hi everyone, I have to have a Cardiac stress imaging test and I am so scared that I feel sick
cardiac stress imaging test - British Heart Fou...
cardiac stress imaging test
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Jackabee
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hello do you know what type it is and what if any meds they’ll give you. Mine was a nuclear heart scan whereby day 1 I was given adenosine and radioactive marker with a scan of heart afterwards and day 2 just the radioactive marker and scan. I would say dependent on your reaction to any meds given it is a fairly simple process and scan. They administered the meds to get heart to stress itself and then after a little time scanned in what I like to call the donut shaped scanner,.
Everyone is different, I had adenosine and pretty much had symptoms- chest tightness, abdominal pain, nausea and headache plus pain in arm and jaw. But as soon as they stopped injecting it, everything subsided after a couple of minutes probably less. The radioactive markers I felt nothing,
Wish you luck with yours!
Jackabee in reply to
yes it is Adenosine. I am scared that I might panic when it causes the breathlessness. I am not prone to panicking but the thought of having no control over my breathing scares me.
in reply to Jackabee
that’s understandable. Perhaps when you get there you could talk to them about this, they may be able to reassure or monitor? There were two nurses in the room administered the meds and I asked one to hold me hand which she did. Just made me feel less panicky. That doesn’t help everyone, but definitively talk to them about your fears.
They watch you like hawks, I was in a dentist chair and they stood either side - not like a Cath lab or scan room where you see bits of people.
Jackabee in reply to
thank you…yes a hand hold would be good
I have had 3 perfusion MRIs
A Cardiologist and several Radiographers are present throughout the scan.
You are given a button to press if you feel unhappy at any stage.
The staff talk to you throughout, through the headphones you wear.
They give you instructions about how to breathe and hold your breath.
They warn you before they inject the adenosine. It is not very pleasant, it feels as though an elephant is sitting on your chest.
I was also very aware of my heartrate increasing.
However it doesn't last very long.
The information gained is important to help your Cardiologist.
Good luck, I hope all goes well with your test.
You're panicking about panicking! You will be in the best possible hands when the test comes, so try to keep calm.
you are right!
I hope you don't think this is unhelpful but recognising the problem may be the first step towards solving it!
not at all…it needed to be said and you are quite right!
Hi Jackabee
I’ve just had one 2-3 days ago with Adenosine. It is scary and you will feel your heart rate elevate, along with some chest pain, breathlessness, sweating perhaps and abdominal pain which I had. However, despite saying this, it is an important test that shows ischemic changes to your heart and blood flow. There are trained professionals monitoring you when the stress agent is administered and they will ask you to tell them all the sensations that you feel as and when they come on.
The stress agent was administered for about 4 minutes and then stopped. Once it stops, the effects do pass fairly quickly. On rare occasions does it cause a severe reaction.
I was also very anxious about mine, but they reassured me and it was for the most part, okay in the end.
Good luck!
I am so glad to see that your cardiac MRI went okay.
I know you were anxious before your MRI earlier in the week.
healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...
Yes, I was anxious in the week. I did ask for the treadmill before going in for the scan and on the day but sadly, it was a no go as the cardiologist stated that the Adenosine and the treadmill test for different things. So couldn’t get out of it even if I tried!
Hopefully they found some useful information to report back to me on.
There is nothing to it, they put ECG stickers and attach them to a reader. All you have to do it walk, walk fast and walk faster on a treadmill.
There are 3 levels and the exertion level gets harder and they read the effect this is has on the ECG. I managed 2 and a bit levels and said I had to stop, I knew there was a problem when the technician said they had got the information they needed.
There is also a Dr present in case there are problems.
Please don't worry about it there really is nothing to worry about.
no, this one involves two injections, two canulas and the mri scanner. I could do a treadmill
I just noticed the word 'imaging' so sorry I can't help, I do hope it goes okay though.
thanks for trying though. I really appreciate any input. X
Really these are a breeze and certainly nothing to be scared off. I had one and they inform you when they are introducing the stress agent which for me just felt a bit like I had run up a few flights of stairs. Honestly when your done you will wonder why you were concerned about it at all.
Hi Heather, had a fair few treadmill stress tests and they will almost always tell you they got what they need even when you complete 12 or 15 minutes on it. All they mean is that they got your heart up to speed and recorded the trace they needed. Just in case people read this and get scared when they tell them this.
Hi, I had this done a few weeks ago and I was scared too. Had to go one day for the stress test and one for the rest test. On the stress one I was worried about how it would make me feel but there were nurses and the radiologist with me and he talked me through everything as they were giving the injection. It felt weird and not very nice but only lasted a minute or two. Then it was a cup of coffee, a sit down to drink a lot of fizzy drink and a lie down in the donut scanner. The rest test was the same but without the nasty bit. Hope it goes ok. Good luck xx
Well said—I had the same experience. I was very worried and wanted to cancel it, but with a professional staff that talked me through each step—who gave directions (which are important to follow btw for great results), and a few treats, it was not scary at all and went well. The report said I was breathless during part of it, but I didn’t even notice.
