Thallum Test Today

[Lisa45]

Hey guys need oponions or thoughts,

if this ringing in my ears doesn't stop I am going to go nuts!!!

Ok now that I got that out of my system,

Went for the Thallum test today. Oh my God!! No one told me the truth or it must be different for every person cause I have never experienced something so painful in my life! It felt like there were hands around my throat chocking me and I couldn't breathe and my chest felt like an elephant was standing on it and my hands and fingers went numb and I could see spots in front of my eyes. I asked them "Oh my God! am I having a heart attack? They said no you should be feeling like that and getting all warm and hot.

Of course I won't get the results for 2 or 3 days. They did say if things were really bad I would hear from them sooner. I also brought them a copy of my prescriptions from fen-phen, my latest Echo that showed the severe Aortic Insuffiency and Left Artrial Enlargement etc.. I brought a list of my recent medications and a list of my symptoms. Also brought my most recent Echo. So I guess I will have to wait till Friday when I have the heart cath. Or they will call when they know something. Either way I just don't know and could not see the ekg monitor from where I was.

Did anyone else feel like this during this test. I promise If I had known how scary and how much it hurt I never would have done it. Did anyone else feel like this??? Any ideas what it means???

Glad it is Monday. King of queens, Yes Dear, Raymond and CSI Miami...Sorry no football for me, just Randy.

Love
Lisa
Heart to Heart

 

[Ross]

Mine went off without symptoms like that, but about 15 minutes later, when I was in the waiting room, I felt as though my diaphragm stopped working and I couldn't breath. I started turning blue. It resolved with oxygen and one scared Doctor.

 

[Lisa45]

To Ross:

To Ross:

Wow! that must have been scary. The thing that I am wondering is if that is normal to feel that way during the test. Also, If not than what is abnormal for the test. I hate that they have to make you wait for 3 days before you know the results of the test. You think there would be a sign of some sort an indication that everything is ok or not.

Lisa
Heartfelt

 

[Ross]

I'm sure they know already. They just want all the specialists reviews and opinions, so the don't miss anything.

Sorry to hear that you had a rough time of it. When that episode happened to me, they took a chest x-ray immediately. The Cardiologist saw the same thing that everyone else sees and thought I had a touch of pneumonia. All it was is the scar tissue and fibrosing in the lower lobes of my quickly diminishing lungs. I told you we had a lot in common health wise!

Lisa, did they use Cardiolite or Thallium? They used Cardiolite on me. I don't know that there's much difference between the 2.

 

[Lisa45]

To Ross

To Ross

Ross,

They used the Thallum on me and flushed with Saline. They also did a blood test on me. So i guess I will have to wait for a couple of days or at least till Friday when I see him for the Heart Cath. test.

 

[Granbonny]

Chatting to Lisa

Chatting to Lisa

I read where Xanax will stop ringing in ears..also received a copy of my Heart Cath. in mail a few days ago. This was done 3 days before my OHS. $7,000+ ouch..did you know you will have to lay still for 5 or more hours with a brick on your thigh...And talk about Blue..Blue leg for a week or more.. Good luck. Bonnie

 

[Nancy]

Bonnie-

Sometimes they use a collagen plug or a stitch instead of the weight. Then it's not so bad. But each case is different.

 

[Granbonny]

Nurse plugged me

Nurse plugged me

Nurse stood by my bed putting pressure on my leg..Like the little boy in Holland with his finger in the dike Bonnie

 

[Lisa45]

Everyone

Everyone

Ok you are all scaring me silly now. I thought this heart cath is supposed to be NO big deal! Now I am hearing horror stories from another board where someone's incision got infected and had to be packed and bricks on legs and bad headaches...holy cow! What am I in for??

What I wanted to know is what you guys experienced during the Thallum test that I had yesterday? Was what happened to me considered normal or do you think it showed Aoritic Insuffiencey severe and the left Atrial Enlargement. Is that why you think I felt as bad as I did???

Please just be honest I have heard much worse and still have my sense of humor


Lisa

 

[Granbonny]

Don't mean to scare you

Don't mean to scare you

Never had a Thaimmun test..but do expect a pretty blue leg..I had no headache or pain. Just wanted to get up and get out of that little cot behind a curtain...You'll be fine. Bonnie

 

[wweir]

Lisa,

Heart Cath is no big deal. In my case I was given a local near where they went in and a mild sedative to relax me. The procedure was, at least for me, totally painless and other than the x-ray machine moving around me really felt relaxed.

Once the procedure was done, seemed like about 20 min or so, they took me back to my room where I had to keep my leg straight for a couple of hours. They did not put any weights on me or any pressure. I also don't believe they put any stitches in but did put a bandage on it.

I walked around fine after I got home but my leg was a ?blue? color for a while. I think it was the dye they use more than bruising.

So, relax and don?t worry.

Walter

 

[Ross]

Lisa, your Thallium test was unique to you, and to you only, as far as I know. We can't tell you what the indications of your symptoms represent, but my guess is that it's because of the Aortic insufficiency. I could be way wrong. I'm not trying to avoid your question. We just don't know. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait for the results.

As for the Heart Cath- Some people do get headaches afterwords. I however, did not. It just sucks to lay still for 6 hours or so. They used a clamp on me. Not a sandbag, or plug, or anything of that nature. I was black and blue for a good 3 weeks afterwords. The thing that may have made mine worse, is that I have 2 mesh plugs right where they placed the clamp. That was from previous inguinal hernia repairs. (The plugs that is) That made things ouchy.

