I have one coming up. I had one 17 years ago and it nearly killed me. I had some kind of reaction right after I left and had to go to my family doctor to make sure I didn't get worse. I told the new cardiologist about it and he said not to worry.

Is this the best way to see if I have blockages?

They can do it without you getting on the treadmill. They do an injection and monitor it while you sit in a chair. A bit uncomfortable for a minute or so but it passes quickly.

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JoeM

Quote
Dennis S
Is this the best way to see if I have blockages?

Not sure about it being the best, but certain remember having a "Stress Echocardiogram". I wasn't even having any cardiac problems or symptoms. Just during a routine physical my doctor at that time asked, "have you ever had a stress test?" -> Well No!! Everything was normal, but bad knees make taking the test difficult.

Good luck and wear comfortable shoes.

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- Riley
Southern Indiana, B-Town

I had a stress test on a treadmill a few years ago. Doc started off with me walking for a few minutes and then a little faster with a slight incline as he monitored my heart rate. Slowly climbed to 140 and settled back down in the low 130s . Doc said something like your heart rate should be climbing, not coming down. So I changed the speed to 7 mph and a few minutes later I was in the low 150's. I told him I may be 5'7" & 200lbs but I completed an Iron Man earlier this year. I do 200k bike rides regularly.
Anyway, says my heart is ok and no circulation problems

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"he is going to start WW3!!!!"

Exercise treadmill test using EKG---cheapest, moderately sensitive but requires the patient to be fit enough to walk on a treadmill (duh)
Exercise treadmill test using an echocardiogram and EKG ---moderately cheap, probably more sensitive
Stress Echo without the treadmill--for those who can't exercise the heart is stressed using drug infusion to increase heart rate, the heart is imaged while under stress to look for disfunction.
Nuclear stress test--- very sensitive, radioactive tracer injected, heart is stressed with drug infusion then pictures are taken by a specialized camera. Computers are used to make "movies" of your heart beating revealing function and areas of ischemia (oxygen starvation).
Heart cath---the gold standard, most invasive and least comfortable

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For some must watch, while some must sleep
So runs the world away

Almost seems that way. I had a stress test 26 years ago when I was in average shape and 50 pounds lighter. I was sprinting at the end and past ready to quit running. I was very glad he had me gradually warm up on the treadmill for ten minutes first. I asked the doc if it showed anything and he said just at the very end.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

It is rare to have a heart attack during an EKG treadmill stress test.
The test is stopped if there is evidence that the heart is not getting enough oxygen.
For information regarding the different types of sterss test, dad@home's post above is good.

just another billing scam for the insurance industry, unless you are prone to or have history of.

[www.nytimes.com]

not for the easily angered.

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!#$@@$#!

never do yesterday or today what you can put off til tomorrow or next year.

I had a "PET Scan" done last month (new doctor wanted to establish a cardiac baseline). They injected me with a radioactive isotope and slid me through a scanner. Took about 30 minutes and, I was lying down while it was done. I was told the PET scan was a better diagnostic tool than a treadmill test. It is more expensive. Medicare and my insurance covered it.

I thought PET scan was done before and after exercise, that is the only way to fully evaluate.

I had a stress test followed a few days later by an echo stress.

By the third part of the stress test, they had the treadmill sloped so much and going so fast that I felt like I was going to either drop or throw up.

They wanted my heart rate above 135 and they got it and then some.

Felt a bit embarrassed by this. In the break between the two tests, I hit the gym every night, doing a half hour on the treadmill at very easy moderate speed, and adding a bit of a slope another couple of degrees each night.

Was only about 5 days between tests as I recall, but that incredibly low-impact exercise was all that it took to make the echo stress a cakewalk.

Dunno what shape your heart is in. If a little exercise is not likely to kill you then try getting some vigorous walking in for a few days leading up to the test -- up hill if possible -- and it should make the test a whole lot easier on you.

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I have "exercise intolerance" plus, something neurological that won't let my muscles to exactly what my brain tells them to, so at times when I walk, I slow to a crawl. I can tell I won't make it to the point I need to get to, but he said I would. I had an echo and EKG in his office and they were OK. They will analyze the echo further but said there was nothing obvious. He said I might have a Stress Echo if my insurance (Medicare) will pay for it.

So, would the chemical stress test be as good as the treadmill? I'm thinking about asking him to switch to that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2017 01:55PM by Dennis S.

My cardiologist prefers the exercise stress test over the chemical stress test. He says it yields more accurate results partially due to your body actually performing as it would in the real world. I had the chemical stress test done once after my meniscus tear surgery, and it was a really weird, strange sensation. Your body becomes hot and flushed while you are just laying on a bed, it just comes on, and then disappears.

never mind



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2017 09:31AM by TLB.