Has anyone had to do a treadmill test?: - PMRGCAuk
Has anyone had to do a treadmill test?
What for? My husband was sent for one because of high BP - it was on his birthday and he went into atrial fibrillation during it so that was an interesting experience! What do you want to know?
Sorry didn't explain properly. I went for one this morning but I couldn't do it. My pmr is flairing and the thought of having to walk for 20 minutes was too much for me. They where very cross told me I was obese suffering from high cholestral and basically in terrible shape. When I said that the weight, cholestral and other problems had only happened since taking steroids I was told that was nothing to do with them. I took a print out with me about the effects of pred on breathlessness and she refused to look at it. So I left feeling very upset and just wondered if anyone else had this test and if so how did they cope.
Celtic and the others are right - put in a complaint. Another lady who contributes to the forum went to a rheumatology appointment because of sore knees and a little medic bunny barely out of nappies informed her that of course if she lost weight her knees wouldn't hurt so much. The lady asked if she had read her notes before expressing this opinion, did she know she was on pred. A similar response to yours was received. This lady put on weight after starting on high dose pred for GCA, I think she put on several stone. It stayed until she got her dose right down - but has almost all gone since getting off pred. She told the child to get out and send someone who knew what they were talking about - and the consultant came (they know each other well because of the support groups) and she made it quite clear she never wanted to be seen by the child again! I think he clarified the situation with her 
My granddaughter of 14 who usually shares her mother's clothes so must be about 65kg normally has ballooned to 75kg in a few months of being on high dose pred for asthma. In some patients pred makes them put on weight. I put on a lot of weight on Medrol, it is all going on another form of pred. I've had low cholesterol all my life - until being put on pred. Whilst I had heart problems no one came up with the idea I needed a treadmill test - I was all the things you were accused of - but they knew I couldn't walk for 5 mins slowly never mind 20 mins briskly as required and your GP was a bit daft even thinking of sending you for one! If he doesn't know your PMR limitations who the blazes would!
Contact PALS at your hospital - I don't suppose you took the woman's name did you? Though that shouldn't be difficult to find out. And do tell your doctor to be a bit more realistic about what tests he sends you for!
Cheer up though - breathlessness is one of the 80 listed side-effects of pred which doesn't make things any more comfortable but really doesn't need to be tested out on a treadmill and you have had a nasty experience that no healthcare professional worth their salt should have subjected any patient to. My husband would have told you to complain officially if any of his staff had behaved like that.
Agreed
Suzie - what a horrid experience and what an uncaring and very unprofessional person. If it was me I think I would be putting something in writing.
I agree with you. She seemed to have no interest in me beyond the test. I think I will put in a complaint. Feeling very depressed at the moment and this hasnt helped.
Susie - I would complain in writing too. That is not the attitude a professional medical person should have. An experience like that is enough to make you depressed
I've never been sent for one and it's never been mentioned. That is just as well as I'd be lucky to last 30secs on one. What was the underlying reason for the test? Who arranged it?
My gp arranged it as I had mentioned that I felt a little breathless when walking sometimes. This doesn't happen often and I didn't worry too much as I put it down to pmr. But I have never been able to jog even when I was younger so not sure how I am expected to do this now! I think I was just upset because she seemed to say I was having problems because of my size , if I had been allowed to start slowly with some encouragement I may have at least been able to do some of the test.
You might be interested in this article on Patient.co.uk, a site set up by, run by and partly aimed at UK GPs
patient.co.uk/doctor/Exerci...
The FIRST suggested criterion is "ability to exercise". Further down it lists the alternatives available for anyone unable to exercise. The technician/nurse who was supervising the test you had needs to be educated - or more accurately, reminded of her education because she should be aware of all that.
Personally, even when my PMR is at its best I'm terrified of the treadmill and if you can't keep up with it it is all too easy to fall on them. Here it is done on a bike - I might have managed that and when my husband did his there was a doctor in the room and it was stopped pronto as soon as his arythmia started so I imagine a doctor might have been slightly less rude (no guarantees mind!)
Polkadotcom - I think lasting 30 secs would have been quite good when I was at my worst. I doubt I could have stepped up onto the thing to start with!
