Females and Echocardiagram(I'm a little scared)

[mum2four]

I'm a little scared about being exposed during the Echocardiogram on June 10.

Any other females that have had an echo struggle with any anxiety.

Maybe people can try to describe there experiance good or bad so that i start to deal with my fear before june 10.

I know its basicly an ultrasound and thats causes unsettlling thoughts with in me big time. For this test I really wish I had a smaller chest. It was bad enough being in hospital in hospital gown wearing no bra. Bit hard when you have a ECG lead attached every where.

[jennytsos]

I demanded respectful healthcare environment and no woman should have her nipples exposed pointing at the tech, doctor or nurses...for 45 mins...walk with nipple covers or black adhesive scotch tape to cover the nipple area...or bandages....some of these healthcare persons get turned on so they would never advise a woman to cover that area...I made it clear its an echocardiogram of my heart not my nipples... and I covered that area up.............. that way you don't feel vulnerable and overly exposed...

[jennytsos]

I had my first echo done and they actually tried to convince me not to cover and I just said its imaging of my heart not my nipples...so please get me some scotch tape and square cotton patches and I covered that area...just know your rights and do what makes your comfortable.  Never let anyone make you feel vulnerable...embarrassed or overly exposed.  There is no need for that....

[mum2four]

I have self treated at home most of my life as well except that for me I felt avoid people would work lol Boy wad I wrong lol. And a far as all my physical illnesses I do the same thing I would avoid anything that gave me a headache, or any food that made me feel sick, and so on. I tryed different ways to cope but I hated the idea of med's and I was pertrified that if went to a Dr I would.be taking up the Dr's time that some one sicker needed.

Once I realised I had become practicly an agrophobic which was some thing I was scared of as well lol and thought I was doing to avoid becomeing I started looking for better answer on the net. I read a lot but something called PURE O OCD really made sence to me. Thats when I came across an amazing site called Stuck in a door way. The people there are so open there fears, thoughts, images, that I started to open up about mine.

I was 27 before starting meds for OCD and treatment, it took a year of therapy to diagnoise me because I have co-morbid symptom. I was doing so well right up untill april 2007(29y), then I was a victom of a home invasion. I went in to the deapest depression(stopped seeing my phycologist) ever and was basicly in bed for 1y. I was put on zyprexa to help, it took about 6 mth on zyprexa to get me out of bed then once I felt stable I decided I wanted my life back again. I found a new phycologist and he so cool. My last phycologist made me cry all the time he seemed to serious for me. my new phycologist is so much more relaxed and easy going and has been great for me. He diagnoised me with PTSD and he thinks that the home invasion was not first trigger for PTSD.

I'm now back at school trying to get my cert 2 in community studies. I'm finally facing plenty of other fears including my fear of taking up the Dr's time for my problems. I've never had anything but blood test before this year.

I hate the gowns as well lol but I also hate knowing people as waiting for me I feel like I take for ever. I feel like I wasting time(my OCD fear). I get alot of my OCD flashes it drives me a little bonkers. Thoughts seem easier to deal with than images.

Thank you

[ireneo]

I'm sorry life is such a struggle for you. We all have our bad days but I wonder if you ever have a day free of these dialogues inside. How exhausting for you.

I'm not a big fan of going to the doctor. I avoid it every chance I get and self treat at home. I know just enough to do what I can and know when I need the doctor. I'm not afraid of shots or blood work. The part I hate is. . . .  getting undressed. The doctors and nurses don't care. We're just body parts to them. But, like you, I'm not fond of showing MY body parts to strangers. LOL I've had 3 catheter ablations done on my heart and one of the most difficult parts was getting undressed and putting on that pathetic little gown. You'd think I'd be worried about having wires stuck up into my heart. Nope. I just kept telling myself - this is the only way they can get in and fix my heart. And they really don't care how I look. They just want to do their job and go home. Just like the rest of us.

I hope you can get through the echo OK. More importantly, I hope they don't find anything weird in there. Take care.

