Angiogram, Arteries or not!

Happy New Year to everyone.

November 2017, I got my Pacemaker, two leads top and bottom right side.  It was an emergency at the time but I was told all was well now and sent home to figure it out.  Two hours into our trip back home I started feeling very strong thumps, kicks, whatever you want to call them.  Within first couple of months I told my Rheumatologist, a family friend that is emergency room doctor, my GP and the lovely lady at the Pacer Clinic about this thump that I was feeling.  They all suggested that it would settle down and I would get use to it. Eight months later I had an appointment with Cardiologist to try and find out what was happening.  Apparently my lead had not moved from original position and Pacer was doing it’s job but he would be ordering more tests.  So those tests started near end of November (a year after getting Pacer) and I have given a lot of blood, had several ECG’s, stress test, more blood and ECG this week, another CT Scan coming up on 14th then back to Cardiologist for Angiogram on the 16th.  My Left Ventricule Ejection Fraction which was OK at 55% last year has now gone down to 35%.  So hopefully doing the angiogram they will find some blocked arteries that they can fix and that could help bring EF back up.  Cardiologist said that it is a process of elimination to find out what is really wrong, if not arteries then we are narrowing the possibilities.  I am pretty sure that is not a good thing.  Since been put on new meds last month, so heart doesn’t have to work as hard,  I have to admit the thumps aren’t as strong as they were so hopefully headed in right direction. 

I am feeling like I will probably have to get another lead in for left ventricule as it is one with problem now.

Any advice from all you experienced people would be very helpful right now, 

Thank You

Chapter 🌹

 

2 Comments

Go with it

by LondonAndy - 2019-01-07 19:39:10

I remember the most frustrating thing for me when I developed shortness of breath was waiting for each different test to find what exactly was wrong, so that we could move on and sort it. So all I can suggest is to let them do their tests and get facts to achieve this. 

I am weird. When I had my angiogram I was fascinated to watch this robotic arm zoom around me to do the x-ray as the probe went from my groin into my heart. There was a huge 100" or more plasma screen alongside me, with flashes revealing something to the technicians I am Sure, but certainly not me.  It was all completely painless, and at the end I said "I enjoyed that - same time next week?" !  Maybe my ignorance was helpful, but I just let them get on with it.

I wish you well in making your progress too, and a solution being found for you. (In my case it was a severely blocked aortic valve, so I had open heart surgery and now have a mechanical one.)

Gone with Ite

by Chapter - 2019-01-27 11:30:26

I had my angiogram - it went very quickly and at the end the doctor said that I had nice clean arteries, nothing to fix there, but my EF was at 32% and my heart was very weak and my blood pressure was not being managed properly.  Then I went to recovery and did my 2 hours on my back, got up doing everything very carefull, went to the bathroom and by time I got back to bed had a bleed (inside so didn’t make an mess anywhere), back on my back for another 2 hours.  I was disappointed that there was nothing that they could fix, but they assured me that it was a good thing.  So for next two months I am to take more meds, gentle exercise, eat well and lose bit more weight then go back to see Cardiologist, more tests and see where we are at.

I don’t know how likely it is to reverse EF decline but got to try, right?

Thank You for your input

Chapter 🌹

 

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