"face boldly the beginning of a new life"

[bethanne]

That was my fortune in my "fortune cookie" last night. I thought it was very appropriate for what lies ahead....

Had my stress echo today...

I am curious about y'all experiences with stress echo tests?

How did you feel during, and after your test...

I had the same tech as my echo 3 weeks ago, he is a really nice guy. However, i get so nervous and can't think of appropriate questions. All of you gave me some great tips a few weeks ago, but I get so nervous I freeze up.

I seem to handle the test okay, I just feel so bad afterwards. I have been laying down for a couple of hours and I still feel pretty whipped. Certainly the test will give the doctors the info needed to move forward with AVR. As much as I do not want to go through OHS I don't like living like this exhausted and feeling bad.

The numbers provided with testing hopefully will confirm that an AVR is the solution.

Thanks for listening

 

[Raverlaw]

Bethanne,

I can't really be of much help here. I only ever had one stress echo test. I was doing fine (I thought) not breathing hard or even sweating yet, and the tech called the cardiologist in. He looked at the resting echo and looked at my numbers while I was on the treadmill, and announced "I'm turning the treadmill off. Please get off." That's when I found out I had AS and needed a valve replacement.

I guess I'm kind of looking forward to my next stress echo. I wonder when it will be?

 

[Johnny Stephens]

I had one (stress echo) about 6 months ago when I wanted to sign up for an intensive fitness program. I had a weird response during the regular treadmill - my blood pressure fell by 20pts and I got sort of woozy. Before he would sign off on the fitness program, he ordered a stress echo. While I was still dreadfully out of shape and couldn't do it for very long, all the pumping functions, valve functions etc. were ok and showed no sign of distress.

I was exhausted, shaky, and a little bit nauseous - they pushed me hard to take it right to the edge. But the results made me feel better. The fitness group I work with theorizes my problems on the original treadmill may have been caused by my Beta Blocker.

I've found it helpful to write down my questions beforehand, and open the appointment by pointing out you have some things you would like to discuss before you leave.

 

[Susan BAV]

I H A T E stress tests and find them E X T R E M E L Y U N P L E A S A N T !!!!!!! I am supposed to have my first one with the new valve in the fall and I am absolutely dreading it already and trying to decide if it's necessary and/or how I can get out of it.

One other note: My dad "died" on a stress test and they had to restart his heart with the paddles (several times). He was terrified of stress tests after that, and the "paddles" too for that matter. He had severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which caused frightening fainting episodes, and one of those on the treadmill finally got the doctor's attention! They gave him a pace maker after that but he died a year later from treatment for late-stage adenocarcinoma, a cancer "caused" by severe heartburn. (He was prescribed extremely high doses of verapamil the last several years of his life which didn't help the acid reflux any but he felt like the verapamil extended his life.) He died three years ago this Saturday so all of this has been on my mind recently. A very good man.

The last time I was on a treadmill (stress test) my bp went over 200 and I had the most horrific headache for several days after. Funny, with the new valve, now my hypertension is completely gone!

 

[Karlynn]

I HATE STRESS ECHOS!!!!!!

 

[Karlynn]

!

!

I HATE STRESS ECHOS!!!!!! They are contrary to everything you hear about physical exercise - to walk it offer, never sit or lay down until your heart rate has slowed. So then they go do a test that makes you do just that.

I've had one. The treadmill part wasn't horrible, just exhausting. The laying down immediately after while your heart is beating out of your chest is the worst. I can see why people have cardiac arrest during these tests.

My cardiologist wanted to do a stress echo each year as a matter of routine. I said No Way! I've got a base line now, and that's fine with me.

I passed the stress echo I had done, but I would have bet, by the way I felt, that I would fail it.

 

[Glenda]

My cardiologist won't let me take a stress test, in fact he doesn't even want me walking very far. He told me I would never live through a stress test. I guess that says how bad my aorta valve has become.

Today it was so beautiful outside, 75 degrees. I worked out in the yard all afternoon, had to sit down several times and tonight I feel like I've had a work out but I'm okay. I think a little exercise is better than none. My daffodils and tulips are all coming up. I love this time of the year.

 

[Guest]

Hmmm....I do like that fortune cookie . And, as far as I'm concerned, we all have done that quite nicely at at least one (if not more) points in our life.

As for the stress echo...egads.

I remember feeling just fine on the treadmill; that didn't bother me at all. It was the lying still for the dang echo afterward that ticked me off. The guy kept telling me to lie still and my body just wasn't cooperating.

*ponders*

Although, I'd much rather that type of stress echo than the "injection" stress test that they give to some people. Aye. I've never had that type of stress test, but in talking to people who've had both, I definitely do not want the "injection" stress test....

Cort, "Mr Road Trip"/"The Uniter", 30swm w/pig valve & pacemaker
member & newsletter editor, Faith COB = http://www.faithcob.org
"Mr MC"'s Family...& train & models = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/
RIP = '76, Parents' [my] MC ... '88 MC LS ... '00 "mc" LS
Spotting MCs = http://www.chevyasylum.com/mcspotter/main.html
MC's Future = http://www.projectmonte.com/petition/

 

[Rush20]

I'm not familiar with the term "stess echo", however I had a "Myoview" (sp?) stress test 3 months post operation. They injected some kind of fluid tracer that they could track after exercising. I think it's similar because I had to lie down and a machine took pictures of my heart from various angles.

I remember the nurse asking me to tell her if I felt any pain, discomfort etc. during the test. With two minutes left on the treadmill I told her I was in pain, and before I could complete the sentence, she stopped the treadmill. I then explained the pain was in my knee due to the crappy old treadmill they were using with no padding and that my heart felt fine. She gave me a dirty look and I had to go back on for another round. Sorry!

