Stress Test Results

[Kenny1948]

Hi,
I took a chemical stress test the other day.  I was recently diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and put on Flecainide 50mg 2x and Dilziatem 120mg 1x daily.  The stress test I was told, was to check if I had arterial blockage causing my Afib.  I have read on these forums that CAD is not usually associated with Afib.  
I am being treated by DO who works in a cardiology office.  Is this normal practice?  I am concerned about his diagnosis, and the meds he is treating me with.
I had been scheduled to see him again, on the 25th.  His office called me however and said he wanted to see me earlier. So I am scheduled for Monday.  This all has me very worried, and I already have anxiety problems.

[kenkeith]

The DO deisignation is a doctor of osteopathy.  An MD is a doctor of allopathy.  There is a is philosophical difference regarding treatment, and as I remember the DO focus more on therapy that involves the body's ability to heal, and an allopathic doctor has a different perspective, and DO believes therapy should treat the body as a whole and not just one part.  Today there is very little distinction between the two regarding treatment, and the education is the same accept the DO has an additional 300 to 500 additional study regarding the musculoskeletal system.

Like M.D.s, osteopathic physicians are licensed at the state level. Osteopathic physicians who wish to specialize may become "board certified" (in much the same manner as M.D.s) by completing a 2- to 6-year residency within the specialty area and passing the board certification exams.

The evidence for a causal link between chronic atrial fibrillation and coronary disease is weak, if such a link exists at all (I'm not sure that is in keeping with a DO training...you may wish to ask).  A stress test may be to assess your cardiovascular system under chemically induced stress  and whether or not that triggers arrhythmia.








Osteopathic medicine is dedicated to treating and healing the patient as a whole, rather than focusing on one system or body part. An osteopathic physician will often use a treatment method called osteopathic manipulative treatment (also called OMT or manipulation) -- a hands-on approach to make sure that the body is moving freely. This free motion ensures that all of your body's natural healing systems are able to work unhindered.

Osteopathic physicians hold to the principle that a patient's history of illness and physical trauma are written into the body's structure. The osteopathic physician's highly developed sense of touch allows the physician to feel (palpate) the patient's "living anatomy" (the flow of fluids, motion and texture of tissues, and structural makeup).



D.O.s practice in all specialties of medicine, ranging from emergency medicine and cardiovascular surgery to psychiatry and geriatrics. A majority of osteopathic doctors use many of the medical and surgical treatments that are used by other medical doctors.

One of the most effective methods used to treat arterial blockage is to fit a pacemaker near the heart. The pacemaker is a small, battery-driven device that transmits electrical signals to keep the heartbeats regular.
In addition, people with underlying coronary artery disease can develop angina (chest pain and pressure) from the rapid heart rate; and people with underlying cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle) can have an acute episode of heart failure.
Studies have not shown a causal relation