Had some shortness of breath with a few dizzy spells...a week later I awoke from an angiogram to be told by my husband I was the proud owner of two new stents! I'm not overweight, don't smoke, eat well and exercise. I'm still in shock, and afraid too. Just checking to see if I have any company out there...
Hi juliet, i am not 36, but i was just as shocked a year and a half ago to have to have two stents also. i am and have always been in good shape, none of those vices you discussed, and just like you shortness of breath walking up a hill that ususally gives me not trouble made me go and ask for an angiogram. everyone was surprised. i think it is lucky your doctor knew enough to do it. at your age they wouldn't ever suspect it, but there are a few young people in your age group on this site and i am sure they will chime in. i want to say that i personally was terrified and stayed that way for over a year til i came to this site and realized how truly bad many others have it and that i will probably survive a bit longer. did they put you on meds? which ones? it soounds like it is hereditery, did you have high cholesteral? fill us in.
Thanks for the response. No cholesterol problems either. Just two grandfathers with heart disease, both of whom died at 60 yrs. old. I am VERY lucky for the doctor I have. He did not hesitate. Luckily, I was already seeing a cardiologist for minor high blood pressure (it has been normal for 1 year with a low dose of med.) that didn't resolve itself after a bout of preeclampsia. He ordered all the tests quickly, and honestly, was as stunned as I was.
Yep, I"m on meds, but I'm having a reaction to something and we're not sure what yet. I take 325mg aspirin, Plavix, Atenolol and was on Lipitor. However, about a week ago, I started having itchy palms and feet. Then, wherever I'd scratch, huge welts would develop. The doc thought it was the Plavix, so we stopped that and went to Ticlid. After three days, no difference in the rash. He then thought it was the Lipitor, so we stopped that, and I"m back on the Plavix with a nice dose of Prednisone to control the rash. I just hope that this will resolve everything...I have no desire to go back on the Ticlid. The side effects of that are just scary...
Thanks for the support. I'm trying to deal with this and still do my wife and mommy and work thing too, and it is difficult!
wow juliette, i know that list of drugs pretty well, i will be happy to discuss them anytime. i could not wait to get off the plavix, i stopped it right at 9 months(which is what they demanded ) my understanding is it helps to protect your stents for the first few months then after that you should be able to just be on 81 mgs of aspirin. i tryed the lipitor and all the other statins and just could not handle them. i am surprised if you do not have high cholesteral they are making you take that. i have finally widdled my meds down to three, i felt like i was 80 years old and figured i would go for quality of life rather than quantity, you are still too young to think like me however. good luck and please stay in touch, we are happy to share. Also i go on hte chat site pretty often about 5to 6 pacific time daily, so if you need a private chat, please look for me. bye for now.(thats P.M.)
Good morning.
I am curious about the Plavix. I have coated stents (not bare metal) and told I must be on them for life. The latest research has something to do with the coating in these stents and taking Plavix will keep them open. They are advising doctors to inform current coated stent pateints and future coated stent patients of this new finding...Plavix indefinatley now for those with coated stents. I have been on Plavix for almost 2 years now. I wish I could get off.
My sister has bare metal stents and got off the Plavix after 16 months and has not had an incident in over 2 years. I wish now I had the bare metal stents.
Would you share your side effects of Plavix? Did you have low Ferritin levels? I am in dire need of knee surgery and Cardio will not allow this as he will not take me off Plavix for more than 4 days and I need to be off Plavix 7 days before the Orthopedic doctor will do knee surgery. 
The only side effect I've noticed is the wierd rash, but I'm not sure if it's the Plavix or Lipitor.
So far, (knock on wood), I've been fine with it. Honestly, I'll take whatever medicine they want me to for as long as they want (except maybe the Ticlid) if it will keep me around to see my son grow up. I'll deal with the side effects.
I also have the drug eluting stents. I can see why your doctor wants to keep you on the keep you on the Plavix. Maybe you should have your knee doc and cardiologist talk. Perhaps they could come up with a solution. Medicine is so compartmentalized nowadays that sometimes you have to force them to talk to one another. Good luck with your knee.
So far, (knock on wood), I've been fine with it. Honestly, I'll take whatever medicine they want me to for as long as they want (except maybe the Ticlid) if it will keep me around to see my son grow up. I'll deal with the side effects.
I also have the drug eluting stents. I can see why your doctor wants to keep you on the keep you on the Plavix. Maybe you should have your knee doc and cardiologist talk. Perhaps they could come up with a solution. Medicine is so compartmentalized nowadays that sometimes you have to force them to talk to one another. Good luck with your knee.