All I remember was sweating alot due to poor air circulation in the room and then lying down on the narrow table afterward. Very uncomfortable.

 

[Karlynn]

Stress Echo

Stress Echo

For those that aren't familiar:

A stress echo consists of:

1. Having an echo done before the stress test
2. Having a stress test
3. Lying back down again immediately after you get off the tread mill and having another echo done - while your heart is still at the upper limits of it's aerobic rate.

It's step 3 that is awful.

Cort - I had the same problem. My body was telling me "this is not good - must not lie down - must get up and walk this off"

 

[bethanne]

I have a really bad headache so I will have to wait till tomorrow to respond to your posts. Thanks for the feedback

 

[Abbanabba]

I was OK during my last test - although my physical endurance was much better than it is now - but my legs were KILLING me!! I think because you don't get to walk at your own natural pace (..I tend to be quite a fast walker..), so forcing myself to walk at an "unnatural" pace was harder than anything else.

The thing is, once I told them I couldn't continue, I got extremely dizzy, nauseous and short of breath and pretty much collapsed on the bed. They all seemed to be quite alarmed by this, but then they said I did "OK - just not quite as well as I should have".

I had another stress test a few years ago, but that was on a bike. I had specifically asked them NOT to have a bike because I've dislocated my left knee 3 times and it "locks up" on me. Anyway, I couldn't do that for very long because - surprise, surprise - my knee kept locking up on me!! Not too sure what the results from that were, but I do remember him telling me that if I still had enough breath to complain, then I wasn't doing too badly!!

Cheers
Anna : )

 

[Mb]

Hello All!

My husband's cardio also would NOT do a stress test prior to his surgery.

After surgery, he did a stress test about three months post op.
My husband made two minutes on the tread mill, and was gasping for breath. They laid him right down (duh!).
That's when the cardio found the severe tricuspid valve leakage. His initial purpose in doing the stress test was to prove to my husband that he was ok, but......he found out there was another problem.

I was in the room at the time of the test. Don;t want to do that again!
Marybeth

 

[bethanne]

Oh my gosh,
I am still a little rattled about my stress test yesterday...

I was able to do the walk on the treadmill, yes i was short of breath, yes the burning sensation in my calves, etc. but the worst part for me is afterwards...

I didn't have my polar monitor on but I should have to monitor my heart rate. Basically, what it feels like is my heart rate stays high after physical activity. It was 1 hour and 45 minutes before we got back to the office (lunch and drive home) I was still feeling winded and yucky and laid down for two hours. I felt a little better but still felt like although I was breathing I just was not getting air... then the headache started and lasted all night.

I am still a little shaken by the whole experience and am afraid to exercise any more until the valve is replaced.

Bill, I am amazed you were not feeling symptomatic with your stenosis.

It sounds like many of you or your loved ones were not able to do the treadmill at all...

Has anyone had a similiar experience to mine?

It is scary because I can only judge if I have done too much by how I feel after the activity, not during....

I am beginning to understand Pavlov's law of conditioning...

It is not the exercise that makes me feel bad, but after the exercise. Therefore, I do not want to exercise to avoid that feeling...

I know I keep saying the same thing over and over again, but I really want to understand exactly what is going on and why?

bethanne

 

[Raverlaw]

Bethanne,

I was symptomatic, but didn't know it!

Before the stress test, I had notice increased SOB for about 18 months or so. I lost weight and exercised more, but it didn't help. I also was often tired at the end of the day.

Since I was approaching 50, I just thought I was *getting old* and that my condition was normal for an old guy.

I also sometimes got dizzy if I stood up quickly, like if I was working at a computer for a few hours. I wrote this off to too much caffeine and skipping lunch.

When I walked fast or up hill, especially on warm days, my left arm would *tingle* or feel a little numb - it didn't hurt, just felt odd.

I (being the tough, macho guy I am) would never have gone to the doctor for these symptoms that I was trying to ignore. It just happened that I had a physical shortly after my 49th birthday and my PCP asked about the murmur. I told him the murmur didn't bother me, but he kept asking follow up questions. When he had heard that I had all of the symptoms above, he referred me to the cardiologist for a stress echo, so that I would have a base line.

I am firmly convinced, especially after reading the surgeon's report about the actual condition of my valve, that my PCP saved my life.

For that reason, I sort of worship the stress echo and recommend annual ones to everyone over a certain age

 

[bethanne]

Hi Bill -
that is a pretty amazing story...

it definately leads you to believe that God had you in the palm of his hand...

I am glad you found out when you did and not a moment longer....

After your stress echo did you feel okay? where you symptomatic or do you think they stopped your echo before you could become symptomatic...

Something interesting occurred this time. My tech had me breathe out slowly and hold it when he said "now". He then asked me how much air I had released if I felt I had let out half my air or all of my air. I said he stopped me about 1/3 of the way... he did the same thing after my treadmill exercise. This time he didn't ask me he just took the images.. Does anybody know what that's about. We should start a campaign to recruit an echo tech to this site

Karlynn - I hadn't thought about it before but you are right. Even though I had just walked It felt like I had run several miles and needed to walk it off instead of laying on that table... Maybe it is conditioning that leads us to believe if we move around we can get our breath back...

It's just weird... I thought it was the TEE that I disliked but this is rating up there with it.

 

[bethanne]

I have some good friends that have walked through alot of this with me and they are talking about getting checkups with stress echos just to be on the safe side.

It is too easy to dismiss symptoms to getting older...

 

[Nancy]

Hi Bethanne-

Did they give you any meds before or during the stress echo that could have stayed in your system for a while afterwards, giving you symptoms?

 

[bethanne]

no additional meds...

currently I am on nefedine - calcium channel blocker and a mild diuretic...

I am just concerned that something else is going on besides the bi-cuspid valve ...