Worried about having cardiac stress test
@jewelenterprises (1996)
Australia
March 15, 2008 6:53am CST
On Wednesday, March 19, 2008 I have to go to the hospital and have a cardiac stress excercise test. You know, the one where they connect you to an ECG and check heart function before getting you on a treadmill and slowly increasing the speed to increase your heart rate and see how your heart responds while they monitor your heart rate and blood pressure.
To be honest, I am feeling extremely scared. This is the second time in three years I've had to have the test and last time I ended up in hospital having an angiogram. While the angiogram was clear, the doctors told me that didn't necessarily mean that there was nothing wrong, simply that at that time they couldn't pinpoint the problem. Not exactly reassuring!
Well, recently I've been having more problems with heart palpitations and chest pain. I must admit it could be stress since my partner is terminally ill and I'm trying to work full time, look after my partner and daughter, do 90% of the housework and at the same time trying to get an internet business off the ground so I can quit working outside the home... to put it bluntly, LIFE IS HARD!! And to cap it off I suffer from depression :(
I sometimes wonder if I'm just being paranoid. But at the same time I think I have reason to be. You see, my father died of heart disease when I was only 14 and my mother suffers from heart disease. My mothers symptoms started out almost identical to the symptoms I am suffering now at around the same age so naturally I am worried (especially since I was diagnosed with high cholesterol 12 years ago). I think I would prefer to be labelled as paranoid than to suddenly keel over from a heart attack because I've ignored the warning signs for months or years.
I'm feeling VERY ambivalent toward the test on Wednesday. On one hand I want everything to be clear because I really don't want to be told I have heart disease. But on the other... well, I want to know why I'm having these symptoms. At least if they find something they can treat it... instead of waiting for the symptoms to become more serious.
In a way I guess I'm just venting here... it's good to be able to get my feelings out in the open as I don't want to burden my partner considering her health issues.
But what are your experiences with Stress excercise tests... did they reveal anything? Did you receive a 'false positive' like I did on my last one? (apparently this is quite common in females because we are much more likely to have a heart attack caused by a spasm in a blood vessel in the heart rather than an actual arterial blockage... and an angiogram will not reveal this making it much more difficult to diagnose.
1 person likes this
1 response
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
15 Mar 08
Dont worry about it I've had a few in my life and came through them with flying colors! Their not easy that's for sure but if you're hving any problems it's good to have it.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
16 Mar 08
Thank you for the response. I think I'm worried too because last time I didn't come home after the test, they admitted me so they could do the angiogram and this time my partner is in no condition to have to look after our daughter, never mind looking after me for 48 hours after an angiogram.


