Let me try to paraphrase what I understand from your thread replies. You have seen six cardiologists in four years, and don’t trust any of their recommendations regarding the need for a stent with an 80% blockage? In addition, you believe your surgeon, which you have not consulted with yet, can’t be trusted to give you an unbiased, professional opinion. What if the surgeon recommended no stent? As Pellicle’s states, none of us are qualified to answer your question, and I have a feeling that if we did say yes, get the stent, you would not accept our advice. It’s your heart, you should be able to do what you want, if you can find a surgeon who is agreeable.
I don't know how you came up with that from what I posted previously.
The 1st cardiologist told me it was impossible to lower cholesterol through diet and that niacin doesn't work to bring down LDL. I know that is not true as my cholesterol is exactly where they want it to be based on diet and niacin.
The 2nd cardiologist completely ignored the reason I had gone to him in the 1st place. Every evening, starting about 5 pm, my blood pressure would start going up until it reached about 220/130. About 1 am it would peak, and then by 6 am would have returned to high normal.
The ER, several doctors including cardiologists, had no clue as to cause and just kept writing prescriptions for meds that didn't have any effect. It took me 2 years to figure out the cause, and I haven't experienced a spike in almost a year. I believe the same thing that caused the BP spikes caused the plaque buildup in aortic valve and arteries. If that is true, then the plaque is likely stabilized.
I believe the 3rd cardiologist was in early stage of dementia. He ignored everything I told him, and the nurse hurried him out of the room after just a few minutes.
The 4th was OK, but with a diagnosis of severe AS, I decided to see a cardiologist at a high ranking medical facility that was participating in the TAVR trial.
The 5th was at that facility. All was well until I think he had a disagreement with and was over-ruled by the TAVR committee. He went from being very co-operative and informative to refusing to provide any information. He had told me one day things were urgent and then 3 days later sent me a message saying to come back in 5 months. I tried several times to get an explanation, but none was forthcoming.
The 6th is at another major university, also participating in the TAVR trial. At this point, I have only had the initial consult and another echo. I have a follow-up next month.
I have brought up diet with most of the cardiologists. None were supportive. I even asked if they knew of a cardiologist that used diet to treat plaque and they said no. One said he had heard of someone, but didn't know his name.
The thing is, in the US, the Ornish Program and Pritikin Program are both approved by Medicare for cardiac rehabilitation:
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) provides coverage for a cardiac rehabilitation or physical therapy program if you’ve had at least one of these conditions:
- A heart attack in the last 12 months
- Coronary artery bypass surgery
- Current stable Angina pectoris (chest pain)
- A heart valve repair or replacement
- A coronary Angioplasty (a medical procedure used to open a blocked artery) or Coronary stent (a procedure used to keep an artery open)
- A heart or heart-lung transplant
- Stable chronic heart failure
So if diet based programs are approved by Medicare and some insurance companies, and there are scientific studies confirming that diet can stabilize and reverse heart disease, why didn't any of these cardiologists know about it?
I wanted to go to a center that has a Pritikin Program onsite, but unfortunately I couldn't find any within driving distance that participate in the TAVR trials. As I am considered a low risk patient, the only way I can get TAVR is through a trial or to pay for it myself, which I can't afford to do.
I first learned I needed a stent in January of this year. About 2 hours after the cath, I was laying in bed and my cardiologist came in and in a loud and serious voice said I needed either bypass surgery and open heart surgery for valve or a stent and TAVR because they had found plaque in my arteries. The cardiologist that did the cath was with him and gave him a "look".
He gave me, and my sister who was with me, the impression that this was urgent. He had me talk to the surgeon, a very nice guy, who talked to me for a couple of minutes and then said "I don't know why he wanted me to talk to you".
Two days later they held there weekly meeting and after the meeting my cardiologist sent me a message saying that my condition was determined to not be serious and to come back in June ( 5 months later). I asked why my status had changed from serious to not serious and he wouldn't give me a straight answer. I tried several times to get an explanation and he refused to provide an answer.
I thought about if for a few weeks and realized I had lost confidence in the cardiologist. The question was what to do about it. I did some research to see if there were any other nearby facilities participating in the TAVR trial. There was and I decided to see if I could get into the trial. That's where things stand now, except I am asymptomatic and you have to have symptoms to participate.
So I am in a watch and wait state right now. I was hoping that this cardiologist would work with me during that time to try to stabilize/reduce plaque in my OM2 and avoid needing a stent. He isn't up on using diet and didn't know anyone to refer me to.
The closest Pritikin Program is about 4 hours away and they meet 2 times a week. I am already following the basic program, so probably wouldn't get much out of it, but it would put me in touch with professionals, hopefully including a cardiologist, that are open to using diet and exercise to avoiding getting a stent. But again, I don't qualify as I don't have angina.
My primary care doctor is working with me. On my own I got a CIMT and a Cleveland Clinic Inflammation Panel. I hope to get another CIMT in a few months to see if I have been able to reverse plaque buildup. My CIMT shows I have lots of plaque, but none is what is called hot plaque or soft plaque. My Cleveland labs are show low risk for heart disease, which I think means in the last couple of years, through diet and exercise and fixing my leaky gut, I have reversed the conditions that caused the plaque buildup.
I understand there are no scientific studies showing that aortic stenosis can be reversed through diet or supplements. But I also know there are several studies that show that arterial plaque can be stabilized and reversed with diet and exercise. I just wish I could find a cardiologist that also knew that and was willing to work with me on avoiding a stent.
I trust the surgeon to replace my valve. Since I hopefully will be in a trial, the valve is determined by the trial. If I have to have a stent, I will rely on the professionals to use the right kind of stent.
But I don't trust cardiologists or surgeons to make the best choice when it comes to rehab. And that is what i see my question about stent or no stent as. Can I, through rehab (in this case diet and exercise) avoid having to have a stent. I think the answer is yes, but how do I convince my cardiologist of that?
