Clogged Arteries

[lolathechi]

Hi

I was wondering what are the symptons of clogged arteries? Is a stress test used to determine that? If your arteries are begining to clog can this reverse with diet and exercise?

Also they say the vagus nerve is related to a lot of pvcs, if this is so why dont they have a medication that will "relax" your vagus nerve to stop these horrible things??

Thanks so much!

[EchoTech]

Thank you for the compliment.  I hope things are going better for you.

[MinnieM]

Thanks Echo.  Yes, I am on Beta Blockers.  First TopolXL up to 75mg and the gradient was not coming down fast enough (my thoughts) and he switched me to 12.5 x 2 a day of Coreg.  I nearly croaked on that amoutn so reduced to 6.5 x 2 a day and hated this as well so a phone call told me to get back on the TOPOLXL till he seesz me next week.  

I am not sure what my Gradient is:  mean or "what was the other things you mentioned". It is not listed anywhere on this report. All it says:(8/10/2005)   DOPPLER FINDINGS "LVOT SV=106ml. LVOT CO =9.3 L/MIN.  Mild (1/4) mitral regurgitation.  Unable to estimate PAP. Estimated RA pressure 5-10 mmHG. Pulmonary vein flow is suggestive of normal left atrial pressure.  

Comments:  A 16 mmHG LVOT gradient noted. Compared with prior study of 7/6/05, no significant change. Decreased from 6/11/2005 study which showed a 30mmHG gradient.  

Echo, I had another Echi in 9/4/2005 and do not have that report yet but told the gradient has not decreased any further.  This is why the cardio placed me on Coreg but I am unable to handle this.

Is what I am having in his office called a serial echo?  Thanks much.  You are very valuable. My cardio relies so much on the ECHO tech.
I still feel like *&%^%$^* and tire esily.

[save]

I have read your comments and greatly respect them.  You responded to a question  that I had ask one of the Dr. before.  I do have blockage.  I have been exercising for along time, and my symptoms increased a lot this past year. I have seen a cardiologist and he increased meds.  I never exercise without symptoms that can get severe.  I get chest pressure/squeezing, jaw pain sometimes the right upper part of the arm.  I now wear 0.4 Nitro Patch, plus I have started using the Nitro pill while I am on the treadmill ( this was my idea)  if the symptoms get too bad.   The symptoms let up when I stop, and I  go on to lift weights.  Later - maybe an hour or more - I seem to sometimes get pressure in the chest that really bothers me - not always.  I don't understand  what happens.  Nitro pills do help when this happens and  laying down.  The pressure continues if I walk around.  It is hard to understand CAD symptoms.  On a stress test that I took, I was told that my heart was slow to recover.  Would this make a difference?     I seem to get a lot of chest pressue lately.  I am the person that wrote about 5 blockages and was told at first surgery (because he could not stent the ones (2) that really need it and then changed to stenting the 3 that are not life threatening because of symptoms.  He said that he could not guarantee this would stop symptoms.  So, I decided not to do the stenting.

[upbeat63]

Just one more question of you please. I read my stress echo report again and it said trivial aortic insufficiency, not regurg. Is that the same thing or are they describing different circumstances.  I know you are not a doctor, but your opinion and information regarding these tests are greatly appreciated.

[upbeat63]

Thank you for your information. I'm trying my best to accept what I have been told so far, benign PVCs, no abnormal heart wall motion, mild aortic regurge, normal, normal, normal. But when you ask questions and get a pat on the head I guess it's normal to feel something is lacking.

And when you get 20 PVCs per minute and sometimes more, feel a little lightheaded and fatigued, you start the questions all over again. It's a vicious circle that has few breaks. Thankfully there are breaks and I'm trying to take full advantage of them when they come. Thank you again, you are a special person to assist so many with your knowledge.

[EchoTech]

Well, that's an interesting situation.  I would lean in the direction of if the report says everything is normal except for the aortic regurge, then I would relax. Different centers have slightly different ways of doing things (they mostly get the same info), but cardiology in general is slowly moving towrds standardizing reports from hospital to hospital. The center I work at we do not regularly calculate the EF on the stress tests.  The best way to expain it is that in the stress testing realm, we think in terms of normal vs abnormal performance.  If there were abnormalities, then cardiologists think more in terms of what vessel may be partial/completely blocked vs. what is the EF? It seems to confuse people when they have a normal test and are told that the EF is normal at both 55% at rest  and 75% after exercise.  They seem to see the large gap in the numbers and think that their resting EF should be 75% instead of 55% and that it is a problem.  It isn't, and it seems to get people more confused than reassured. We visuallly look at the heart wall contractions to make sure that all the walls contract stronger and more vigorously after you are done on the treadmill.lculate the EF and LV meaurements, but I can't see why it would cost more.  There is someime involved in calculating the values, but it really shouldn't take more than 15 minutes or so.  If you have some concerns, I would try to talking her supervisor, and just explain the situation, and I'm pretty confident you can get the extra information without too much trouble.  hospital management is very big on customer service, and they'll try to please you as much as possible within reason.

  I think you would have gotten more of an explaination with a cardiologist.  It would seem that the stress test in general was normal so that they are not worried about it.  It is always your right to seek a second opinion if you want to.  I personally wouldn't but that's just me talking, and I'm certainly no doctor.  I hope this clears some of it up or  I can try to explain it in  adifferent way.