imaclutz
Stress Test Adventures
Feb 25, 2013
2 weeks ago I went for a stress test. That was a fun time…. J It started out with the usual prep—no caffeine 12 hrs. before, nothing to eat 6 hrs. before. The test was in the early morning, so that worked out great. I get there and then they give me the “rest of the story…” “We will be putting in an IV, and you will have a small injection of radioactive gunk—rest for 45 minutes and then do a CT scan and it will show your blood flow and show if there’s any blockage”. Okay, I can deal with that….time for the IV……yep, 4 pokes and finally got a vein—in my FOREARM!!! Owieeeeeeeeeee! 
Then they shoot me up with the gunk and I get to wait for the scan. Nobody told me about the scan….I’m freaking ‘cause I’m SO claustrophobic… OMG. Well, thank GOD it was one of the donut thingies and not a full body tube….Still, I had to focus on my happy place…..
After the scan, I get to do the stress test. The doc asks me if I want to do the treadmill or the chemical one. I chose the treadmill—I don’t want any more chemicals, and I know I can handle it. Soooo, go into the room and I get about 42 electrodes stuck on me and a blood pressure cuff—oh, and I’m still hooked to the IV too….I am wired for sound and ready to go! The doc explains that he’s going to be checking my BP periodically while I’m on the treadmill, which is fine—however it’s on my left arm along with the IV, which is strung across my body to the right side. A little clumsy, but I’m fine. He gets the treadmill going and I start walking. In front of me there’s a chart with various levels of how you’re feeling. A few minutes in he asks me and I tell him I’m fine, “no problems.” Okay, he speeds it up a bit, and hits the incline as well. A little bit of a change, but I get into it and I’m doing pretty good. He takes my BP and asks me again—I tell him “a little harder, but ok”, and we speed up and INCLINE. Hmmmm, this is not as much fun as I had thought, but I keep going finding my “happy place”. I’m going along and he’s checking my BP again and speeds it up and inclines it. Okaaay—now this is not fun anymore!! I’m really pushing it and he asks me how I’m doing. I tell him it’s pretty rough. He says that’s not on the chart….(I’m thinking if he gets any closer, he’s gonna have his stethoscope sticking out of his tight little ass……) He says I’m doing great and that he has to get my heart rate to 140 before they can give me the second injection of the gunk. Seeing that my resting heart rate is around 50, I pretty much guess I’m going to die right there…… I look at the screen and my rate is at 132 and climbing and he and the nurse are cheering me on telling me to hang in there. Right about then, I’m fairly certain that either one or both of my lungs are about to squirt out of my ears. I’m hanging on for dear life on the treadmill, which feels like it’s at a 90’ angle and now he wants to take another BP!! Really??!?! Finally, when I think I’m going to lose consciousness, they inject the gunk and I have to walk another minute, which feels like 5 hours. Mercifully he cuts the speed and lowers the incline so I can “cool down” for the next minute. Right—I feel like I’ve just climbed Everest at warp speed,…..yep, that'll do the trick…..
Well, actually after I got back on the exam table and they unhook me from all the electrodes, I’m happy to say that my heart rate slowed pretty fast. I had to wait a little while and then they did another scan at “stressed level”—that’s an understatement!!! 
Good news is that it all went well. I have to see a cardiologist next Tuesday for a consult and release to have the surgery, which is a formality. The doc’s office said that the test went fine. Easy for them to say…. The next and final step in the process is I have to go to classes the first 3 Fridays in March. After that, I’m hoping they’ll set a date!
Have be positive and laugh about it. I got myself into this and darn it, I’m gonna get out too!!!