I ended up going to the ER for a bunch of tests on Tues and everything looked fine but I have to step on the treadmill tomorrow just to make sure.

It was kind of scary to be given nitroglycerine for the first time in my life. I always associated that with something heart-serious.

Hi Dapple,

Nitro dialtes arteries. This will give relief to any pain caused by lack of blood/oxygen to an area deficit. Usually, the pain (angina) in the chest area is diminished blood supply (ischemia) to heart muscle.

A stress test will identify the area (if there is ischemia) by observing a dye substance in your blood as it passes through heart tissues. Often perfusion is normal at rest, but with exercise (treadmill) the demand for oxygen increases and ischemia can be oberved as it happens.

Oh, I didn't know I had to drink dye for this--yuk.

Thanks for the info. Hope I don't have anything bad showing up. Altho, in my life I've had so much stress. And last nite I watched a scary movie and got startled and jumped in my seat. I thought about that not being such a good thing, maybe. I don't want to have to worry about my heart but will be best to get to the bottom of this chest and arm and shoulder pain.

The dye is IV not drinking. Thanks for the person who develope this stress test! Wish can be do without the needle that's even better!

I personally think it is the useless test.

Pika

Pika, not sure I understand your reply. Why do you think the stress test is useless?

The stress test and angiogram are two of the most prescribed and least accurate diagnostic tests used today. There is absolutely no need, in the vast majority of cases, for the cardiologist to use any invasive procedures to examine your heart and vessels. Doctors who do continue to do angiograms and angioplasty, CABGs and stents, without first trying noninvasive medication regimes, care more about their bank books than their patients' health. But again, that's just my opinion, the opinion of a 59 year old man who was told in April of 2004 that if he didn't get a quintuple bypass within possibly a few days, surely no more than a few weeks, he would have a heart attack.

The stress test and angiogram are two of the most prescribed and least accurate diagnostic tests used today... Doctors who do continue to do angiograms and angioplasty, CABGs and stents, without first trying noninvasive medication regimes...

A Stress test should show any blockage in realtime so it is not clear how that test can be least accurate? A medical regimen appears to be appropriate for my condition at the present time, but I never had angina and the sometime excruciating pain associated with ischemia and also a great risk for cardiac arrest.

If I hadn't had a nuclear stress test, and then an angiogram, two years ago, I am 100% certain I would have died shortly after my 54th birthday. I am female. I had chest pain. I went to the doctor and was told "you're too young for it to be your heart, but let's do a stress test" to make sure. It was so abnormal, they put me in an ambulance, took me to the hospital, put me in ICU and did an angiogram the next day...I had a 99.9% blockage in my LAD which they fixed with a stent. Unlike several other women my age or younger who are either dead or had heart attacks, my heart is now fine except for the piece of metal in the LAD.

No profit motive for the doctors I had...I use Mayo Clinic Scottsdale for all my care; the doctors are on salary and get paid the same whether they see one patient or 20 in a day....and the Clinic itself is non-profit.

I think a stress test is absolutely proper screening and should be done at least once every 5 to 10 years for both men and women with risk factors, and certainly for those with symptoms. Angiograms are a whole 'nother ball game and because of the risk shouldn't be done if there is no sound indication for them.

Well, the doc decided he didn't think the stress test was necessary after all--but I am to report to him if I have any more pain like I had or worse. At the ER I had had an EKG, bloodwork to check for an embolism, and a number of other thorough tests. Yesterday I had another EKG and the doctor listened to my heart--no murmur or anything. I don't smoke and I exercise pretty much every day so maybe these were really in my favor.

Connie, did your doctor do all these preliminary tests first?

I guess for some people the stress test is a lifesaver, but even my doctor himself pronounced it a just a "pretty good," indicator of a problem or blockage.

The bill for my Thallium Stress Test is AUD$958.30.

They made my heart marathon, they stopped it in a sudden. After that my heart is very confused! It didn't behave! No one care, base on the paper black and white, results all fine.

Standard print:

OVERALL IMPRESSION

The persantin MIBI / 24 hour thallium study shows at most a very
small amount of reversible ischamia in the posterior wall. No major
reversibility is seen. The changes seen could be due to attenuation
artefact, but ischaemia cannot be excluded.

They're not responsible for "Yes" or "No" The answer is "Yes" or "No" too. My cardio wrote: A very small amount of reversible ischamia in the posterior wall in females is generally due to attenuation artefact. So... why send the female to sit for this test? Wasting time, money, pain for nothing, and tear my heart apart!

Also,
Exercise performed:- bicycle.
Duration:- 1.5 mins
1.5 mins in my normal life or shopping can produce what? Line up and pay? Or park my car? Of couse will not show anything and also not enough time to reverse the pain!

This is happened on me. It might not happen to you and many of other. I wonder the male can tell me what is due to your attenuation artefact? I know some said it saved their life and some said the attack one week after the normal test shown! It depends by your cardio! He wasn't know our PAINS! But he definately knows this $$$$ !

Sorry for the complaint. Everyone take care.

Pika

Pika,

Look at it this way. You got a fairly GOOD stress test result. How would you have felt if they said you had evidence of major ischemia and ordered an emergency angiogram?


My cardio wrote: A very small amount of reversible ischamia in the posterior wall in females is generally due to attenuation artefact. So... why send the female to sit for this test? Wasting time, money, pain for nothing, and tear my heart apart!
Because SOME females might show massive ischemia.

Bad new is that you still aren't certain, for SURE, whether you have ischemia or not.

A 1.5 minute stress test on a bike doesn't sound right. Usually stress test is FAR longer and NOT on a bike...which is far easier than running on a treadmill.

You might be right about your doctor being more interested in $$$ than in results. After all, you wanted to know whether or not you had ischemia, not whether the test they gave you sometimes showed aberrant results. They didn't give you the answer.

Quote Pika:

"This is happened on me. It might not happen to you and many of other. I wonder the male can tell me what is due to your attenuation artefact?"

Your doctor doesn't know the cause but opines it may be due to an attenuated artefact. Meaning your blockage is not normally present, but due to an involuntary contraction (spasm). The test result doesn't identify any problem other than the posterior wall had a spasm.

The posterior wall is very difficult to observe and sometimes it requires a TEE for a more exact dx of that area for any blockage.

A 1.5 minute stress test on a bike doesn't sound right. Usually stress test is FAR longer and NOT on a bike...which is far easier than running on a treadmill.

Not stand up to paddle, was sitting, then lower to 120 degree (half lying) then flat lying, then stop! Do I need a lying down bike to move around or paddle on the street? COOL! Hit by a car or truck just in a second because I only can see the sky!