Stent site question

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 6:04 am

For all of you who have received stents that are in a location that you can feel with our fingers. My one stent on my right side I can feel right under my ear in the area right behind my jawbone. Probably 3 mornings a week while I'm putting on my shave cream that area is noticeably, visually and through touch, swollen. Does anyone else notice this. I don't know if it means anything, but I'm just wondering why some mornings it just feels like there's a stent right there and some mornings it actually feels like a lump.

I suppose it could be related to the banged up accessory nerve, I just don't know. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Arcee · Post by **Arcee** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:43 am

Lew, I think it was Rokkit who said something to the effect that you were brave for touching the stent and he hadn't done so. I'm with him. I've always thought I couldn't feel it, but I really haven't pressed hard, and since I don't have to shave, I don't go anywhere near there. But I will summon the courage and see if I really can feel anything and will let you know.

Sport · Post by **Sport** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:02 am

I haven't pressed all that hard, but I can't see or feel anything in the area of my stents. My only residual negative effect is a painful right shoulder, and a weak right arm.

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:12 am

I can actually see it protruding and it's like a lump. Since I've been at work, it has gone down markedlly. I'm starting to think that maybe it's just stuff with my screwed up neck/shoulder right now, but that dude was pretty large this morning compared to right now. So, in this case, if it was happening to you, you wouldn't have to feel around, it's unmistakable.

jay123 · Post by **jay123** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:37 am

Loobie - sounds like it would be worth a call to Dr. D to me--

Rokkit · Post by **Rokkit** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:04 am

I worked up the nerve to push around a little bit.

Didn't feel anything but I don't really know where mine are. I remember feeling them go in but now I can't remember exactly where it was. They may be too high to feel. Mine are the smaller diameter ones too. Maybe that's what it is, yours being the bigger ones?

mrhodes40 · Post by **mrhodes40** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:10 am

I can feel a lump on mine esp on bad neck days... I think the scalenes spasm on those days and makes that lumpy feeling at the lower end, that is my theory anyway.

AND of course I feel it on the big stent side.....not the other side

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 11:16 am

mrhodes40 wrote:I can feel a lump on mine esp on bad neck days... I think the scalenes spasm on those days and makes that lumpy feeling at the lower end, that is my theory anyway.

AND of course I feel it on the big stent side.....not the other side

Asked Jeff, and he felt around and said he hasn't really ever felt any lumps. He said he noticed the stents alot more in the beginning, but it was more a sensation. He doesn't notice them anymore...however he was working under the sink last weekend, in a weird neck postion, and had a headache and neck ache after that. He has to be careful-

I think Marie's got it, Lew...look at these pictures of the scalene muscles (scroll down a bit). They're kind of ropey, and cover the veins. I don't think you could feel the actual vein or stent thru these guys. The IJVs are external, but they are covered by your neck muscles. Chances are the scalenes are getting rubbed and irritated still, making the lump.
http://accweb.itr.maryville.edu/myu/Bio ... 01on9.html
cheer

Sharon · Post by **Sharon** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:13 pm

There is a dfference between the left side (stented side) and the right side. It is more of a sensation than an actual lump or protrusion. Soon after the surgery, I did have a lump where the two stents were overlapped end to end -- I do not have that now. My massage/physio was able to feel the stent in the beginning -- not so much now which she attributes to the fact the vein is now encompassing it the way that it should.

Sharon

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:19 pm

Contact Dr.D.

Maybe take a photo and email it to him?

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 4:07 pm

I did talk to Dr. D about it and he said that the stents had incorporated nicely from the last MRV and that I should just keep an eye on it if it gets out of hand or stays swollen and doesn't go down. It does go down, and does so in correlation with decreased neck pain. I had 'tweeked' my neck a bit working out (not overdoing it this time I swear) while straining a little doing some ab crunches. Just had to get the last couple in to finish the set and strained a bit and immediately felt it in my neck and stopped. Well that was last night and this morning was the 'big swell'.

The scalene muscle theory makes perfect sense. Thanks you guys, you are the best. Not a question goes unanswered around here. That is just freakin' awesome. So I'll start feeling around every morning on days when I work out the night before and I'll no doubt find a correlation. Once again thank you all for taking the time to respond. I posted the question this morning, and not 12 hours later, we have seriously plausible theories! With all of this being so new and with me being so ignorant about anatomy, it is just great.

I think I'll really have to watch it until my trapezius muscle gets 'back'. It's just so easy to tweak when you're secondary muscle (levator) is doing it all. Now here's hoping that my trap comes back! At PT today the guy was saying "if it comes back all the way" and I was like "isn't that up to me?", and he said "probably". So I just have to make sure I don't strain my neck. Should be easy enough!

CRHInv · Post by **CRHInv** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 4:13 pm

I am so glad you got some answers! Now, just stay away from that roto-tiller! Have a great weekend!

acol · Post by **acol** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 9:39 am

Hi everyone

I am still finding my way around this marvellous site and so please forgive me if I have chosen the wrong thread or if my query appears a little basic. I am trying to find out a little more about 'to stent or not to stent'. From what I understand the liberation procedure can be done with or without stents. One or 2 patients who have had this procedure, without the use of stents, appear to have suffered a recurring blockage. From a simplistic point of view do the stents prevent this reoccurrence? Is the decision to stent or not (presumably with the patient's consent) taken prior to the procedure? Is it just a case of different practices within different countries? I note that Dr Dake at Stanford has been using stents to keep the veins open.

Presumably, the procedure using stents is slightly more complicated and expensive?

Would there be a danger of a blockage occurring in the same vein slightly away from the inserted stent?

In other words I am looking for the pros and cons of using a stent or stents in the liberation procedure.

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 12:28 pm

Dr. Dake doesn't use the balloons; only to open while he puts the stent in place. The stents literally CAN'T collapse and that's, I think, why Dake uses those. He saw a problem in restonosis right at the angio site and said "I can avoid that".

I don't know about the cost thing.

I also agree with Dake's logic about a stent not being able to be compressed. I do think, however, that they can restenosis above or below as seems to be the case with Mark (skydog).

acol · Post by **acol** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:27 am

Thank you Loobie. Someone, on another thread, also mentioned 'absorbable' stents which seem to be a good idea.