How many of you have had an actual stress test

Hello, i am curious to know how many of you have had an actual stress test, either chemical or exercise machine ? What was it like ? how people were with you, what happened ?

I had one about 6 years ago because I wanted to be put on a diet pill called Adipex. But before John would give it to me he made me get an EKG and a stress test. There were 2 people with me the entire time. To be honest with you I don't remember all of it from start to finish because it just wasn't important enough to remember. I did have to get on the treadmill. They started it slow and we worked up to it. I believe I had multiple leeds on in various places and I also think I had a strap around my rib cage that probably had something to do with my heart, lol. But that's all I remember. When I got off the treadmill I felt like I was going to die, lol. I pushed myself way to hard and too far. I was still trying to recover from kidney surgery and the after math of that. I had recently dropped 80 pounds or so, but was putting it back on. Anyway, I hope this helps.

Mashie

June of 2013 I had my mitral value repaired. Before they did the surgery, I had to have a stress test. Hooked me up to an ekg monitor, and just like Mashie, run on a treadmill. I used to go running, so it wasn't a big deal.

In preparation for my surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm, my vascular surgeon ordered a EKG stress test. I was expecting the tread mill routine, but after I was all hooked up to the monitor, they gave me an I.V. injection of a stimulant drug that made my heart speed up dramatically. I just laid on the table while my heart raced. It was no big deal and was over quickly. I was happy that I wasn't drenched in sweat. The Dr. told me I had the ejection fraction of a 35 yr. old man, even though I'm twice that age.

I've had several stress tests. All were normal except the last one. I had been very anxious because my father died at 57 from a heart attack. Despite surfing and being healthy I was very paranoid about things. In 2001 I developed atypical chest pain and was admitted. I had a stress test and developed ventricular trigeminy which is a soft sign for coronary artery disease. I then had a coronary A gram which was totally normal. Whew! I haven't given it a thought since.

My wife had a running stress test with a cardiac ultrasound

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I've had several stress tests some before and then after my stent was put into my left ventricle. Each test was exhusting and took about15 minutes. There was a nurse and a tech who conducted the test. I would recomend doing it. It will help your doctor and you.

I had a stress test about 30 years ago. I was in shorts and bare chested for the leads, and an IV port was started. I was up on a treadmill that varied in speed and inline. A female tech got me set up. About half way through the test a radioactive solution was injected through the IV and the test continued. A male interventional cardiologist read the screen and printout and pronounced me fine.

I have never had one in real life. Been forced to do a couple in play settings, and thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of them. May write about those later.

In a real situation, I’m certain I would feel embarrassed, weird about all the wires, the cuff, etc., etc..Self conscious would be an understatement. Not to mention how fast my heart rate would be, even before I stepped on the treadmill. Same for elevated blood pressure. I’m just curious if anyone else feels the same as I do regarding such?

Great question, @czracer , don’t mean to hijack.

I've had four that I remember. One in college for a sports physical assessment, two while in the Navy, and one in order to participate in a health club fitness program (due to my age and they didn't want any dead bodies at the gym). Three were on a treadmill, the last one on a stationary bike. None of them identified any issues or concerns.

Does a pandemic and the possibility of a global nuclear war count as an actuel stress test?

Forgive me. