Older people who had stent surgery

Hi seam36. I guess your cardio is talking to you about your options. I can tell you that at age 78 I had two stents put in -- easy procedure, through an artery. If that is what your doc is recommending, I would say you shouldn't worry about having it done. It beats open chest by-pass surgery. It opens up the heart arteries that are showing serious clogs and the only post procedure change for me is to take a blood thinning medication which I will likely take the rest of my life. It is my understanding the stents are good for about 10 years.

I wish you good luck and good health.
Donna

I also had a silent heart attack and as a result got 4 stents. This was when I was 61 yrs. old. and after the procedure the nurse showed me a video of it. It was amazing, all of a sudden it looked like all these tree branches started growing. It was the stent opening up my heart arteries that were closed due to a blockage that was 13 yrs. ago. Since then I take an ace inhibitor and a beta blocker plus a statin and will for the rest of my life and feel just fine...good luck !

Hi @degarden_girl
Where did you hear that stents are only good for 10 years? I work in this area and never heard of such a thing.
Jasper

I understand that the stents themselves are still good but they tend to accumulate plaque and over about 10 years, give or take, the artery can again become blocked and the next option would be by-pass surgery. This info is from my cardio at the point that I received my stents. She was stressing the importance of maintaining a good, low cholesterol diet.

Hearing more often that cholesterol in diet is old school. Eggs are super good for you. Stay away from factory farmed and organic better. Medicine doesn't recognize organic, grass fed - animal welfare in general.
I think many are chasing low LDL as the only goal.

At age 80 they discovered I had a 70 percent blockage with an angioplasty. Four months later I had stent put in. And at age 82 because of shortness of breath I did another angioplasty - for left heart/right heart catheterization - the right heart cath failed (they couldn't get the internal jugular). These procedures are not like surgery so you can get up and go after.

questionofbalance,

Can you provide links to those sources? Including the ones you feel relate somehow to medicine not recognizing "... organic, grass fed..." ... and how cholesterol relates to "animal welfare in general." I'm not following.

And, given what is apparently science-based, LDL is one factor ... but a major factor, especially in those diagnosed with heart disease, right?