[MicheleHeart]

Ok I don't really know where to being but here it goes OK I am 37 female .I have had a heart attack back in sept 2005 they placed 2 stents in my right corarny artery.
I went to a dr in feb of 2007 and had a heart cath. Done it showed that where they put the stents had blocked all up and that I had more blockage going on right above where they placed the 2 stents was 2 places 90% blocked and then they said the front side of my heart had 4 40% blockage and 2 60% going on . They didn't do anything for me except maxamize my med which I have been taking . I have been to the ER sevral times since then with chest pains they says nothing shows on the EKG or blood work but I still have so much pain all the time I try to deal with it as best as I can but it is coming to a point that this pain never goes away I can't seem to have one hour of the day that I don't hurt. Most time I try to stay calm as possible so it doesn't hurt but it isn't working to well it runs from a scale 1 to 10 a 3 or 4 daily . I can't work and can not afford insurance and I am trying to get help from anyone I can to help me get help. So anyway I just need to know if anyone else knows anyone that is going through this or has gone through this what I can do . And does this sound normal to you. Or is it that I am stuck with the pain till I die with another heart attack? With no help for me ?

Also here is a list of all the meds I take daily Aspirin 325mg , altace 5 mg, atenolol 50 mg twice daily, synthroid 100mcg,norvasc 5 mg, protonix 40 mg, plavix 75mg, nitroglycerin 6.5 mg cap sasan 3 times aday,and hydrocodone apap 5-500 when the pain is too much to handle when it hits a 6 to 7 is when I take that but I hate taking it because it is to addictive and I don't want to be addictied to any meds.

[inthebox]

Golly

You are young to have such coronary heart disease.

In secondary prevention [ to prevent another heart attack ] the causes need to to be treated. These traditionally are

Smoking - if you do quit

Diabetes - if you are, maximize the treatment so your fasting blood sugars are as close to
Normal [ 80-99] as possible and a hemoglobin a1c of 6 % or less. If you have not been tested for diabetes , you should.

Family history - you can't do anything about this.

High blood pressure - treat to systolic [ the first number ] < 130 and a diastolic [the second number] < 80 . A beta blocker, like atenolol, and an ace inhibitor, like altace are standard first choices.

Cholesterol - A high total [ > 200] and/ or a high LDL [ > 100, recent goals have been as low as 70 ] and / or a low HDL [ should be > 50 for premenopausal women ], need to be treated. A "statin" such as zocor is standard fare. I don't see any cholesterol lowering medications on your list?

Other factors that need to be adressed:

Your dose of synthroid needs to be enough so that you are not hypothyroid, that is your tsh is normal.

Street drugs - cocaine, meth , crack can cause coronary arteries to spasm, and arrhythmias leading to a heart attack. Just general info - not saying you do these things.

If you are depressed - you need to be treated. People with CAD and untreated depressions have higher rates of recurrent heart attacks.

Is your blood CRP or Homocysteine levels abnormal?
There are also hypercoaguable [ blood clotting to easily ] conditions - more complex diagnosis - that need to be looked into.

I would bring these issues up with your primary care provider and / or cardiologist.





Grace and Peace