Hi Jackabee
I had this test in January. I'm the biggest panicker in the world amd to be honest it wasn't that bad. The anticipation and the worry is far worse!
I was lying in the MRI for a while beforehand, listening to it clonking away. Then they sat me up for a minute, gave me the drug to replicate my Angina symptons. I got my usual jaw pain, toothache (yes toothache!), heavy chest and arm and was out of breath. The breathlessness wasn't that bad, just like I'd been for a bit of a fast walk. I could still talk, it didn't feel bad at all. It literally lasted a couple of minutes. They then quickly lay me back down and scanned me with contrast too. (This makes you feel like your having a wee!)
Please try not to worry, I can honestly say it wasn't that bad. I've had far worse things done to me on the MRI scanner but that's another story!
All the best, Susie x
hi, I had one on Thursday just gone. Honestly, there really is nothing to it and although I was told I would be there for up to 4 hours, it took about half an hour from start to finish. The actual test took about 5 minutes, the worst part was holding up my left arm lol. Results were given straight away. I hope your experience is as good as mine was. Good luck.
Hi, Jackabee,
I don’t know if my experience will help, but I hope so.
I had a Non-Stemi HA on March24, 2022. The cardiologist on duty in the ER that night made an appointment for a Normal Exercise Stress SPECT 99mTc—tetrofasmin Myocardial Perfusion Test on April 12, 2022. That is a fancy phrase for a nuclear stress test.
My hospital used a 1-day rest/stress protocol, which meant several hours spent at the hospital that day to complete the testing. The isotope used for the nuclear imaging was technetium tetrofasmin.
First, I will state that I have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder. My stress levels/worry/panic can be and often is off the charts. I was absolutely scared to death to take this test. In fact, I was worried that I would not live through the test—and I went so far as to make a handwritten will a day or two prior to the test. I realize that this probably sounds silly to you, but it seemed totally real to me at the time.
The hospital staff—nurses and doctors were all very nice to me and supportive. Since my testing was all completed in one day, I had long periods of receiving some injections and then sitting in the waiting room area. Imaging was done prior to injection of the nuclear isotope (lots of images were taken). Then, more waiting, and then the nuclear isotope injection to stress my heart. More waiting room area. Finally, a set of images were taken following the nuclear testing.
What I learned in my experience:
1). I was allowed to take a normal dosage of Xanax to relax me prior to starting any procedures. I discussed this prior with the doctors/nurses. If you take prescribed drugs such as Xanax, you might check with your doctors to see whether it might be possible to take a normal dose that morning.
2). During the injection of the nuclear isotope, blood pressure, etc. are monitored. You will likely have several nurses and/or supervisory doctors in the room with you at that time. That all helped me to feel better (more safe).
3). As one doctor tried to reassure me prior to injection, if anything really goes wrong, you can be wheeled into surgery immediately. We were near surgical rooms. That may sound silly too, but it did make me feel some better.
4). My doctor had an unopened can of Coke on the table near me. She said that at any time if I felt overwhelmed by the test, I could stop the effects of the nuclear stressing by drinking some Coke. I know that sounds totally crazy, but she surely seemed sincere. I believed her, and that also gave me some comfort.
5). I wasn’t sure how all of this would feel, and I was very scared, but my experience was not that bad. I had worried and worried, and I learned that that was a waste of my time.
6). To me, the imaging process was much more difficult—getting into what seemed like pretzel-type positioning, having to “pose” for many images, etc.
This was only my experience with nuclear stress testing and imaging, it likely doesn’t apply to everyone. I found that I had worried way too much for no good reason—but I always do that with anxiety. Please try to get some rest before your test and not worry too much. You are in professional hands and things should go well for you.
How soon is your testing? Please let us know how everything turns out. I wish you all the best—but remember you will be with professionals who are good at what they do, and who have conducted many of these tests. You will be in a safe place where you can get immediate help if anything did go off kilter, and there are likely safeguards like the Coke that I mentioned. Finally, it took 2-3 days for me to get results.
I really appreciate your input. Thank you so much. I feel like writing a will too! I am one of those who seems calm and brave but is panicking like mad under the surface so I have had one sleepless night since I got the letter yesterday. It will be on 17 March and I want to cry…
It is not relevant to me at this time but your reply to Jackabee was was very informative and helpful to people who will be having this test - especially those people who suffer from anxiety.👍
I wonder how coca-cola reverses the effects?
Take care
This is a nuclear stress test though. I think Jackabee is having an MRI stress test. Totally different ways of testing.
yes mine is an MRI stress test
Hi, Jackabee,
Just for clarification, will you be receiving an Injection of a nuclear isotope during this test? If so, we are talking about the same type of testing. Your imaging is being performed with an MRI machine while my hospital had a “special” imaging chair. The device that took the pictures, or images, could be adjusted over the chest area. The technician could monitor each image for best quality on a computer screen. Some shots had to be redone in order to best capture the view of the heart that the doctor wanted/needed. I had never seen a device like this before. These images gave detailed information about blood flow prior to testing and then following heart stressing
I did have an MRI with nuclear isotopes in the emergency room on the night of my heart attack. That gave some information on my heart and lungs, etc.