[mum2four]

I'm getting a better image that is making me feel more comfortable thank you.


the letter said clothes need to be elevated or lowered and area exposed and supose the word exposed was the word that keeps making me imagin the worst senario thankyou everyone.

I had to have internal ultrasound in 2007 that was scary enough but when you bleeding to much and want answer the fear of dieing takes over. My anxiety is never really gone 100% it more about what fear is worse for me at the time.

I currently go to school because my fear or not having a job to distract me once my kids are old enough and start thinking about leaving home is greater than my fear of being in the class room. Some day's that debatable lol. Then my far of letting the anxiety take back the control kicks in and tell the anxiety to get lost not that it really seems to go 100%. I have OCD not just anxiety so I'm for eva obsessing about what is more important. What fear is grater, what fear has the most good points. etc. I cant face them all once. I started obsessing when I was kid and no one figured it out not even me till I was 27y when I basicly an agrophobic. I went no where unless a fear was greater like the fear of not feeding my kids and looseing them to welfare,so I'd go to the shops get in head down ignore people and get out and go home. then once home I needed to time to process what had happened. the processing was obsessing and it got worse over the years.I would have reruns of everything over and over trying work out what I can do better to not atract attention. I was so scared people were going to say hello to me that I started making excuses wearing headphone's, tieing shoe lace, walking away from people I suspect might say hello to me, cross the road, go the long way, you name it. While I may not seem like I'm getting over my anxiety thats so wrong I've come so far people just cant imagine how far I've come because they did not live in side my head.

[ireneo]

My experience was the same as Michelle's - the tech was too busy looking at the monitor and pushing buttons to record things to take a look at me. And I still had the gown on, just slightly opened at the front. Plus I was laying slightly on my side facing away from the tech so his arm could arch over my arm and hold the wand against my skin.

I've never had an anxiety attack (maybe one just days before my Dad died and it felt like a heart attack). But perhaps your anxiety isn't under control as well as it could be. If you feel exposed with an echo, I pray you never need a transvaginal ultrasound for your ovaries. Talk about icky.

[CHELLETO6DOGS]

Good luck and let me know how it goes. i see you have 4 kids too. aren't kids a joy. I have 4 boys.
When my son or I have to go for echos I usually end up somehow, end up talking about hunting, if it is a male, and if it is a female we usually end up talking about our kids. I think doing this helps me relax as it might them too.
again good luck
michelle

[mum2four]

I already made an offical  compliant and told him to stay away from me. So hopefully the hospital does not give him to again.

Thank you very much for you word it helped a lot as well. I never thought about from the other perspective before you mentioned it thank I think that will help.

I'm a little worried about the small talk lol I have trouble with small talk when I'm fully clothed lol. let alone when its being use to try to distract me from whats really going on lol. I'm not good with obvious distraction method's it almost like when people say " I dont mean to rude... but" or "Dont take this the wrong way but..." you automaticely know whats coming next. lol. It's like telling a person not to look at blood and they cant help but to look at the blood. It feel redundant lol.

The strangest part of my fear that I'm still a little anxious to say is that my OCD keep telling me that the problem in not with what might be done to me but how I supose a way to put is that I will be the one that gives out bad sexual vibes. I dont know if that makes it clear. I know that it so strange to say but that OCD for you. (if I dont click soon I may delete this part and/or panic)
Thank you.

[CHELLETO6DOGS]

I am a female and I have never been "completely exposed" they do the echos with as much dignity as they can possibly be. i have had several.I have had both males and females and to be honest, they are too busy looking at the machine then anything else. most will talk to you and try to make you feel relaxed. be upfront with the female doctor if you get one and tell them how uncomfortable you are maybe they can make arrangements for a nurse to be in there with you or better yet bring a friend.
If you do get that rude doctor to do the echo, tell him that he is being VERY unprofessional and when the echo is done you will take the proper steps, not saying you have to write a letter of complaint but maybe that will shut his rude mouth. where I have my test they use tech the doctors don't do the echo's.not even on my 6 year old they didn't do the echos only after his heart surgery the doctor did the echo.
I am not sure but did you ask if you can have something to help you relax a little.
I have to admit that before having some significant medical issues I hated "exposing" myself like that too, but now it just seems like a routine issue. I never told the techs how uncomfortable I was. and one told me she was uncomfortable doing then at first and to a degree still are because they know it can make a person feel this way
I wish you luck and hope all is oaky
Michelle

[mum2four]

thank you for your message.

