Questions posted in the
Heart Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
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Subject: Re: Accuracy of stress test Dear DR., first I would like to thank all of you for this wonderful site and for taking the time to answer all the questions, all the information is greatly appreciated. Some time ago I had a stress test, the results showed a problem, I have been taking nitroglycerin when I have chest pains and it helps. My doctor recently sent me in for another stress test because I have been very tired lately and more short of breath. I was just told to be there, nothing more. I knew from the last test that I shouldn't eat or drink. way through the test they told me I would have to be waiting awhile, I asked if I could go have a cigarette ( I know, I need to quit ) and he told me no, it could affect the test. I had smoked one on my way to the hospital that morning. They asked my weight and I told them what I thought it was but I wasn't sure, it turns out that I was 15 pounds off, ( my DR. doesn't weigh me and it had been over a year since I was weighed ) I found out the next day when I went to my mothers to weigh myself. I had gained. I was only on the treadmill for about 2 minutes. I'm not sure what the test was called, I went in and was injected with something, given juice and water, put on a table while a machine took pictures, put on a treadmill, injected again, pictures again. I am very over weight, I smoke, I have a family history of heart problems, I'm a 40 year old female and I have a great deal of stress in my life. My DR told me today that my test looked ok, just showed that I'm out of shape. My first test showed ischemia, I still have chest pains that are helped by the nitroglycerin, what are the chances that the second test was wrong? Could being off on my weight and the cigarette have made the test look ok if it isn't, or can I stop worrying and rest assured that all is ok now? I know that I should voice my concerns with my DR, but that's very hard for me to do. Again I thank you for your time and information. Dawn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for your question. Smoking a cigarette or being off by 15 lbs on your weight won't affect the outcome of a stress test. Hope this puts your mind at ease. I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
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