I'm not calling that person with the infection a liar, but I'd say they are stretching the truth a tad. The nurses and Doctors go to very detailed and great lengths to be sure that the area of the puncture is as sterile as can be. I had to pee after they sterilized me, so they simple re sterilized me when I was done. If your nervous about the procedure, ask them to give you some Versed or something to calm your fear. They won't put you out, but will give you enough to calm you down. Honestly, the Cath is no big deal and you'll do fine. This comes from a guy who is hospital procedure paranoid!

I think you'll enjoy watching it on the monitor. I know I did. Oh yeah, one more thing. You will not feel the catheter in your artery. There are no nerves to pick up any sensation, so just be relaxed and enjoy the T.V. show.

 

[wlaldridge]

Don't let the cath scare you. I was more worried about it than the impending surgery, really. It is done so frequently now that it is out patient in private labs just like endoscopy and blood testing(well almost, anyway).

In the old days they would make the leg immobile for 8 to 10 hours. Now they have multiple ways to get you up and around. If they think you can tolerate a 2 or 3 hour flat on your back leg not moving they will. If you have conditions of bad back aches or other problems with that kind of immobility they can use stiches or the various kinds of plugs that expedite the up and around functions. The tech (that put all the pressure on the incision which Bonnie mentioned, and that was the most uncomfortable part of the ordeal) said the plugs cost about 350 dollars so they don't use them if they don't have to. Every doc is different. Tell your guy(or gal) what your concerns are, they will make you comfortable.

The brusing is probably from all the pressure to prevent further bleeding from that artery they insert the cathether into.

They will tell you that there are risks with all of these procedures and they do not do them unless the benefits outweight the risks. You will be fine and they will give you vallium to reduce your stress and anxiety. It will at least seem like "no big deal"

As for the Thallium stress test, I didnot have the pleasure. I understand it is a very accurate means of discovering heart function and problems and blood flow patterns. It is very controlled and they can reverse it pretty quickly. If you were having difficulty they would have seen it and responded, I think.

I am sure they took lots of pictures and will have a complete analysis quickly.

Sorry you are having such a tough time, after the cath they will really have a pretty complete picture so they can better decide how to proceed.

Best of luck.

Bill

 

[Nancy]

Lisa-

You'll do fine with the cath. Joe has had a few of them. He never complains about them.

Just as the old saying goes, "lay back and think of England". while the doctors have their way with you.

 

[Marty]

Cardia cath

Cardia cath

Lisa Don't sweat it. Its not bad. You can do it with little or no premedication. I had 5mgm valium. And didn't feel a thing except a pleasant warm sensation when he shot the dye in. After he was done he used the collagen plug that Nancy mentioned so I was out of there in a little over an hour. Good luck!

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi lisa!
i try not to tell others that things are easy or difficult because i find everyone's perception is different and what is awful for one person may not be too bad for another.
that said, however, joey spent the entire test watching the screen and asking questions. the woman who had her cath before him was practically asleep and he told them that he did not want that.
so, hopefully you will have the same experience and it will be a piece of cake.
(i'm not the patient, so it's not fair for me to say).
please let us know how it goes. wishing you all the best, sylvia

 

[ALCapshaw]

Hello Lisa,

I've lost count of the number of Thall_i_um and Cardiolite Stress Tests I've had with NO reactions what-so-ever. It almost sounds like you may have had some sort of allergic reaction. You may want to discuss that with you Cardiologist or PCP.

If you are allergic to Iodine, be SURE to let your cardiologist know before your catheterization. I've never had that problem so I don't know how they would handle that.

I've also lost count of the number of catheterizations I've had without event. I DO remember I was scared out of my mind going into the first one and watched the video several times before the procedure. After it was over, I had one of those 'is that all there is' experiences and looked on the others as an 'interesting adventure', watching the monitors the whole time.

They can control your level of consciousness so if you want to be a little more relaxed, just say so. If you don't want to be awake at all, they can do that also. I found it helpful and relaxing to converse with the support staffers before the Doctor came into the room.

The OLD recovery technique involved placing a heavy sandbag over your insertion site for several hours which required that you NOT move your leg for that length of time, after a nurse used Hand Pressure to hold it closed for the first 30? minutes. The NEW procedure uses a giant C clamp to pinch your leg artery closed, followed by a pressure bandage for a shorter length of time.

Be sure to FOLLOW their instructions, and take it easy for the rest of the day. Too much activity can cause a Hematoma (bleeding under the skin) which you do NOT want to happen.

'Incident' rates are very low for catheterizations (<1 / 1000?), especially at facilities that perform these tests on a high volume basis.

Bottom Line: Talk to your cardiologist about your reaction(s), allergies, and concerns BEFORE your test. Ask if they have a procedure film you can view beforehand.

Good Luck and keep the faith,

'AL'

 

[Ross]

Lisa is tough. She can handle it.

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Your Mileage May Vary

Your Mileage May Vary

Your Mileage May Vary, but for me the catheterization was no big deal. No pain, just some heavy pressure on the site for a few minutes after they took the cath out. Then the sandbag and lay still treatment for 6 hours. More boring and uncomfortable than anything.

I was pretty "happy" beforehand with valium and versed, I seem to recall.

 

[joy]

Hi Lisa! I think I read the first post you ever wrote, and did I read correctly that you have to have a lung transplant? What is pulmonary fibrosis, and how different is it from cystic fibrosis? I have a friend who has cystic fibrosis and she's always in the hospital. I haven't talked to her in years, but I remember she was always in the hospital and always coughing! Poor thing. You look so young, though! You look like you are 20 in your picture. You'll be in my thoughts. Take care of yourself.