Oakleaf, an update, even though this is off topic a bit. My husband went for a 64 slice CT scan at Mass General; again nothing had really changed. The cardiologist here in Concord said there was a slight narrowing of one artery, but it is the same thing that has shown up every year since he had the stents put in. So, after some pushing, Steve said, well, what can I do? They decided to put him on Indur, a long acting nitro drug. Since the angina is stable and Steve knows exactly when it will occur and he can make it go away, the doctor felt this was the best solution. This way, he can take it slightly later in the morning, if it is a day he is riding to work and back home, since it lasts for 12 hours.
The doctor at Brigham and Woman's was very good. I didn't go with him for the appointment, but Steve felt satisfied that he was talked to like an intelligent adult who is not going to stop exercising! This guy said, sure you could go in for another angio, but there is a risk to that. He felt that since all of his other numbers (cholesterol, bp) are excellent the Indur was a good choice. Steve is taking the absolute lowest dose and he shouldn't get any of the problems people get when it stops working after a while because your body builds up tolerance to the drug. This doctor also said that the angina is a separate issue from the past blockages and plenty of people have angina who do not have other heart issues. So, in the end, he told Steve if he keeps up the active life style, most likely he will die of something else, as long as he keeps being active and stays on top of any changes in his symptoms. And, he explained the reason why the pain goes away after riding for awhile; apparently the body produces natural nitro.
So far, the drug seems to be working, but he still is warming up much longer and not riding so hard for every ride.