The Stress Test

  • Posted by Buck
  • August 31, 2007

Since I have had a few episodes of unexplained dizziness and nausea my better half insisted that I have a stress test to check out my heart. Today was the day.

They checked my blood pressure before I climbed on to the machine and it was 119 over 61. That ain’t bad for a 276 pound guy that is pushing 50 years old and who still insists on enjoying a Kool Filter King from time to time.

They started up the treadmill and the doctor told me that they like to try and get at least 10 minutes out of the patient before the patient gives up. After 11 minutes he just turned the machine off. I was bound and by god determined that the machine would shut down before I did and fortunately that is the way it worked out. I don’t think I would have made it another full minute. They had driven my blood pressure up to 174 over 76 and they assured me that was perfectly fine all things considered.

They pumped me full of Thallium and then took about 20 minutes worth of pictures of my heart. The doctor has not seen them yet but he did tell me that judging by what he had witnessed my heart was certainly not the cause of the dizziness and nausea.

I walked out of the hospital and told my wife that I was officially healthy enough for sexual activity. She looked devastated and took me to Hardee’s for breakfast instead.

All in all a good day.

With all this Thalium in me I can set off geiger counters for the next 30 days. Maybe I should drive down to the airport and have a little fun.

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August 31st, 2007
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
RW
Posted on:
September 4, 2007 at 10:15 am

Hmmm….have I been blacklisted? I’ve left several comments & none show up.

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
RW
Posted on:
September 4, 2007 at 10:16 am

Ah, I see now. I know the problem.

Buck, you’re serving as a great source of inspiration for this addling sould.

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Jay G.
Posted on:
September 4, 2007 at 10:17 am

Glad to hear it’s not the ol’ ticker, Buck.

I had a full cardiac workup done before my son was born - I was having panic attacks that very closely mimicked cardiac episodes, so I was referred to a cardiologist.

I remember the stress test in much the same manner as the denizens of Nagazaki remember the B-29 bomber… All I remember is sweating like a politician in a confessional after about 3 minutes on the treadmill.

I *am* curious, though, as to how I’d do now…

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Buck
Posted on:
September 4, 2007 at 10:53 am

It is good to know that I am somehow inspiring my inspiration. It is funny how a couple of comments on a couple of blogs can set you on a new course of living. It is true. You scatter seed and sometimes they grow.

Jay it is funny you mention panic attacks because I have come to the conclusion that that is what is happening to me. I was very embarrassed by that until a friend of my asked me why a panic attack would be more embarrassing than a problem with your heart. I had no real answer.

I have never had panic attacks before and I have no idea what could have brought them on. I assume it is some kind of chemical imbalance. I had always figured that anybody that had panic attacks should be able to control them. But if that is what is happening to me I can assure you that I cannot as of yet control them. They come upon me unexpectedly and stay until they get tired of hanging around.

Next Monday I am supposed to discuss all of this with my doctor. I don’t want to have to take anti-depressants. In fact I don’t want to take anything at all. I hope this can be controlled some other way.

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
alice
Posted on:
September 4, 2007 at 1:26 pm

Buck, I have had anxiety/panic attacks for over 15 years. They’re not necessarily caused by a chemical imbalance, so medication isn’t always required to control them. Mostly what is required is just some disciplined thinking — i.e. once you know that what you’re experiencing is an anxiety attack (and not a heart attack), you can calm yourself. The biggest problem with anxiety is that it feeds off of itself, and can snowball into a real freakout. But with a little practice, you can learn to head the panic off with breathing and other calming behaviors.

When I first started having panic attacks, I took xanax for a little while, until I learned to calm myself down (stopped taking it when I found out it could be addictive — something my doctor had failed to mention to me). Now, I rarely take anything (for me, breathing, exercise and keeping busy are my main coping strategies, but YMMV), but I still always have a little xanax around just in case. I’ve gone years at a time without needing it, but every once in a while, when I get hit with a lot of triggers at once, it’s nice to have it to fall back on.

I’d be very wary of the anti-depressants, as that’s a very big step to take when you haven’t tried any other management strategies yet. Anti-depressants can have a lot of side effects, so I wouldn’t go there without trying some less drastic options first.

Please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email if I can be of any help. Sometimes it’s nice just to talk with someone who’s been there…

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
Buck
Posted on:
September 4, 2007 at 1:50 pm

Thanks Alice. Nothing will satisfy me more than to know that I can control these without medication. I don’t want to get caught up in the prescription drug vortex. I am already as caught up in the doctor vortex as I want to be.

Comment Number:
7
Written by:
Jay G.
Posted on:
September 4, 2007 at 10:39 pm

Listen to alice. She speaks da troof…

For me, it was a culmination of new job, new house, and new dad. Within the span of less than two years, I had a all three. The stress level was atmospheric.

Humorous side note: The cardiologist had me wear a cardiac monitor for 24 hours. It was election eve 2000. And we all know how THAT turned out… :)