Nuclear Stress Test Results

 

A few days ago, I had a nuclear stress test and while I achieved my target heart rate, I felt light-headed and soon after the test was halted.  Yesterday, I received a call from my Cardiologist who informed me that my test yielded an abnormal result...  meaning there is a blockage and that blockage revolves around the LAD...  called the "widow maker".

My Cardiologist indicated that the next step was to have a heart cath procedure that will actually take a closer look so that heart surgeons can determine if additional stents should be inserted, or if a bypass should be performed, or if maintaining the status quo is appropriate...

In 2009/2010 five (5) stents were inserted into my heart arteries, 3 in the LAD and 2 were inserted into other arteries on the left side.  After 10 years, it is normal and typical for these stents to no longer perform as they were originally intended to perform.

My concern folds around the idea that for the last decade I have only eaten heart healthy foods to prevent something like this from happening...  Exercise may have helped reduce plaque build-up but diet is the preferred way to go...  I did both but concentrated more on diet than on exercise.

These days instead of entering the artery in the inside upper thigh in the groin to travel to the heart, the surgeon enters into another artery in the wrist around the area of the thumb.  This approach is less invasive and just as effective with the recovery time being greater.  I am waiting to hear back on the dates for this procedure...  but what I do know is that it will start at 7:30 am and I am to report 90 minutes before that.

That procedure will determine that next steps that I will be taking.A few days ago, I had a nuclear stress test and while I achieved my target heart rate, I felt light-headed and soon after the test was halted.  Yesterday, I received a call from my Cardiologist who informed me that my test yielded an abnormal result...  meaning there is a blockage and that blockage revolves around the LAD...  called the "widow maker".

My Cardiologist indicated that the next step was to have a heart cath procedure that will actually take a closer look so that heart surgeons can determine if additional stents should be inserted, or if a bypass should be performed, or if maintaining the status quo is appropriate...

In 2009/2010 five (5) stents were inserted into my heart arteries, 3 in the LAD and 2 were inserted into other arteries on the left side.  After 10 years, it is normal and typical for these stents to no longer perform as they were originally intended to perform.

My concern folds around the idea that for the last decade I have only eaten heart healthy foods to prevent something like this from happening...  Exercise may have helped reduce plaque build-up but diet is the preferred way to go...  I did both but concentrated more on diet than on exercise.

These days instead of entering the artery in the inside upper thigh in the groin to travel to the heart, the surgeon enters into another artery in the wrist around the area of the thumb.  This approach is less invasive and just as effective with the recovery time being greater.  I am waiting to hear back on the dates for this procedure...  but what I do know is that it will start at 7:30 am and I am to report 90 minutes before that.

That procedure will determine that next steps that I will be taking.

My Stress Test Today

I arrived at the Heart & Lung Building of UT Medical Center in Knoxville at 6:45 am as requested and signed in a the front desk.  Five minutes later, I was escorted back to a patient waiting area with 5 other patients and all of us had IV's put into our arms by techicians who also explained the procedure to us.

One by one, we were taken in to have the radioactive isotope pushed into our IV and after wating 30 minutes, we had a 15 minute CT scan of our heart and its blood flow at rest.

Shortly after that we were taken in one by one to the treadmill area heart monitor connections were attached to our upper body, a blood pressure cuff was attacked to our left arm and we got onto a treadmill and began walking flat for a minute or so.

My nurse told me that my target heart rate was 125 becasuse of my age.  

A minute or so later the treadmill's speed and incline were increased and I began to breath more deeply and my knees began to ache.

A minute or so later the treadmill's speed and incline were increased and the incline had to be 30 degrees or better, and another technician  entered the room to administer another nuclear dosage once I reached my target heartrate.

By now I was really get hard to breathe and my chest hurt a little and I felt faint but no dizziness or room spinning.  As I leaned on the bars because of feeling faint, I reach my target level, the dye was pushed into my IV.

The speed of the treadmill was lowered a bit but not the incline and I needed to walk another 90 seconds.  I managed to find the energy to do that and when the treadmill was stopped, a chair was placed behind me and I sat down...  with a plop!

It took about 2 minutes for me to begin breathing normal again but the nurse wanted me to sit for a full 5 minutes because I had felt faint.

I was taken back to the  waiting area and told to eat non-healthy cheese and crackers which would assist in making the second scan turn out better.

Ten minutes later, I was in the CT scan machine and 15 minutes after that, I was walking out the door, and heading downstairs to my car.  I pulled out of my parking slot at 10:00 am.

I am assuming that someone from my Cardiologist's office will call me with the results in the next few days.