Re: Stress Test - worth the effort?
- From: "Bill" <xxx@xxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 05:08:03 GMT
"quietguy" <quietguy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message news:42C21864.4C183E0A@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Visited a (supposed to be) cardiologist last week - he wanted me to have
> a stress test, but I declined and he lost interest in having me as a
> patient.
>
> I had a triple bypass 10 years ago, and since them have had stents put
> in on 4 separate occassions. Same thing happens each time - I have the
> angioplasty/stent then about 4 to 8 weeks later my angina and shortness
> of breath returns - gradually gets worse and worse until I can only walk
> (say) 20 metres before needing to take an anginine tab, then the tabs
> are not enough to stop the pain and I go to hospital.
>
> I had the last stent in Jan 04, and am now at the point where I think I
> need another op - pain on exertion (eg drying myself after a bath) and
> pain after eating a heavy breakfast.
>
> So, I went to see this guy after getting a referral from the GP/
>
> I hate those stress tests as I think they may bring on a major heart
> attack, and also it seems a waste of time and money. If the test turns
> out bad I will need an angiogram/plasty to find and fix the problem, and
> if it turns out good then I will need an angiogram to find the problem.
>
> Either way I will need the angiogram, so why go thru the hassle of a
> stress test?
>
> As I live in the bush their is only the one so called cardiologist handy
> - so a second opinion means a 1000km trip
>
> Any ideas, suggestions?
>
> David - who is of course on regular heart medication
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
It sounds like you are from Australia and I'm not quite sure how things work
there, but I assume there are some similarities with the US.
Here there are medical protocol issues. I recently had two stents put in. I
was very sure of what was going on and it turned out I was right. But me being
very sure does not satisfy either the Dr. who is going to do the procedure or
the insurance company. So I had to go through the process of making an
appointment with the cardiologist and then getting a nuclear stress test -
which showed a part of the heart was not getting enough blood.
So there are rules the medical establishment and insurance companies impose.
I suggest you might want to follow your Dr's. advice and take the test. Since
your alternatives seem to be to take a long trip which may well put you back
in the same boat. Or living with the problem which is likely to get worse.
FYI, there are new types of stents out there, which you may or may not have
had in 01/04, call drug eluting stents which are much less likely to reblock.
And if you keep having new blockages, such as the one you suspect now, you may
want to see if there is anything more you can do to slow that process down.
Diet and exercise are the first place to look.
Bill
.
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