Aa
Echo-Stress test
I have a stress test in a week or so and wanted to know a few questions if you guys don't mind.
I have read they use the Bruce protocol, is this correct?
Also I'm so confused about the grade% I want to see how I can do this same test at my gym but
I can not find each grade/incline difference.
http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/bruce.htm
Is the test pretty tough, how long did you last?
I like to try my own that way I won't be surprised and raise any anxiety when I have this test, this kinda crap
makes me nervous.
I have read they use the Bruce protocol, is this correct?
Also I'm so confused about the grade% I want to see how I can do this same test at my gym but
I can not find each grade/incline difference.
http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/bruce.htm
Is the test pretty tough, how long did you last?
I like to try my own that way I won't be surprised and raise any anxiety when I have this test, this kinda crap
makes me nervous.
Thank you for a detailed answer. Always nice to talk with you :-)
It seems like far less medications are OTC in Norway than United States. I went on a trip to Texas and New Orleans earlier this year, and I was surprised how much medications were available OTC in pharmacies and grocery stores. Meds like pseudoephedrine/phenylephrine, Benadryl and the cough syrup DM something, would not be sold OTC here. Metoprolol is only available with prescription here, I'm not sure if it's OTC in some countries but I doubt it. I know that Simvastatin has been discussed for sale OTC (I wonder if it possibly is OTC in UK in 10 mg pills) but so far it is not.
In Norway, our cholesterol is generally higher than in most parts of the world. I don't know why, I don't think it's caused by generally unhealthy living, but >200 is more the rule than the exception here. My cardiologist told me it's somewhat genetic. He also told me that my cholesterol would have been treated in United States but I didn't meet the criteria for getting treatment here, probably because my blood pressure is low. If I should be treated, most Norwegians would have to be.
Thank you for saying my English is good. Unfortunately, my teacher in high school didn't agree - which is one of the reasons my grades weren't good enough for med school (I would need A average, I only have B average). I'm native Norwegian, but I love UK and US :-)
It seems like far less medications are OTC in Norway than United States. I went on a trip to Texas and New Orleans earlier this year, and I was surprised how much medications were available OTC in pharmacies and grocery stores. Meds like pseudoephedrine/phenylephrine, Benadryl and the cough syrup DM something, would not be sold OTC here. Metoprolol is only available with prescription here, I'm not sure if it's OTC in some countries but I doubt it. I know that Simvastatin has been discussed for sale OTC (I wonder if it possibly is OTC in UK in 10 mg pills) but so far it is not.
In Norway, our cholesterol is generally higher than in most parts of the world. I don't know why, I don't think it's caused by generally unhealthy living, but >200 is more the rule than the exception here. My cardiologist told me it's somewhat genetic. He also told me that my cholesterol would have been treated in United States but I didn't meet the criteria for getting treatment here, probably because my blood pressure is low. If I should be treated, most Norwegians would have to be.
Thank you for saying my English is good. Unfortunately, my teacher in high school didn't agree - which is one of the reasons my grades weren't good enough for med school (I would need A average, I only have B average). I'm native Norwegian, but I love UK and US :-)
Interesting... Yes, we've talked about the differences in our healthcare systems before. It hasn't gotten any better! I'm about to enter the US Medicare system when I retire and turn 65 in February. The Medicare cost is deducted from the monthly Social Security "pension" that most (but not all) Americans have paid into all of their working lives. But Medicare doesn't cover everything, and there are gaps that need to be filled with out of pocket cash or "Medi-gap" Insurance companies offer policies that fill the gaps in the overall medical care. My employer, a large US corporation offers a "retirees policy" that I will go on to accomplish this. It's a good policy, but of course it's not free.
My wife has been on a "as needed" dose of Xanax for years, and was recently transferred over to Klonopin. She doesn't like it. There is an apparent shift from Xanax due to the habit forming nature it possesses. We are required to present our motor vehicle driver's license when it is purchased. Our ID is bar coded onto the license which is scanned and recorded.
Yes, hypertension is aggressively treated here, as is elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. For me, Metoprolol, a former front line blood pressure med works very well for me, and Simvastatin controls my elevated cholesterol to about 135 now. Both of these drugs have become extremely affordable; literally pennies per dose. My primary care physician thinks that nearly everyone should be on both medications as a prophylaxis against each.
Which begs a question: Is Metoprolol an "over the counter" medication in Europe? I've been led to believe that it is available without a prescription in some countries, but I can't confirm that.
Also, I was wondering if you are a native Norwegian or perhaps a British expatriate as you have a great command of English.
My wife has been on a "as needed" dose of Xanax for years, and was recently transferred over to Klonopin. She doesn't like it. There is an apparent shift from Xanax due to the habit forming nature it possesses. We are required to present our motor vehicle driver's license when it is purchased. Our ID is bar coded onto the license which is scanned and recorded.
Yes, hypertension is aggressively treated here, as is elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. For me, Metoprolol, a former front line blood pressure med works very well for me, and Simvastatin controls my elevated cholesterol to about 135 now. Both of these drugs have become extremely affordable; literally pennies per dose. My primary care physician thinks that nearly everyone should be on both medications as a prophylaxis against each.
