Hi I rarely xl this because it is not too active but hope u still look I just got home from hospital due to IPF and flu not good combo but I understand what u are talking about required a longer answer than I am up to so I will be messaging u in few days I didn't want u not to think anyone was listening I just have no steam today take care I promise to get back. Tj

Hi jdigilio. I'm new in this group, but I don't think you're being overly sensitive. I had three heart stents in 2011, all in my right coronary artery. My first one collapsed and I ended up with two more four months later. I've also been diagnosed with multiple illnesses to top it off. I felt that something wasn't right with me and had my PCP check me out. He did numerous tests but nothing showed up. My Pulmonary doctor did other tests and still nothing. They even sent me to a Neurologist, thinking I may have had a stroke. My ECG and x-rays were all good. This went on for MONTHS! I was beginning to think I was going crazy. I actually quit telling my doctors about not being able to walk very long without hurting and the chest pains I was having.

June 13th was my 6 month Cardio appointment. My Cardiologist saw the notes where my PCP did an ABI and a slew of other tests but all of them came back normal. After questioning me about the ABI, he said I needed one with the treadmill because my legs didn't bother me until I started walking. I ended up having a Nuclear Stress test, 2 sets of x-rays and an ABI with and without the treadmill plus 4 ECG's. He said I wouldn't hear from him unless he found something on the tests. A week had gone by and I didn't hear anything so I thought the tests were "normal" and that it really was all in my head. I was still feeling pain and I still had this "gut" feeling that something was very wrong. Just as the week was up, I got a call that my Cardiologist wanted to see me as soon as possible. That was Monday, June 24th. Keep in mind, I'd been telling my doctors for months that something was wrong, but all tests came back good. Well, with all the tests and frustrations, my Cardiologist found what was happening! BOTH my legs have blockages in the main artery and he is putting stents in on July 1st. He also saw a problem with my last stent! When he stents my legs, he's going to check my heart stent. There's a great possibility that I will have to have bypass surgery as well, on Monday. If the stent is collapsing, or there's a blockage there, bypass is a definite because he cannot put anymore stents in my RCA. He contacted the surgeon, while I was there, to have him on standby. This makes me know that I did right in keeping on them about something being wrong.

So.... you keep telling them what's happening and make them listen to you. Even if they "think" they've done all testing and everything is "good", that doesn't make it so. No one knows our bodies as well as we know them. We KNOW when something just isn't right. Good luck and please keep us updated. ~ Helen

Hi Helen, my husband too felt there was "something wrong", he couldn't put his finger on it, just that he felt bad, he couldn't say how, where or why he felt bad only that he did.

One night he was feeling totally "off" so I took him to the E.R. Long story short . . . his arteries were blocked 95% in one artery and 75% in another. He ended up having a triple by-pass.

We were having issues with our doctor and eventually found another doctor. This one listens to us when we tell him our feelings regarding our health. For many months my husband complained to the first doctor about his head always being itchy, etc. and he never ever looked at his head. The 2nd. doctor identified skin cancer.

So, like you said "you keep telling them what's happening and make them listen to you". We have to listen to our body, it gives us messages and we have to "make' the doctor listen to us, even if we have to come across as being a nag. It's our body and our life!

No you are not being overly sensitive. In some of the information I found when I Googled PAD, I read that depression was one of the issues that some people have, along with diabetes and other things. I too suffer from depression but the medication I'm on has worked well to eliminate that. So don't worry about being too sensitive, listen to your body, it's trying to give you messages.

I too would like to know if people get stented and that takes care of the problem . . . or do they have to have repeat procedures. Does anyone know?

BeachMouse, I hope you're still coming to this board. Seems like all the groups have slowed to a near halt. I had to go in for another stent in July, 2013. I heard that the stents last around 5 years or so. After that, you most likely will have to have one of two things.. another stent or bypass.

I saw my Cardiologist the end of January and my PCP the end of February. Not good news from either. My last stent is occluding (40% for now) and when its far enough, they'll have to do bypass. Bad thing is... Because of my PAD, I don't have any viable veins. Now, my left leg and foot is swelling, but my right one isn't. I've heard it could be a clot. Not something I wanted to hear. They stopped me from driving because they can't get my bp stable. They said it's going much too low and I could "drop" anytime. In other words, there's nothing else they can do. So... I'm in this "wait and see" phase of my journey.