

I was a nervous wreck during the procedure for the first stent I had placed. Not knowing what to expect. It made it very difficult for the doctor and staff.

The second time, I knew what to expect and watched and talked with the medical people while it was going on. Of course, they gave me sedatives both times, but I was so freaked out the first time, don't think sedatives helped much.

Many stents later (carotic/renal), the big worry now is making sure the insertion puncture does not get torn and is taken care of.

Good luck to you, If you are anxiety prone, do tell then to get a good dose of sedatives.

My wife had a couple (different times) and they were done through the wrist in her LAD,which cuts back on the having to lay flat and wait while pressure is applied to your groin area. Just out of curiosity,why are they waiting the few days and where are they to go?

I had a cath done in the spring of 2016 in preparation for my valve replacement surgery. No big deal. You'll be fine during the procedure and much healthier afterwords.

I was getting gas while doing the treadmill at the gym. I would slow down and if I belched, I felt better and could speed up. I mentioned it to my doctor. I was expecting a prescription for antacid or something. The doctor ordered a stress test. They ordered an angiogram. I woke up in the hospital scheduled for bypass surgery.

There I was nude on the bed with four beautiful young women working on me while my wife watched. Two were nurses prepping me for surgery and two were aides shaving me from chin to stern. I had quadruple bypass. The doctor said I was near death and I had no clue.

Yes. I had a an emergency stent after an LAD MI (Widowmaker). NO BIG DEAL! You'll probably be asleep through the whole thing and you won't feel a thing before, during or after.

OK, maybe a little tenderness in your groin afterwards if they go in that way, but it is minimal and you've been in way worse pain before.

I've observed several dozen. I assume you're having an angio and stents. Without patronizing you, this is easy peasy. I've had dental work that was far more painful.

Let us know how it was. My guess is you'll say it was less unpleasant than a colonoscopy.

From one member of the two man team that developed the manufacturing process for the fist FDA approved stents:

Go forth and fear not!

On a side note, I personally skipped the easy stuff and went right for the quadruple bypass!