Re: What should I do?

Posted By Nathan Jones on June 16, 1998 at 12:05:07:

In Reply to: What should I do? posted by Roger Duffey on June 16, 1998 at 11:50:32:






I am a 45 year old male who is 5'8" and weighs about 275 lbs.  I have a
high stress job, I eat badly and don't exercise.  I just quit smoking 5
days ago and am taking Zyban.  I have high blood pressure and am on medi-
cation (Zestril or Prinivil).  I have been experiencing intermittent chest
pain and increasing shortness of breath since the first week of May.  I
have been trying to rest for
the past 3 weeks as I have been feeling worse.  The chest pain appears
after exertion or something stressful (no exertion).  I also have sleep
apnea (sleep study scheduled in 3 weeks), fatigue, and insomnia.  
I am terrified that I have emphysema, lung cancer and/or heart trouble.
I have refused to tell my doctor about this; I am afraid if I go in to get
a stress test, I will have a heart attack on the treadmill.
My maternal uncle has diabetes; I have no health history from my biological
father due to adoption.  I had a chest x-ray done last fall; a shadow
appeared on the film and the Dr. reported that it could be from an old
bout of pneumonia, which I've never had to my knowledge.
I am confused as to what should be my plan of action?  Thank you.
Make an appointment to see either your personal physician or a cardiologist immediately.  They won't yell at you because of your lifestyle but they can diagnose if you have life threatening problems.  It's time to wake up and get to a physician immediately.
The risk of a heart attack during a treadmill test is really quite small and if you are inclined to have a heart attack, that is absolutely the best place for it to happen in the presence of a cardiologist who watches the entire test.