Anyone ever take a treadmill stress test?

[Iolaus]

I have to go get an echo cardiogram and take a treadmill stress test tomorrow, after spending 8 hours in the ER yesterday. 

Anyone ever have these tests done?  What should I expect?

It's good to be above the dirt. 

[havending]

yup passed with flying colors and went back to servicing the next day.

Good luck to you.  You will need it that test is a golpher

[fogcity]

I've done many --- sent you a PM.

[whaletail116]

Good luck with everything - you'll be in my prayers this evening.

[Hillbilly]

Piece of cake. Nothing to worry about.

The echo cardiogram is nothing more than an ultra sound of your heart.

The stress test is harder of the 2. You get on a treadmill and they inject gunk in you and you run. They watch the gunk on a computer.

Nevertheless I'll pray for you Nick.  Just did.

Hillbilly

[mission vending]

Its good to be above the dirt.   

I'll agree that waking up on the green side of the grass is a good thing.

Good luck with the test. Have not had to do one but I hear it's not a lot of fun.

[JEREMYTINA]

Not yet, but given the unusually high number of people involved in vending apparantly that have had them, it looks like I might need one eventually....

Our prayers are with you.

[Iolaus]

Thank-you all so much for your thoughts and prayers.

[Iolaus]

Well, they let me go home after the test so things must not be too bad.

Like Hillbilly said, the echo cardiogram was an ultrasound of my heart.  This was easy, I just had to lie there.

The stress test was the most strenuous exercise I've done in a while.  They hooked me up to an EKG and took a reading while I was resting.  Some sort of abnormality showed up indicating there might be some scar tissue present, the same one they saw in the ER, so the technician had to ask one of the cardiologists to look at it before I actually got on the treadmill. 

The cardiologist said doing the test was OK, so I got on the treadmill.  I was connected to the EKG the entire time while on the treadmill, and my blood pressure was being checked at regular intervals.  They never injected any goo into me and didn't take any chest xrays, either.  Just the EKG and BP.

The treadmill started very slowly, and then at regular intervals increased in speed and incline.  I was on the treadmill for about 20 minutes.  My heart rate peaked at 169, and the bottom number of my BP stayed in the 80s the whole time.  The technician said this is a good sign, so I'm feeling quite relieved.

Now the results have to be sent to my primary care provider in a few days and I'll schedule a follow-up appointment with him.  What they're telling me right now is the symptoms I experienced that made me go to the ER are probably anxiety related.  They gave me a prescription for Xanax to use as needed for anxiety, and I'll know more when I get the results.

Again, thanks everyone!

[Hillbilly]

Nick, I had some symptoms like this a couple of years ago.  Are you on blood pressure mecine now?  I was on Toprol and my arms hurt,chest hurt,etc.  They changed it to Bystolic which is a cleaner drug.  They also put me on Lexipro for the anxiety and now I feel like a million bucks.

Hillbilly

[antoniocinisi]

I am glad your test went well.now dont forgert to have a few shots of whisky aftwer takeing your zannies

[Hillbilly]

Did you go for the follow up?  Everything turn out OK?

[Iolaus]

Thanks for checking, Hillbilly, I really appreciate that. 

I haven't had the follow-up yet because they needed a "do-over" for the echo cardiogram.  They said the pictures didn't come out clearly.  I'm getting that done tomorrow, then I have to schedule a follow-up with the primary care physician. 

Then I have to find may way through a hedge maze blindfolded and ****** the piece of cheese from the flaming bear trap at the very center.  After I show two forms of ID and my insurance card to the Yeti guarding the exit, I can then trade the cheese for my test results.

I'm feeling better, though.  I haven't had any of the anxiety symptoms for 3 or 4 days now.

[Bocephus]

That is actually a pretty decent heart rate for being under that kind of stress for 20 minutes. Course, my heart rate always runs high. My resting heart rate is about 80. Normal is 100. Healthy as a horse though. You probably want to get your BP down in the 70s but sounds like your heart is in pretty good shape.  120/70 is a good BP. Anything less is excellent although the second number is really the only one that matters. Definitely sounds like anxiety.

[Iolaus]

Well, the test I had today wasn't really a "do-over", more like "extra credit."

They had to do an additional echo test, because the first showed that the septum, the wall seperating the left and right sides of my heart, is very thin.  This additional test was to see if there is a hole anywhere in there.  They hooked me up to an IV and pumped frothy saline into me so they could watch it go through my heart.  It was pretty cool to watch, actually.

Doing a quick search, I found that this is probably not a big deal and is most likely a congenital problem I've had my whole life that has never been detected before.

[Iolaus]

I got some results of these tests. 

I passed the stress test with flying colors, my PCP was impressed with the results.  I have no blood pressure or heart issues based on these results.

The echo did show that I have a "cardiac shunt", with oxygenated blood crossing over to the non-oxygenated side.  But this only presents itself under physical stress such as coughing or squeezing my abdominal muscles.  My PCP seems to think its minor, but he did say he isn't quite sure exactly what this condition means for me, so he is going to refer me to the cardiologist.  He said the cardiologist may not even want to see me, so I think everything I learned is good news.

He extended my Xanax prescription to use as needed for the anxiety attacks, and I haven't really had a severe one of these in a couple of weeks.

Thank-you everyone for your thoughts and prayers.  Looks like I'll be around vending for a long time.