Lupus and heart problems
Hi everyone,
My boyfriend has had Lupus since he was 12 (he is now 28) but hasn't had a flare in several years. He takes his medication and sees a nephrologist for his renal insufficiency. In January, he had a heart attack and received two stents on one artery. Since then, he was hospitalized twice because he had chest pain and he now has 5 stents on 2 different arteries. His nephrologist says there is no indication of a flare from his blood work, and the cardiologists were somewhat puzzled but then just said that lupus was a complicated disease (duh). It's been only a couple of weeks since he last was in the hospital and got two brand new stents, and he's experiencing some discomfort in his chest...again. All the doctors I've talked to said that lupus patients had a predisposition for artery diseases, and that he was a smoker (he quit after his heart attack 8 months ago) - but at the same time, they did seem to think that it was weird. But then they sent him home and that was it, no explanation, no nothing. Just take your meds and it'll be fine.
I fear that he will have to go back to the hospital soon, and I just now that next time, it'll be a bypass. Is it possible that it's a flare and it doesn't show in the blood work? Has anyone had a similar experience? I'm also thinking about taking him to see a specialist, because I am fed up with how the cardiologists and his nephrologist are shrugging it off and not coming up with actual explanations. Am I crazy to think that there's more to it?
My boyfriend has had Lupus since he was 12 (he is now 28) but hasn't had a flare in several years. He takes his medication and sees a nephrologist for his renal insufficiency. In January, he had a heart attack and received two stents on one artery. Since then, he was hospitalized twice because he had chest pain and he now has 5 stents on 2 different arteries. His nephrologist says there is no indication of a flare from his blood work, and the cardiologists were somewhat puzzled but then just said that lupus was a complicated disease (duh). It's been only a couple of weeks since he last was in the hospital and got two brand new stents, and he's experiencing some discomfort in his chest...again. All the doctors I've talked to said that lupus patients had a predisposition for artery diseases, and that he was a smoker (he quit after his heart attack 8 months ago) - but at the same time, they did seem to think that it was weird. But then they sent him home and that was it, no explanation, no nothing. Just take your meds and it'll be fine.
I fear that he will have to go back to the hospital soon, and I just now that next time, it'll be a bypass. Is it possible that it's a flare and it doesn't show in the blood work? Has anyone had a similar experience? I'm also thinking about taking him to see a specialist, because I am fed up with how the cardiologists and his nephrologist are shrugging it off and not coming up with actual explanations. Am I crazy to think that there's more to it?
