Got pain during and after. Doc said there did not appear to be any signs of blockage. Had EKG changes during treadmill. REALLY CONFUSED NOW.....


Scott

P.S. Thanx for all the words of encouragement in the other thread.....


;b




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QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES??

SUPPORT THE SECOND AMENDMENT!!!!!

At least your arteries are ok.  I'v got to go in for a stress test next wednesday.  I had some chest pain last tuesday.  How was the test?  Just trying to prepair for it. Hope you get feeling better.
Take care

Utah,

Test was okay, I guess. Just when you get comfortable at a certain speed, they turn up the speed and increase the incline of the platform! I got within 20 of my max heart rate. BP hit 180s. I started at 110/70.....

Scott

Don't know how they do it other places, But at AMC it went like this:

Get IV put in.
Get the dose of thallium
Drink glass of water and wait 15 minutes
Get the first set of dimensional xrays
do the tread mill
leave for a while
come back and get the final set of dimensional xrays



Scott

My experience was slightly different.

I was sent for a regular stress test based on an irregular EKG.  This is where you simply hop on a treadmill while hooked up to an EKG machine.  However, when they hooked me up and looked at my EKG, they said forget the treadmill bit since I had already “flunked” the test!

Then I was sent for the thallium stress test (different location, of course).

It went pretty much as DScottHewit describes.  Took about 4 hours.  The place was an absolute zoo – I felt like I was back in the military.  I don’t think I talked to the same person twice.  

They gave me at least two glasses of milk to drink.  They used some sort of ultra-sonic camera instead of X-rays.  They ran me on the treadmill for as long as I could go (which admittedly wasn’t very long).

Towards the end, to my absolute delight, they treated me like I was wasting their time, told me I simply had an irregular EKG, and literally threw me out of the lab.

Still, something bad has happened – my EKG was normal in 1995.  I’m taking cholesterol and blood pressure medications and it’s been a long time since I’ve had a BigMac.  I don’t go anywhere without some aspirin in my pocket.

DscottHewit, wish you and Utahshooter and all the luck in the world.  Actually all three of us are lucky, so much more is known now about heart disease today compared to twenty years ago.  The odds have turned very much in our favor.

It’s still a bitch getting old, though!

Hawthorne Berry (crataegus oxyacantha) is an herbal remedy that helps allieviate angina. Cayenne may help also. You can find both at most drug stores.