I have been invited to have a Stress Echo, the thought of being miles and miles from home, not having taken my meds for 48 hours previous, being injected with meds to stress my heart and induce an attack of ?...then sending me home on 3 buses again to deal with the aftermath seems brutal. I take Bisoprolol 3.25mg and Flecainide 50mg bd
I am a fit 75yr old in permanent AF well controlled getting a little breathless on exertion, that’s my only symptom. Seems like overkill to me I use that term advisedly. I would never have a by pass op either, my life is good and live independently, your thoughts please dear friends, and are there other ways of doing such tests , many thanks.Dee
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Why not ask if you can have patient transport to take you to and from this hospital? I'm sure once you explained why it's needed they would understand.
Thanks Jeanie, Im wondering what state you are left in after they have induced a tachycardia and raised BP with Dobutamine, it can induce ventricular tachycardia, not a pleasant thought.
Thanks Jean, Im going to ask for an exercise ecg instead, and see what that shows, and then take it from there, I need to hear from someone who’s had the test with Dobutamine.Dee
When I had my one in 2011 I went home by bus. At the time I was 77 and my aortic valve was 75% closed. You are well cared for during it as it is done by a doctor. I had the drug and was also pedalling a tricycle. Mine as I expected gave a false positive result as two previous stress ECG's had leading to what was then an unnecessary angiogram.
What is the explanation for YOU needing the stress echogram? You can google it as I did but if you are quite well with your meds. you do need to know, and quite clearly, why this needs to be done.
Thanks, because I have some breathlessness after say vacuuming 3 rooms, or going up and down stairs a couple of times, the Registrar was thinking it’s Angina presenting in that form. I have never had chest pain even in PAF episodes of 150/160 bpm range.
Thankyou , you do seem to be coping excellently, I take it that you haven’t had a a Stress Echo.
I would ask the doc exactly why he/she feels the test is important. It is not an easy test and you probably should have someone go with you. Some people fly right thru and others( me) have an awful reaction to the drug they inject. They warned me ahead of time so I knew I wasnt going to die but I felt like my head was blowing up. Afterwards the remedy was drinking coffee, lol. It is not my favorite test. Then I had a positive result to had to have a cardiac cath which was fine.
So, cannot answer your question but if my doc wants me to have another one, I would only if they convinced me it was really important.
Thankyou Hosky it sounds dreadful, I know I would react the same way, I seem to react to everything. Just to be without my meds for two days would render me unsuitable to journey miles away for the test anyway. they are inducing the very thing we all end up in A&E with, very fast AF and Sphygmomanometer blowing B/P. No thanks, I’ve declined, I shall do the treadmill test I think, I walk briskly each day so I should be able to complete the max 9 minutes needed. Most grateful for the insight. Regards Dee
If you are going to ask for an exercise ECG, wouldn’t it make more sense to have an exercise echocardiogram, which wouldn’t involve having dobutamine?
If you are not willing to have bypass or angioplasty there is no reason for the test. regular echocardiogram will show any valve problems or cardiac enlargement and measure your ejection fraction (cardiac output)
There's no point in them either if he does not want eventual surgery..
I wonder if more people on the BHF section of Health Unlocked have had this test?
Pat x
Hi I had a stress echo and I didn't have to stop my meds and I wasn't given anything to stress my heart. I was wired up to a heart monitor and asked to walk on a treadmill it got steeper and faster. They said the longer you can do the more accurate the results. I managed 9 mins it was awful for my daughter to watch, (she'd driven me there) but ok other than that. It didn't trigger AF or anything else. Maybe you're having something different? Good luck x
Thankyou Scoobisu, a more positive alternative for me, I feel as my GP does that my breathlessness is psychological as it happens at times of stress, my brother whom I hadnt seen for 25yrs turned up at my door in Oct 2018 asking for shelter. He had dementia and had undergone quad by pass, Endarterectomy, and had a CVA. I reckon that trumps any stress test.! My breathlessness started from there. I have just come back from a 25 min very brisk walk, and cooked a risotto without taking my coat off because I felt like it. I think I need further discussion with Cardiologist, it was her Registrar who ordered the test, she has never mentioned one.Regards Dee
Hi Dee that's quite a traumatic thing to happen with your brother and an understandable trigger for stress anxiety and all its awful symptoms like breathlessness. I have an app on my phone called breathe ball and I use that to calm my breathing down. Have you thought about maybe some councilling re your brother? You don't say if he's still staying with you.
Yes I have had a stress echo. I don’t know the name of the drug which they used to increase the heart rate, but I did have a lot of thumps and bumps during the test. I found it better than going on a treadmill. However I was perfectly ok afterwards and there is a doctor and nurses there with you all the time. As for you travelling by many bus changes, I think I would ask if there was hospital transport and also there are volunteer drivers who will take and collect you. Unless it is too expensive there is also a taxi perhaps just for the return journey. Good luck and all the best.
Hi, I had a Dobutamine stress echo in 2014. They saw something on the exercise test after 4 minutes and stopped it. The registrar suggested an a giogram, I didn't want one so this was suggested. I have PAF, I was on warfarin BP tablet and thyroxine, none of which I stopped. Its not the most pleasant procedure, a strange sensation, but I was very well looked after and had no exacerbation of AF. I was told by the sonographer that this is now the procedure after a problematic exercise test, if a problem is seen on the Dobutamine test then progress to an a giogram. My husband came with me and I'll be honest I was glad he was there to drive me home, so I would suggest if you do have it done arrange transport and if possible someone to accompany you. It's a bit like the feeling you have after root canal work, a bit shaky afterwards. But maybe that's just me! Whatever you decide to do, I hope it goes well.
Thank you Kath for your great advice, alas I have no one who can come with me, my friends either aren’t driving now or are unwell.I shall speak to Cardiologists secretary on Monday and state my concerns. Dee x
I had an appointment this week at hospital as I am getting an ache in middle of breast area. ECG was ok and bp fine. I had no other symptons and the doctor suggested I had another test - which sounds like the one you are going to have. I am worried about this tightness in my chest which I have some days. Havn't felt it for a week and then last night in bed it kept me awake for sometime. I have an ICD and asked if this test could set it off - he said it wouldn't.It sounds quite scarey.but I want to get to the bottom of these.pains in breast. I have heart failure and take various medications and Levithyroxine for thyroid. Please let me know how yout test went.
Thankyou Pippy, so sorry you have those troubling symptoms, they do need investigating, the common thing with everyone whose had the test is how well one is looked after, so just get yourself in the zone, you will do well and be relieved to have answers. I’m lucky I’ve never had symptoms of pain or breathlessness before, even when in A&E with very high heart heart rate in AF. We shall see. Good luck Dee x
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