Which begs a question: Is Metoprolol an "over the counter" medication in Europe? I've been led to believe that it is available without a prescription in some countries, but I can't confirm that.
Also, I was wondering if you are a native Norwegian or perhaps a British expatriate as you have a great command of English.
USA docs practice defensive medicine due to the litigious nature.
The thought process has one foot in the patient's well-being, and the other foot in preventing a lawsuit due to not following what are considered model-practices.
I had stage 1 hypertension back in my 30s, meds were suggested but I went off on my own. For some reason I don't have it anymore. weird.
The thought process has one foot in the patient's well-being, and the other foot in preventing a lawsuit due to not following what are considered model-practices.
I had stage 1 hypertension back in my 30s, meds were suggested but I went off on my own. For some reason I don't have it anymore. weird.
I did the Bruce protocol treadmill test when I was out of shape. Not overweight, but deconditioned. They keep raising the incline. 4 stages.
No biggie. They will stop it when you need to. They don't want you to stop it though.
I tried to tap out with like 30 seconds left at stage 4 and the tech was like "seriously dude? you're not at max, man-up". So I held out to the end and I didn't die. Threw some PVCs in recovery though. I said "HAH!! see!?!? I told you so!!" This was the first time I saw PVCs on a monitor after years of conjecture. It was exciting, because my cardiologist was there. I thought what a huge breaktrough!! guess what. it was meaninglessness in the long run because there still wasn't anything that could be done about them. This was like 13 years ago. I was 35. Things have changed, up and down over the years, but the muscle is still fine. much anxiety and crazy work over nothing it turned out.
No biggie. They will stop it when you need to. They don't want you to stop it though.
I tried to tap out with like 30 seconds left at stage 4 and the tech was like "seriously dude? you're not at max, man-up". So I held out to the end and I didn't die. Threw some PVCs in recovery though. I said "HAH!! see!?!? I told you so!!" This was the first time I saw PVCs on a monitor after years of conjecture. It was exciting, because my cardiologist was there. I thought what a huge breaktrough!! guess what. it was meaninglessness in the long run because there still wasn't anything that could be done about them. This was like 13 years ago. I was 35. Things have changed, up and down over the years, but the muscle is still fine. much anxiety and crazy work over nothing it turned out.
By all means, I fully respect (and envy you) the healthcare system in United States. I believe the financing is completely nuts, but that's another discussion :-)
What I don't understand (perhaps because it's very different in Norway and in Europe generally) is the aggressive treatment of high blood pressure (including white coat hypertension) and high cholesterol which is practiced in United States, and how frequently drugs like Xanax and Klonopin are prescribed. Regarding the latter, the ONLY time Xanax could be prescribed in Norway, is if it can make the difference between a career at work and permanent disability, and ALL other treatment options (at least two SSRIs/SNRIs, Buspar, antipsychotics, other benzodiazepines and CBT) have been tried unsuccessfully. Regarding blood pressure, Stage 1 hypertension is only medically treated in the presence of other risk factors. For high blood pressure to be treated in the absence of other risk factors, it would have to be stage 2 (>160/100) or involve organ damage (LVH, etc.)
But it's difficult to say which one is right or wrong.
What I don't understand (perhaps because it's very different in Norway and in Europe generally) is the aggressive treatment of high blood pressure (including white coat hypertension) and high cholesterol which is practiced in United States, and how frequently drugs like Xanax and Klonopin are prescribed. Regarding the latter, the ONLY time Xanax could be prescribed in Norway, is if it can make the difference between a career at work and permanent disability, and ALL other treatment options (at least two SSRIs/SNRIs, Buspar, antipsychotics, other benzodiazepines and CBT) have been tried unsuccessfully. Regarding blood pressure, Stage 1 hypertension is only medically treated in the presence of other risk factors. For high blood pressure to be treated in the absence of other risk factors, it would have to be stage 2 (>160/100) or involve organ damage (LVH, etc.)
But it's difficult to say which one is right or wrong.
I had my Stress Echo done prior to my electrophysiology. This was done after a normal treadmill stress test. The stress echo wasn't done as part of the pre-admission testing, but was done as part of the path towards the electrophysiology procedure. My cardiologist, whom I'm very friendly with told me it was done to rule out any structural abnormalities, and that he wanted to see my heart working under physical strain and compare it to when it was at rest. He ran me on the treadmill to failure, about 13 minutes (no SVT!), and then took ultrasound recording from that point until I recovered. I'm not sure if he was comparing valve operation.... I think he also took measurements in both states. Anyway.... that seems to be the norm here; stress echo before the electrophysiology procedure....
You are reading content posted in the Heart Rhythm Community
Are there grounds to recommend coffee consumption? Recent studies perk interest.
Salt in food can hurt your heart.
Get answers to your top questions about this common — but scary — symptom
How to know when chest pain may be a sign of something else
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