Thanks Juliet for your information Dreamgirl, would you share your experience with Plavix and do you have drug eluting stents? Thanks.
hi, yes i have the drug eluding stents, and i just wanted off the plavix. from everything i have read an 81mg aspirin will do the same thing. i have a book called best pills worst pills and it says that they do virtually the same thing. i had my stents put in in oct 2004 and so far i am doing fine. going in for a chemical stress test on the 10th i will find out if there are any new abnormalities or blockages, hopefully. i was unable to tolerate alot of the meds and just chose to go off. i met a women who had stents for over 10 years(she was older) and she only had aspirin to help. i also take lisinopril in a small dose to keep my arteries dialated. i hope this is a little helpful.
one other thing, i would like to know where you read about the plavix, the latest on them, forgive me, but i am rather cynical because i think drug companies sometimes sell the doctors on the necessity of these meds. do you realize that in order to get your cholesteral numbers where they say they should be(under 100 for ldl) that can only be done with medication. now there are always exceptions, but for the majority that is the only way. what a nice little permanent profit for those drug companies. i am not anti meds, but i just try to control them to an acceptable level. i am sure this is more than you wanted to know just couldn't resist giving my 10 cents, someone will come along with a different opinion i am sure
Hi DG. I was all hep to get off my Plavix this past May as it would be one year for a May 05 stent, 20 months for the 8/04 stents. B ut, this past March at the National Cardio convention in Atlanta, the lead cardio's have discovered that people with drug eluding stents who have gotten off Plavix can suffer up to a year of getting off the Plavix, an Acute Coronary Event and or a Fatal MI. It has something to do with the "drug eluding stents". Bare metal stents are not affected as they do not harbor this drug. I saw this on line and then in USA today and then my cardio notified me and then I saw another forum talking about it....Aspirin is great but Plavix has something that aspirin does not...At least this is what the Lead Cardio doctors are saying and Plavix did not sponsor this research. One of the forums on line was in about.com (if I can mention that) under Heart Disease. I also saw the article I believe, in Newsweek, while sitting in my dentist office. Was not happy to see this article. My knee is killing me and I cannot have surgery until I am off Plavix for 7 days and Cardio says no. He said I have too many stents that could close up.... Thanks for writing, DG.
Thanks for writing, DG.
Welcome to the forum Juliet! We are happy to have you. I dont have stents so for that I cant relate but I am the only 32 year old member here with a pacemaker. So, you are in great company! 
I hope you continue to post here this is a great site for information and support as you can well see from all the super responses you have gotten. Hope to hear more from you. Take care
I hope you continue to post here this is a great site for information and support as you can well see from all the super responses you have gotten. Hope to hear more from you. Take care
Elisha
i will read up on it all ellie, but i have been off thhe plavis for over a year and so far okay. i will let you know how my chemical stress goes. thanks for the info, i will read for myself, then iwill talk to my cardio later this month. thanks
Hi everyone I'm new to the board. I've been lurking for weeks now thought I would finally post.
Sorry to hear about everyone's misfortunes!!!! I'm a little older than 36 but can relate!!!!
I was 39 when I had my heart attack I ended up with 1 non-medicated stent in the LAD. I was put on plavix for 11 months.
I thought I was doing ok, but 3 yrs. later I start having shortness of breath and chest pain ended up with 3 more stents in the RCA medicated-stents this time this was 4 months ago I'm currently taking plavix again will probably take it for 11 months or so like before or my cardio may want me to take it longer. don't know until my next appointment.
I didn't have any problems taking plavix before and it seems to be doing ok now with no problems!!!
After the heart attack I had to take that terrible ole coumadin for 3 months ARGHH 
hated taking that poison stuff!!! 
hated taking that poison stuff!!! I also take Lipitor, Aspirin, Coreg & Altace along with the Plavix
Thanks everyone for the informative information on plavix!!!
Hi Blue Angel. I am new here also. Question: After your heart attack you mentioned they placed you on Coumadin for 3 months. Were you also taking Plavix at the same time as the Coumadin? Thanks
Hi Ellie2,
Yep, I was taking the coumadin, plavix and aspirin all of these together for 3 months and they still couldn't get my blood with in the normal (thinning) range it needed to be! I was so glad to be off of the coumadin. Plavix didn't bother so much as the coumadin did.
Sorry to hear you have to post-pone your knee surgery, What kind of knee surgery do you have to have?
Oh, Juliet, I feel for you....What a shock this must be. How long ago did this happen?
I was so upset when I got a stent for my 54th birthday present. I thought I was too young!!!! Started having chest pain a few days before my birthday; in retrospect I kinda knew it was angina the first time I felt it (my Dad had heart disease with angina for at least 10 years before he died at age 64 of a heart attack).