Surprisingly I'm more scared of females Dr's lol. partly because I have trust issues with women due not having a positive female in my day to day life. Also because they are not reqired by law to have a nurse with them.

I faced my fear I female Dr's when I had to change Dr's after my dr of 10y changed clinic to far away.

My faith in the female cardiologist at my local hospital is good as she diagnoised my IST and her husband is another cardiologist at the hospital who I'm seeing again in july after the echo. I dont know if its him that will doing the echo or what but I sure hope its not the MEAN cardiologist that told me that I a fat and lazy anxious person that lie's basicly.(but longer sentance's)


Thankyyou you discription was great as well

.

[is_something_wrong]

It's correct, don't use sedatives before your echocardiography. Careful on coffee and other stimulants.

Is it possible to ask for a female cardiologist to do the test? I know they are rare, but it should be possible to find one? :)

What they do at echo (I know you're not afraid of the test itself, but nice to know):
- Initial 12 channel EKG at rest.
- Placing new EKG electrodes (a 2 channel strange EKG they use during echo) and gel.
- Measure heart walls (thickness)
- Measure chamber sizes
- Measure blood pumped out with each beat, and estimate EF
- Checking for muscle damage (MI, myocarditis, etc)
- Checking for holes between left and right chambers (shunts)
- The "scary" part, checking valves for murmurs (this makes a scary noise, different for each valve, and I can guarantee that you will believe you have murmurs. It really doesn't sound good, like someone flushes a toilet or similar. Ask the cardiologist to use a headset!!
- (possibly) checking aorta dimensions.

My echo was done in 15-20 minutes and everything was fine. I thought it was a bit cool (except for the valve things), the cardiologist kept yelling at me "look, you chicken!! Didn't you wanna be a doctor?! come on now!"

I think the 45 minutes include EKG and blood pressure monitoring and the usual chat with your doctor. I understand that you don't like exposing yourself to strangers, absolutely, my only advice is to (at least try) think of this professionally, you're doing this to rule out heart disease and to live a better life, not to cheat on your husband. You should discuss this with your husband AND the cardiologist. I'm sure they both will understand, and you can be pretty sure the cardiologist have experienced this several times before.

[mum2four]

Its not the Echo I'm really scared of. Its being exposed while they do it.

The letter that tell what will happen say's 45 min's exposed and that really hits my anxiety big time.

I'm not small in the chest area and finding my heart threw all that tissue is going to proberly make me feel compleatly not good while they do it. takeing my sedative would not be a good idea since sedative can relax the heart mussel.

I'm petrified of pap smear's and this is not much different this and OCD dont agree with each other lol. You might not understand OCD but it makes me feel like I'm going to  cheating, or that some thing bad might happen. It's not logical but it is what is.

[r9c]

I am not a female though but i had my echo last october where everything came back normal,the test were pretty good for me,the only thing i felt a bit uncomfortable is that cold jelly gel that they put on ur chest and rub it before they use the thing,like a microphone to move around your heart,i actually can see my heart pumping and the blood in and out of the heart in the monitor screen.Mine last for less than 20 mins i guess because they saw nothing wrong with the echo i guess :)

[mum2four]

Its a 45 min long that feels like foreva to be exposed.

[CFS56]

It really is no big deal.  I have had 3 or 4 echos.  Doesn't take long, doesn't hurt, no radiation exposure to worry about.  Only quirk I have is the sound.  I can't stand to hear the heartbeat, swishing sound.  I ask them to turn it off so I can't hear it.