I am definitely getting the second, and may get the first during an angiogram.
I am borderline phobic about invasive medical procedures, and maybe it’s not even borderline. Anything more advanced than a simple shot and I am very likely to become hysterical and start barfing so you better put me away to do it.
The SJ shot is for pain And my pain doctor tells me it won’t be bad. Let’s hope so.
I am going to be sedated in some respects I don’t know with what kind of sedation yet for the angiogram/potential stent. There is no way on God‘s green I could hope to remain calm and still while things are run through veins and pumped up and what not no thanks wake me when it’s over…
So if you had either of these procedures what was your experience? If you have stents in your veins can you feel them? How did you feel afterwards?
I had a stent placed 6-ish years ago. There was no pain, not even discomfort! I had an IV in already and they gave me some fentanyl and a second drug. I was initially alarmed because I did not feel any effect from the drugs, but the next thing I knew they were done!
ETA: there was someone (an anesthetist?) by my side the entire time chatting.
Yep. Single stent. No problems since the surgery. Things were tense on the day it was done, because I refused thoracotomy for bypass if the doc found one or more stent(s) wouldn’t be enough. But it turned out great.
I went home the day after and back to work (ama) the day after that.
I have your fear of shots and things. In fact, I am going to post asking about dental procedures. I am up to 5 stents, one replaced an older one. You cannot tell they are in there. No discomfort or fear in any of them. When I had a catheter in the heart area to inject dye I was groggy but awake. I asked the doctor when he was going to put the catheter in. He replied, “5 minutes ago”. Hah! My kind of procedure.
In the past few years I have had tubes down my throat twice and a gall bladder removal plus one tooth pulled. All were done with sedation through an IV in my arm. Each time I fall asleep without even realizing it and have pleasant dreams like flying over the countryside like a bird. Very little time needed in the recovery room. I think you will be just fine, Stoid.
Now if I can only find a demist who does this type of sedation for fillings I’ll be happy.
I have three stents in my right coronary artery and posterior descending branch. I can’t feel them at all. I was conscious when they were put in and didn’t feel the catheterization (I was feeling a lot of other stuff, but not that).
Can’t remember which arteries, but one stent on one side (?) and two on the other 3 years ago. Two procedures a month apart. I was frightened of the procedure as it involved poking holes in large blood vessels (femoral and wrist). Both procedures were painless and the only strange thing was I could feel some sensations in my chest as they moved the catheter.
I was groggy but awake enough to talk to the anesthesiologist and cardiologist. Don’t know if this is a good reference, but I had two hernia operations soon after and they were far, far worse regarding pain and problems afterward. The worst part of the stents was missing my morning coffee.
Edit: Almost forgot. I coughed or sneezed (or something) during one recovery and partially dislodged whatever was plugging the resulting hole in my femoral. This caused a flurry of techs/nurses/etc. running about shouting incomprehensible words followed by “STAT!” and one practically climbing atop me to apply pressure. That was sort of painful, but they assured me it’s happened before and I was in good hands. The only result was having to stay in recovery several more hours. I think they also gave me some medicine to ensure no more coughing or whatever I’d done.
I had a medical port for chemotherapy. I couldn’t feel when it went in even though I had only local anaesthesia. When the catheter reached my heart, I could feel a bit of pain every time my heart beat. I told the doctor and he said he could spare me that, pulled it a bit back and installed it there. I had it for half a year and the only times it hurt, after the first week, was if I knocked my collarbone against something or pulled the catheter going into the port. Funny enough, I went through an operation for the cancer and half a year of chemo but the time I really was afraid was when they were going to remove the port and everything would be over. It was very anticlimactic, I got the anaesthetic, the doctor made a small cut, asked me to take a deep breath and pulled everything out without any pain at all.
I had a stent put in my LAD three years ago. They sedated me, but didn’t put me completely out. I think they prefer not to use a general anesthetic because it’s not as invasive as open surgery and the risks are higher with a general. They went in through my right wrist. I barely felt a thing. Afterwards you have no sensation of the stent whatsoever. I had an incision on my wrist that was so small they didn’t even stitch it, 2 mm, 3 at most. No pain at all. They kept me one night for observation and I was home 24 hours after the procedure. I don’t know what is typical–I was rushed into the cath lab as an emergency case on the verge of a heart attack; in a more planned-out situation it might be an outpatient procedure.
Just reporting this miracle: 64 year old, fat to one degree or another my whole life, dedicated lover of all things meat, especially with plenty of fat involved.
My arteries are 100% blockage FREE. Yup. Amazing but true.
EKG required by shrink for continued Adderall prescriptions for ADHD gave funky results suggesting left ventricle blockage. Echo and stress tests did not clarify, so “gold standard” angiogram necessary for the definitive answer.
Actually after mine, I asked my doctor why they don’t do that more routinely as a diagnostic tool. He said that’s it’s a risk tradeoff. So even though I’m describing it as not so invasive, they don’t want to do it unless they have to. In the OP’s case they weren’t confirming he was fine, they were concerned he wasn’t fine but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong.