test question

[jojokdz]

I am having a nuclear heart pet scan...  I can't do the stress trendmill test cause of 2 bad knees..So they want me to do this.. Has anyone ever had this done?  They give you a chemical to make your heart race, watch it and then give you a med to calm it back down.. Doesn't sound so good to me.  So of course I read online and it has some complications.. then of course a friend told me her friend's grandmother died from it..  Now I am freaking out.  I had 2 EKG'S, ECHO W/Contrast, I worse a holter for 24 hrs.  and all was good.  But they want this done.  I have PVC'S and short of breath with walking etc.  any information would be helpful.

[erijon]

Ed is correct, once you're past it you're going to wonder what you got so worked up over. Other than a couple shots, this is not an invasive procedure at all and all you have to do is lay still, the docs will do everything else. Try not to think about it as it will cause your anxiety to increase and cause all kinds of symptoms like shortness of breath. Also, stay off the Internet and fight the urge to read all about it because too often you will only hear about the worst case scenarios as most people don't post about how great things went, they are more likely to post about problems when they occur but complications are so extremely small, it's not easy to even calculate them.

Relax and enjoy the weekend!

Jon

[ed34]

This is one of those tests where everyone gets anxious, but afterwards think "was that it, I worried for that?"
Have they asked you to take a sample of music along to listen to? If so, don't pick anything you want to tap your feet to, you have to keep still :)

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

i had this done 3 years ago, i have great knees but really bad anxiety which threw my blood pressure way out of site, so they would not let me walk it.

they gave me the shot and i think because i was so stressed already it sent my heart racing out of chest, never had the breathing problem, but after they were done my heart would not stop racing so they had to give me another shot to slow it back down to normal and it did as soon as they gave me the shot.

you will do fine they are there with you and know what they are doing, if they thought it would hurt you they would do another test. hangf in there i know how stressful test can be .

[jojokdz]

Sometimes I feel short of breath just sitting.. But it could be my nerves.. Right now its so hard to tell anymore, cause I wake up stressed...

[ed34]

The shortness of breath you feel on exertion is how the chemicals will make you feel, because your heart is worked harder. BUT, it only lasts a few seconds.

[jojokdz]

Thank u for all ur advice.  Oddly when I was ready to do this test, the pet scan machine broke.  I was so mad.  Now I wait..  I am so stressed out about the test but everything in my life right now is not good.  I have had shortness of breath alot when I exert. And this test makes u feel short of breath?? yikes... And my pvc's are going nuts too because when I stress, they act up.  But what scares me, is the pain I get sometimes.. not sure if its heart related, acid reflux , stress or all the above..  I will let u know how it all turns out.  

[Flycaster305]

Since my pacemaker was inserted they always have me do the 'inactive' stress test.  It is very safe, certainly safer than unaswered questions about what is causing shortness of breath.  As Ed34 suggests, try to relax.  It takes far longer to hook up the leads than to run the test.  Let us know how it goes and what was found.

[erijon]

I have had it done for the same reason, bad knees before my weight loss. It was really kind of cool, the effects hit the moment they started the drug. It felt just like I was in the middle of a long sprint. My heart was pounding, I was flushed and my breathing was labored. They kept it going for 2 minutes during which time they injected the tracer. They then stopped the drug and the moment they stopped it, everything went back to normal all at once, it was weird. As Ed said, everyone is different and much depends on the condition of your heart. If you have heart disease or are very out of shape, it will take longer to recover but rest assured there will be a cardiologist there monitoring the test and will keep you from getting into any trouble.

Good luck!

Jon

[ed34]

This is a very difficult question to answer because everyone has different reactions. I've had several types of scans where chemicals were used to induce stress, and none have felt the same. The worse thing I've had is finding it slightly harder to breathe, but if you just relax and breathe deeper, it's fine. The key is not to try and fight it, just go with it and chill. You have to remember they are not out to damage your heart or try and kill you. When it's over, your body returns to normal very quickly.The longest it has taken for the effects to wear off with me is around 30 seconds. Remember also that your heart will be monitored all the time, so if anything strange starts to happen, then they will stop. So to repeat, don't panic, they are watching everything.