Anyway, please know that I wish you all the best on your testing on St Patrick’s Day. I will be thinking of you on that day and sending positive thoughts.
I am having a canula in each arm. One for the dye and one for a drug beginning with A ( the stresser)
I’ve had a few stress tests done. The treadmill was a breeze, the one they injected me with stuff to speed up my heart and asked me to move my legs around to get my heart rate up was not nice! The drugs used made me throw up and they had to stop the scan😓 the other one I had was during angioplasty procedure but they gave me meds to sedate me so although I was aware of the chest pain and tightness in my jaw etc I was nicely dopey, I also requested anti sickness prior to them beginning so that helped a lot. You will be in very safe hands just be honest with them about your anxiety so they can support you through it. All the best
I had these tests performed in Athens before they would let me fly home and I admit I was really anxious but it ended up being really fast and not as unoeasant as I imagined. Add in the worry of being so far from home having just experienced a cardiac arrest on holiday, my terror was off the scale. It’s really not so bad and don’t be afraid to hold somebody’s hand.
Mine took about 45 minutes and, yes, a little scary but only because I had no idea what to expect and I went into it needing the loo !! If I'd known it was that long Id have gone beforehand. The very nice voice tells you when to hold your breath, when to breathe etc etc and you get to the point where you think you'll black out but you dont. I was also distracted by controlling my bladder so that made it worse than it should have been. You are well monitored throughout and nothing to worry about. Just go to the loo first !!!
Hi Jackabee. You have already had some great answers but I just wanted to add, when I had my stress MRI they played the radio over the headphones I was wearing. I found that really helped the time to pass in the MRI scanner so you could ask if they could do the same? Worst part for me was when they injected the stimulant as I found that uncomfortable but that only lasted a very short time. Best of luck and I hope it all goes well.
thanks. I am not worried about the MRI but the effects of the injection…I feel reassured now though because of all of you lovelies
Jackabee,
I swear that this is my last post to you—lol. I do care about you because you are deeply scared about your upcoming test on March 17th. I know how that feels and I feel empathy for you.
Also, I have an upcoming test on March 15 th that was booked over 8 months ago. I am having my first colonoscopy that day—the Ides of March—and we all know how that ended for Julius Caesar. I took one of those Cologuard test kits 8 months ago, and the results came back positive for cancer, so on March 15th, I will know for sure. I am scared once again. I noticed online that the hospital has changed my surgeon with less than 2 weeks to go. Plus, I still don’t know what time I have to show up at the hospital that day. They usually wait until a day or two before the procedure to tell you.
So, I can really relate to your worry and panic right now—even though they are for totally different reasons. Again, I wish you the best possible outcome for your testing, and you will be in my thoughts. March has tended to be a complicated month for me. I had my HA last March—I had one wedding on March 17th and one on March 16th—-both ended in divorce—and now the first colonoscopy (and a lot is riding on this colonoscopy). I hope that it turns out better than the divorce. 😂
message me as much as you like. I have had two colonoscopies in the past. You should be fine and I hope that the results are positive for you. The worst bit of a colonoscopy is the purging beforehand. I haven’t even had a heart attack. I went into hospital last March with vertigo and was diagnosed with HF (EF 30). It feels as though my health has been out of my control ever since with doctors wanting to poke and test and prod me. Throwing tests at me out of the blue. I know it’s all for the best of course but I didn’t even feel poorly before the vertigo came on. I will be thinking of you on March 15th so please let me know how you get on.
Had this same test a couple of months ago and was a little anxious but trying to appear manly ---- There was no need for the staff were very professional and helpful and I actually ''enjoyed '' the experience. Good luck and stay positive.
thank you
well I’ve just had my 4th stress test, it is done very professionally, I was lying down held a hand and talked about anything and everything, they can stop the test within seconds! It’s best to tolerate it so you can receive the best help possible, I went for scans afterwards they could not get the right pic so they sent me off to with instructions to have something fizzy and some chocolate!!! come back after 20mins to be rescanned , all tests done I went home
Hello Jackbee,
Hope you are well.
I am secluded to have the same tests on 22nd and 24th March. Like you I suffer from anxiety too. I can empathise with how you are feeling. But remember the most difficult aspect is the anticipatory anxiety we feel before the event. Usually the actual event we worry about is never as bad as we imagine beforehand.
I recommend downloading the Dare Anxiety App (links posted below). The app should be used while reading the Dare self-help book but I feel you can use the app without having to read the book first. It's a very good app and worth trying before your tests.
I recommend the book too because it helped me really understand and manage my anxiety.
Apple Store:
apps.apple.com/us/app/dare-...
Android:
play.google.com/store/apps/...
Link to the book:
amazon.co.uk/Dare-Anxiety-S...
I wish you lots of luck with the tests and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Ali
thank you. I will certainly have a look! I am not usually an anxious person but I am regarding the test and so any help and advice will be useful.
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