What kind of scan will it be.

[Christo4]

I'm going to have a scan of my heart I did not think to ask what kind of scan it was going to be, does anyone have any ideas, he wants to see my heart working.

[rosyG]

It probably is a heart perfusion scan which shows whether everything is in good working order!

I am waiting for a new machine to be installed before having one !!

[Christo4 in reply to rosyG]

RosyG.

What's wrong with this machine ? worn out maybe !

[rosyG in reply to Christo4]

No!! The new DSPECT machine they are installing gives clearer pictures, takes less time and uses less radioactive material- all worth waiting for!!

[BobD Volunteer]

It could be either a CT or MRI scan but probably CT. Nothing to worry about. Just drink plenty afterwards to flush out the contrast.

Bob

[Christo4 in reply to BobD]

I'm not worried about it Bob just like to know what I'm in for !

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi Christo

Probably an CT type scan a sort of cardiogram, they inject some dye into you and then take pictures of the heart, it doesn't hurt at all but when the dye goes in you think you have wet yourself which is an unpleasant feeling (You havn'e it just feels that way)

They give you tablets to slow the heartbeat first, but it's nothing unpleasant, and if you have not had one, you might also get an echogram, which is just like a sonar scan of the heart as well. Helps build the picture for the Cardio, and not unpleasant at all

Be well

Ian

[Christo4 in reply to Beancounter]

Ian.

Thank you for posting sounds like fun !

[wpw62 in reply to Beancounter]

Hi Ian, As I am waiting to have a CT scan myself, it was interesting to read what will actually happen. Thanks for the posting Cathy

[Bryonny]

Hi Christo4, I have had several scans and all were fine in terms of not being unpleasant! I had an MRI, CT plus echocardiogram. The information combined with results from my Holter monitor recordings, I believe, gave a comprehensive overview of my heart and enabled the EPISODE to make an accurate diagnosis. Hope all goes well for you.

[Christo4 in reply to Bryonny]

Bryonny.

Thank you for your posting I will have to wait and see, did not expect two problems to show up AF is enough !

[Hidden]

I had an echo cardiogram, that's one of the common early tests, I recall someone saying it is just to make sure that the heart valves are working properly and not enlarged. They just attach a whole lot of leads to you and run a little scanner over your chest, looks a bit like an electric razor sort of thing... The picture looks very similar to the ones you get from pregnancy scans, though I have to say if the heart one had come back and said I was pregnant I would have had major conniptions...

[keeponticking]

Hiya. the scan will probably be a CT - takes a few mins - no prob at all and they might also do a TOE, trans osepagheal echo which is bascially an echo of the back of your heart. they tend to do these before a cardioversion to check for clots and you are conciously sedated for it. apologies for spelling errors! you will be fine!

[Offcut]

My cardiogram showed that I was allergic to the iodine/trace which was not fun and it gets expensive to the NHS when they do scans on me now.

I was due a CT and I mentioned the allergy and they went off and ended up doing an MRI with some fancy liquid at £500 a shot I had 3 so they were not happy.

[Bikerboy]

As RosyG said, it's probably a Myocardial Perfusion scan, where you go on a treadmill, to get your heart going fast, get injected with a tracer, then go into what has been described previously as a "revolving doughnut". Lie still on your back for 20mins or so - arms above head, can be uncomfortable, your shoulder muscles can ache a bit at the end, but it's good for checking for any other heart defects. If you're given the all clear from this test, you're free from any other issues, and they can just work on finding a med which works for you to keep your AF at bay. They won't prescribe Flecanaide, for example, if you have other heart problems...Be well - soon - Bill