Long story short, I ignored it for about 10 days, then called the doctor late on a Friday afternoon. He got me in first thing Monday morning...told me it was probably heartburn, I was too young, but let's do some tests to make sure....EKG was okay, chest x-ray okay, but I failed the stress test...they put me in an ambulance and took me to the hospital, did an angiogram, and put a drug eluting stent in my LAD. It was 99% blocked, and I was very, very lucky not to have a heart attack else I would probably be dead per the cardiologists. That was early October, 04 and it has been a wild ride adjusting to it emotionally and mentally. I'm still adjusting; every little twinge in my chest tends to freak me out.
I do know several women in their 40s and early 50s who have had heart attacks; a couple unfortunately did not make it. I know it doesn't help much to say this, but it is a good thing this has been discovered now (sounds like before you actually had a heart attack?). If you do what the doctor's say, you WILL get through this. Medicine is constantly learning new things and can keep us alive for a long, long time.
I've been looking unsuccessfully for a support network for young(er) women who have CAD for almost two years....here's hoping I/we have finally found it here.
I was so upset when I got a stent for my 54th birthday present. I thought I was too young!!!! Started having chest pain a few days before my birthday; in retrospect I kinda knew it was angina the first time I felt it (my Dad had heart disease with angina for at least 10 years before he died at age 64 of a heart attack).
Long story short, I ignored it for about 10 days, then called the doctor late on a Friday afternoon. He got me in first thing Monday morning...told me it was probably heartburn, I was too young, but let's do some tests to make sure....EKG was okay, chest x-ray okay, but I failed the stress test...they put me in an ambulance and took me to the hospital, did an angiogram, and put a drug eluting stent in my LAD. It was 99% blocked, and I was very, very lucky not to have a heart attack else I would probably be dead per the cardiologists. That was early October, 04 and it has been a wild ride adjusting to it emotionally and mentally. I'm still adjusting; every little twinge in my chest tends to freak me out.
I do know several women in their 40s and early 50s who have had heart attacks; a couple unfortunately did not make it. I know it doesn't help much to say this, but it is a good thing this has been discovered now (sounds like before you actually had a heart attack?). If you do what the doctor's say, you WILL get through this. Medicine is constantly learning new things and can keep us alive for a long, long time.
I've been looking unsuccessfully for a support network for young(er) women who have CAD for almost two years....here's hoping I/we have finally found it here.
Just wanted to comment on the Plavix issue. From the reading I've done, including many actual studies, it is a safe medication (perhaps safer than aspirin as it does not have the GI side effects) that works differently than aspirin to keep the platelets from sticking together and causing a blockage that in turn can cause a heart attack. The last I knew the jury was still out on whether folks with stents should take both indefinitely, but was leaning in that direction. My cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona sure is in no hurry to take me off it. I've had no issues with it, except of course I bleed and bruise easily.
Thank you to all for your support. Yes, I was lucky for the doctors to catch this before a heart attack. Good news! My crazy rash seems to be going away...thanks to a five day course of predisolone. Now my doc will just have to figure out a replacement for the Lipitor.
I know what you mean, ConnieS, about every little twinge worrying you...I am really paranoid. All of my fun began the last week of June (luckily, I'm a schoolteacher, to I was able to relax for the rest of the summer).
This forum is really comforting. Is it just that "Misery loves company", or is it "safety in numbers"!
I know what you mean, ConnieS, about every little twinge worrying you...I am really paranoid. All of my fun began the last week of June (luckily, I'm a schoolteacher, to I was able to relax for the rest of the summer).
This forum is really comforting. Is it just that "Misery loves company", or is it "safety in numbers"!
Hi Connie and ellie, aren't we a threesome. connie i had my tow stents at 57 and felt that was way out of line as i am in excellent condition. my stents will be in 2 years late in october this year, i am actually going for another test next week, i pray i do not have any more blocages, you both make me want to start the plavix again, i will after i see my cardiologist if he agrees with the info i am hearing. i wanted to say that for the first year i was a total basket case, no where to go for info, i thopught i was going to die, i fianlly started on a small dose of zoloft to help with the anxiety, this foroum really helped, also, the chat line. we will be having a chat next week i will give you the date later, need to check it for sure. connie, was it your cholesteral in your case? i know ellie said no in her case. i am not taking alot of meds, so i guess i am the other end of this deal, you all can measure what happens to me, is it the same as those who take all the stuff you are told you must take. or will i get worse. ineed to go back to your note connie, i cannot remember if you were on the plavix for a year and still had the other stents become necessary. bye for now
sorry it was blue angel who had the second set of stents. blue, where you on any statins like lipitor for cholesteral?