Stent Procedure to Treat Coronary Artery Disease
Over the past 20 years, treatment options for coronary artery disease (CAD) has become much more effective and commonplace. This often leads patients to ask fewer questions about treatment options, advances, and benefits. Instead, questions focus on monetary cost and logistics of the planned procedure versus how quickly they will return to normal daily activities.
A stent procedure is one frequently used treatment option for CAD. When plaque builds up inside an artery, blood flow to the heart can be compromised. The blockage leads to coronary artery disease and can result in chest pain and a heart attack.
Most stents are tiny wire mesh tubes placed within an artery to help keep it open and blood flowing as needed. A medicine coating on the stents is slowly released to prevent re-blockage of the artery.
A conversation with a stent patient and cardiologist
Knowing the right questions to ask proved to be of special significance for CAD patient Shawna Dukes. A combination of active research and persistence with doctors enabled Shawna to ask the right questions, which ultimately saved her life. After consulting with a number of physicians who could not determine the cause of her extreme fatigue and overall discomfort, she finally found answers from her interventional cardiologist. He determined that getting a stent that promotes faster healing was the right treatment option for her, and one that gave her back control of her health again.
Shawna and her interventional cardiologist, Dr. Colin Barker, took the time to answer a few questions regarding her situation and results.
Lisa Nelson RD: Shawn, please tell us about your heart condition and how your personal research led to a diagnosis and treatment plath?
Shawna Dukes: I’m a very active person. I live a very active lifestyle. Several months ago, out of the blue while I was doing one of those activities of working out, I had troubling symptoms of throat and neck tightness. I had chest tightness on my left side. I had numbness that ran down my left arm.
They were symptoms that I had never experienced before. It definitely got my attention. Over the next several weeks, I had them again and again. It led me to my primary care doctor. Through him and a couple more doctors, and about ten diagnostic tests along the way, I was told I had coronary artery disease and angina. I was given medication for that.
But it limited my lifestyle. I couldn’t do the things I was doing before without those symptoms flaring up. I really didn’t think that was my best solution. It didn’t sit well with me, that this was going to be my new normal. With my symptoms that kept breaking through, even when I was on medication, on a particular day when they were very severe, I thought, “I really need to seek someone else. I need to get an answer from someone else.”
That led me to Dr. Barker. The day that I had the very severe symptoms, he saw me. Finally, I learned the cause of it. It was the 90% blockage of a major artery of my heart. That day, he had me in the cath lab. He performed a procedure to implant a stent. It’s the SYNERGY stent that I received. Within minutes, I felt better. A few weeks later, I was back to my very active lifestyle of working out every day and walking a couple of miles with my dog. It just restored my life and gave it back to me.
Strawberry Storage Guide: 5 Different Methods
It’s always great when you find fresh and organic berries at your local market. Usually, they look so good that they are eaten right away. But did you know there are some methods to strawberry storage for future use? You can keep strawberries fresh in your fridge for up to two weeks just by adding some vinegar!
Shari’s Berries created a guide on storing strawberries which includes 5 different methods — including two simple freezing ideas for making yummy smoothies or a sweet treat. These methods work for any type of berries so they can be enjoyed all year long!
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Food Labels That May Sound Legitimate, But Aren’t
Is it worth the extra cost to purchase products with labels touting natural, organic, GMO-free, and so on?
In many cases, you are likely wasting dollars.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified and defined three categories of claims that can be used on labels. The three categories are health claims, nutrient content claims, and structure/function claims.
Health claims relate a connection between a food or ingredient and disease risk. For example, an approved health claim would be foods high in calcium and vitamin D claiming “helps promote bone health”.
Nutrient content claims reflect the quantity of a nutrient in food. For example, fat free is a nutrient content claim, as is the term “lite” which reflects a comparison to another food.
Structure/function claims describe the role between a nutrient to a nutrient deficiency disease. For example, the statement “fiber maintains bowel regularity”. There are additional parameters around using these claims, such as including disclaimers or additional information on the labels.
It all boils down to companies trying to get your hard earned dollars by using labels to entice you into purchasing… and causing a whole lot of confusion as we try to decipher these claims.
I’m overwhelmed just reading through all the FDA information as I prep to share this with you. Ugh.
Let’s talk about the most prevalent claims.
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Do you have the guts to be healthy?
From weight loss to a stronger immune system – and even reducing time spent in the bathroom – sometimes it takes only small changes to benefit several areas of your life.
I asked registered dietitian nutritionist Felicia D. Stoler, DCN, for her favorite and easiest digestive health tips. Stoler is author of “Living Skinny in Fat Genes”.
Lisa Nelson, RD: Why are we seeing so many TV commercials aimed at people suffering from digestive issues?
Dr. Stoler: “It’s because millions of Americans don’t have healthy guts. That can affect your overall health as well as your ability to get out and enjoy your life. No one likes spending extra time in the bathroom, or worrying about embarrassing accidents.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: Is there one small dietary change that people can make to improve the typical digestive issues?
Warnings to watch for during exercise
Exercise is beneficial for everyone, even those who have heart disease or have had a heart attack. Regular exercise can strengthen your heart and promote quicker recovery.
Safe Exercise for Heart Disease
However, there are warning signs to watch for.
Stop exercise if you become short of breath or overly fatigued. Granted, exercise will cause you to breathe harder and you should feel like you have exerted yourself after a solid workout. Discuss what is acceptable for you with your doctor.
If you deal with shortness of breath regularly, even when not exercising, contact your doctor. You may need to adjust your diet, fluid intake, or medications.
If you develop heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, stop exercising, rest for 15 minutes and then take your pulse. If you heart rate remains greater than 120 beats per minutes, contact your doctor.
Don’t ignore pain. Ignoring pain can lead to injury.
When to stop exercising
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What is a heart attack?
A sudden and sometimes fatal occurrence of coronary thrombosis, typically resulting in the death of part of a heart muscle. ~ Oxford dictionary
The heart muscle requires oxygen to survive. When oxygenated blood flow to the heart muscle is cut off or severely reduced a heart attack occurs. Blood flow can be cut off or severely reduced by the build-up of arterial plaque. This build up eventually causes arteries to narrow and potentially close completely. This is a slow process known as atherosclerosis.
As plaque builds up it can eventually rupture or break open inside the artery, causing a blood clot to form. If the blood clot becomes large enough, it can reduce or completely block the flow of oxygen rich blood to the heart muscle.
Ischemia is when the heart becomes deprived of needed oxygen and nutrients. If blood flow to the heart is not quickly restored, ischemia will damage or cause the death of part of the heart muscle. This is a heart attack and the healthy heart muscle tissue becomes replaced with scar tissue.
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