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5318543 tn?1366442839

Contemplating Balloon angioplasty - Please give your learned opinion

Since I am having angina pains pretty often , probably due to my 90% blocked LAD, I am contemplating of going for a Balloon angioplasty, since, this seems like my best option to postpone a pending Bypass surgery.  Next week would be my meeting with a Doc, with ref. this surgery.  Beforehand, I would like to gather all possible facts entertaining to this procedure from the members with knowledge and experience. Accordingly, all your diligent contributions will be highly appreciated.  Thanx in advance for same.
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5318543 tn?1366442839
Hi ed34, Thanx for your response and apologies for this late reply.
I am on medications from the new Doc for 12days now. Most my angina pains have disappeared by now.  Very faint sensation, still there though, seldom.
All in all, I feel much stronger and full of energy.  The Doc assured me that , I will be Ok with his medications.  So I am full of hopes and will keep you updated.  As for the FDA and all the regulatory bodies, I know already, they are in the pockets of big Pharmas.  As a matter of fact, already the Rockefeller had them bought over, in 1800s in the US and now controls is worldwide.  However, the enlightened few will do the right things, specially in this digital age - Will post more pics in my youtube a/c later.
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
You have my prayers but I would be interested to know what exactly is in the remedy. I'm a firm believer that there are cures for everything in plants, but it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
I have a friend who is in her last year studying as a Pharmacist. They were taught about two doctors who created a herbal tea and it was curing ALL cancers. Even patients who had been given up on by hospitals were being cured. The FDA shut them down, there's no money in things you can grow in your own garden. It's obvious to me now that human benefits are not the driving factor in medication, money is, unfortunately.
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5318543 tn?1366442839
Hi ED34, Thanx for responding.  I get it.  Give me a wild card.
Herbal meds come to me from a doc practicing in a very remote location.
Many patients in my situ had been saved so far, according to my very reliable source.  I personally spoke to the Doc and he assured me positively. I also have faith in this system.  Will keep u posted, how it goes.  Anyways, I also need your prayers. Cheers.
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976897 tn?1379167602
Impossible to answer. You could form collateral vessels and last a long time. I am intrigued by the herbal medication, do you have more info on it?
Helpful - 0
5318543 tn?1366442839
Thanx ed34, Flycaster305, I believe, I have 4 or more restrictions in me.
Believe it or not, I have a Doc, who will cure those with non-invasive herbal medications.  Next week, I will receive medications in Japan.  I want to do the ballooning  to buy time for his medicine to kick in.  I wanted to do a dissolving stent procedure.  But the Doc in Japan says, it is not approved in Japan.  I know, it is made in India and marketed in Japan as well.  However, the Docs in Japan, I am dealing with stated otherwise.  How long do you guys think, I can carry on in the present condition???  Thanx in advance for all.
Helpful - 0
63984 tn?1385437939
Like Ed, I've had multiple angiograms, stents, and bypass surgery.  The balloon procedure was used during my first couple of angiograms, but they were temporary fixes, and bare-metal stents were inserted and still patent after 10 years, and my drug eluding stents are likewise patent.   I don't have a lot of faith in the long-lasting effect of the balloon procedure.  The drug-eluting balloon therapy sounds interesting.  
That said, I think where in the LAD the blockage is located influences what type of procedure is considered by the medical team.  


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976897 tn?1379167602
I watched the frames, but I will let others comment on it first. I would just like to say that it seems to me there is more than one restriction, I can see at least three across the vessels.
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5318543 tn?1366442839
Hello ed34, Thanx for your time in responding.  I uploaded some frames from my angiogram to the youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfC7GXJwjug
Sorry, I can't cut the background sound.  Hope for you and other members with knowledge to comment on it.  Thanx all for watching and diligent comments.
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976897 tn?1379167602
Actually it's very rare that ballooning will remove any material and set if free in the artery. The higher risk is the catheter knocking some plaque free as it progresses down the vessel.
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5318543 tn?1366442839
Thanx ed34 for taking the time to respond again.  I wonder if the ballooning procedure will produce any particles, that would  clog my arteries elsewhere.
This is a major concern as well as how long will this be effective in keeping the LAD opened.  Hope for more inputs by members with knowledge and experience in this procedure.
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
What you need to do is try and remove as many possibilities as possible for this area re-blocking. It happens more than people realise. First of all, the stents were bare metal with no chemical coating on them. These tended to block quite quickly thanks to the formation of scar tissue inside the artery. This is the largest cause of re-blocking. Then came the drug eluting stent which has a coating of a chemical to greatly reduce scar tissue formation. However, stents are a scaffolding, with many gaps along the wall. This means only around 2-3% of the stent actually touches the artery tissue and delivers the chemical. What was needed was a way to get the chemical all over the artery lining, 90-100% and hence the newest idea, the drug eluting balloon. This technology was developed for vessels too small to accept stents, i.e. less than 3mm across. Plain balloons would open them, but within days most of them re-blocked. The drug eluting balloon is coated with the drug and much better results are being observed according to my cardiologist. I assume that these can be used prior to deploying a stent, or actually be used to expand the stent in place. I would definitely ask about this, but the last time I checked, Europe was the only one using it. Japan in general seem to use the latest developments, unlike the FDA that spends a lot of time doing its own studies first.
Helpful - 0
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