OMG now I am even more nervous! I am the orginal poster Godsproperty..but for some reason the healthboard is not recognizing my name, so I had to slip in incognito. Well since I posted, I am getting my original pre-stent symptoms..jaw pain..shoulder pain..shortness of breath..the works. I am due to have a heart ct scan this thursday..but the dr told me it was about as accurate as a stress test and I've always passed those. I am afraid to get yet another cardiac cath..cause I've had so many in the past year and a half. Now another dr tells me my liver enzymes are elevated due to the vytorin I am on.. I am on plavix and aspirin indefinetly, and that in itself is a whole other problem. I dont know which way to turn. Seems like the things that are supposed to make us better are actually killing us. Ugh! :dizzy:

[QUOTE]I am getting my original pre-stent symptoms..jaw pain..shoulder pain..shortness of breath..the works. I am due to have a heart ct scan this thursday..but the dr told me it was about as accurate as a stress test and I've always passed those.

Pwarbur,
It sounds most like your stent is re-clogged (furred.) I think you will need yet another angiogram to confirm this.
If it were I, I would aske the cardiologist to consider re-anglioplastying inside the stent or else atherectomying it to open it up if indeed that's what he found.
I don't think an MRI will yield enough information. :(
How low are you keeping your LDL?
Until this is resolved, keep taking the Vytorin regardless of the liver enzyme elevation. Problemo UNO is getting and keeping that stent clean.
If you have always passed stress tests, how did they find the angina problem?

My case was a complete blockage (99%+) of the RCA and I was operating ONLY on small vessel shunting aroung the blockage. If my original symptoms returned I would judge that my RCA had again completely blocked and the collateral circulation was carrying the load.

edit:
I reread your first post...5 stents..OY. My thinking: your symptoms probably came from ONE of those blockages and that is the one that is likely reblocking and causing the same symptoms. An angiogram is the ONLY way to isolate which one is a problem.
But to back up a bit, why not have a nuclear stress test first to isolate WHERE the ischemia is...maybe that will help point to the offending stent.
(Sorry if this comes accross as a bit "stream-of-thoughty...just thinking out loud (or typing out loud.)

But LASTLY, remember (and I will too) that angina is a SYMPTOM not a disease. As such it can be dealt with symptomatically and for some people the symptomatic relief is often good enough. Perhaps too many people are having massive intervention when conservative treatment is good.

Has anyone seen recent results comparing those who treated angina with beta or cc blockade and statins compared with those who were stented? Probably the results would be hard to come by in this era of "stent-first, ask questions later."

Hi Lenin, thanks for getting back to me..I know I have a couple of these things going..but each day I get crazier info and I am hoping to find answers and/or comfort. I have had nuclear stress tests and every cardiac test available prior to my first angio and they never found a problem. In fact 3 days before my angio I was discharged from the hospital (where I was admitted for chest and arm pain) and told I had the heart of a 20 year old and perhaps I need to see a psychiatrist. I had finally found a nice young cardiologist whose office I went to with the same symptoms and he called 911 on the spot and had them transport me and perform an angio that afternoon. Thats when they found the 90% blockage. You would think that, that would have fixed everything..right? NO...since then I have had 3 more angios and 2 more stents in the same artery but not the same spot. Tells me that these stents are acting like magnets for cholesterol or calcium buildup, whatever these blockages are made of. My cardio told me today to stop the vytorin cause of the liver enzymes..but now I'm not so sure I should do that. It seems to me..drs are letting the pts make the decisions cause they dont want the responsibilty to fall on their shoulders when a mistake is made..its easier to say..the pt didnt want to take the meds anymore. As a matter of fact..my dr asks me if I want to do another angio..neither of us want to have it done cause of the amount I've had so far. I have a heart scan this thursday...lets see if that joke of a test shows anything. This is most frustrating! :mad: