I have a friend that has to get a few stints in his heart and he is very worried about this. I had a friend that had these put in last year and it was very quick and he recovered very fast.

Has anyone else here ever had a stint? How much recovery time did they need?

I know a few people with stents and they have all prospered with them, Stents are a medical advance, although there can be problems putting them in, and there were some problems with coated stents, but I am not an expert, so someone else would have to take it from there.

My father has had two and they saved his life and they were very simple to put in and he was fine almost immediately. Your friend shouldn't hesitate for a second. It's far better and less impactful than a 4 way bypass.

A few months back, I ran into an acquaintance at a favorite watering hole and mentioned how good he was looking. He showed me a small red mark on his hand and told me it was the entry point for three stents he had installed the week before. Or maybe it was four. Anyway, he said he was feeling better than he had in years.

I think he stayed overnight in the hospital. When I saw him, he was a week out of the hospital and I don't recall any restrictions they had put on him. He was certainly hoisting his Manhattan with frequency and with flair.

If I were your friend, I don't think I would be too worried about the operation or about the recovery. Although I think I would ask for some of the excellent drugs they have available to relax a patient before the surgery and during the hospital stay. I'm sure they'll give him the good stuff without his asking, but it never hurts to make a few discreet inquiries.

Hope your friend does very well!

My father originally went in for stints, and they determined that he required bypass surgery after starting the procedure. I understand the stints to be relatively minor and pain free.