Stent placed for MTS 2 days ago- positive experience so far
I live in Oregon and traveled to Denver, CO to be treated by Doctor Spencer at MIPS this week. I’m on day 2 of recovery after having a stent placed in my left Iliac Vein on Friday. She found an 83% compression through IVUS- and I’m feeling pretty good! This is my experience only and not intended to be used as medical advice.
2 days before the surgery I started taking Journavx- a newish none opioid pain medicine. After the surgery I took ibuprofen and Tylenol every 6 hours with oxycodone when needed. I stopped taking the oxy today as the pain has gone- (I’m feeling more bloated/ IBS’y than anything) but I will continue to take the Tylenol and ibuprofen for a few more days just in case.
I had moderate back pain yesterday (more so on the right side which seemed odd) but nothing terrible. The meds did their job and a heat pack worked wonders. I had more energy than usual and may have overdone it a bit as I was very tired today.
I’ve suffered from POTS with heart palpitations, heavy legs, breathlessness and chronic fatigue for the past 4 years, which is what led me to pursue a diagnosis of MTS.
I stopped taking my beta blocker yesterday and haven’t had a single heart palpitation since the procedure.
I have felt some heaviness in my legs and weakness in my arms when getting up and raising my arms above my head.
I was given a Gore Fortegra stent as I have a mild nickel allergy.
Dr Spencer was absolutely wonderful. She’s truly a unicorn. She explained everything to me before the procedure and showed me the stents- she let me play with them a little bit too, which was much appreciated! Despite being extremely busy and short staffed she spent time with me afterwards explaining her findings, she even helped me to put on my shoes! Her nurses were also extremely kind and supportive and I felt very well taken care of. I had to pay out of pocket because I’m with Kaiser in Oregon and they wouldn’t cover it. This meant taking out a $20k loan on my home, but if this helps with my quality of life it will all be worth it.
After a 4 year long journey of trying to get a doctor to listen to me/ take me seriously, this already feels like a huge win. I know that recovery is not linear and I’ll keep posting about my progress here- feel free to ask me anything.