Thank you for the information. I wasn't informed that it would be done in 3 minute intervals I thought I had to do it for a full 20 minutes which was one. Of the reasons why I think I panicked. I think I lasted a minute! A bike would have been a better idea. Another problem was I didn't feel in control and had visions of falling off.
Thanks to everyone who has commented on this I feel much better today because of this. As all of you are aware you can feel very down at times and yesterday just made me feel even more useless than normal.
Given with PMR one tends not to feel one's legs are in control 95% of the time the concept of sending a PMR patient to use a treadmill seems a bit cockeyed altogether. You need a word with your GP about how your PMR affects you since he obviously doesn't understand, does he? Time he did!
They are 3 minute sections but I think they tend to run one after the other - but they can stop at the section that "finishes you off". Which for me a bit back would have been the first!
Hmmmm - as far as I know I don't have any breathing problems ATM although I am asthmatic. But the reason I wouldn't last is because PMR and Pred and all the other bits and pieces I've collected have gone straight to my legs. They can be very painful both on moving and at rest. The lungs are willing, but the legs are weak in my case!
What a horrible experience for you susie901 and I agree with others ref. a complaint and use PALS at the hospital. For totally different reasons as part of my fitness recovery (in remission) my PTI arranged the Treadmill 12 mins VO2 test. However, this was because I was interested in calculating my VO2 after 18 months with PMR and compare to my previous result pre-PMR. Please take care and best wishes x
Could be worth contacting your local Healthwatch. They will certainly advise you of who to complain to but also they are the consumer body who have the power to change the way the system works or not!
Hi Susie901, I had to do one, when they found some arteries dissecting. I have DJD in my left hip and a condition which causes my thigh to go into spasm. They can give you a drug to make your heart go to the level it does when on a treadmill. I wanted that kind of test. But they wanted to do the treadmill. I was in the hospital and was taking elevated amounts of pred, 20mgs up from 5mgs, which the hospital rheumatologist insisted on.
My thigh went into spasm on the treadmill and I had to get off. I got sick. They continued the other part of the test and said my heart was fine.
You know -- I honestly don't take the results of that test as good results. The doctor was in his late 70's and for some reason, kept telling me, my thigh was fine, and don't worry about the nausea and vomitting. oh really ? Well I worried. But I wanted to leave the hospital and didn't want to go through that test again or much else, there.
It is a heart test to make sure there is no problem from the elevated dosages of pred and other things that might occur. The results are important. I went to my heart doctor who had the test done by some decent medical people and my heart is ok. something about the left ventrical is larger and not emptying fast enough. Other things were ok.
Believe it is an important test to take with the GCA/PMR and prednisone. The heart can become involved.
Hope you are ok. all my best, Whittlesey
Also, they can give you a drug to imitate the action of running, in your body, to raise your heart rate. Can't remember the name of the drug. I actually had an earlier stress test in one of the flares I was hospitalized for. It was done very professionally, kindly. The doctor said to tell me if I felt really bad and he could reverse the results of the drug given to raise the heart rate. I made it through the test, but a major migraine afterwards.
The second one given, when they found the dissecting arteries was terrible. An elderly male doctor was "conducting" it and he wanted me using the treadmill. I have no cartilege in my left hip and meralgia paresthetica which causes my left thigh to spasm. Running can cause a spasm. and for some reason he wanted to use the treadmill and not the substitute drug. and then I got sick, vomitting. He said " don't worry" -- it wasn't anything. well to me, it was and it could have been avoided. -- -- -- was thinking of complaining also. may do it. Have all the information. The nurses were very good and seemed a little appalled at the way he was handling this test.
Would complain. All of this is difficult. And if an elderly male doctor is not personally dealing with GCA or PMR, he may or probably is, dealing with this, in a sexist, patronizing manner, and we don't need that. It is hard enough. And yes, almost everyone gains weight with prednisone. We take prednisone to survive. If we gain weight, we gain weight. There are worse things. Would complain.
Yes true - do you think they would have lifted me on PMRpro?
Dunno - would you have WANTED to be? Wonder if they'd have let you on with your rollator?
I had the test done with the injection, easy peasy ....there was no way I could exercise with a huge tear in one glut muscle ....the cardiologist asked me if I was able to exercise, I said no, he said fine and sat beside me chatting while he injected the drug....
Cheers.
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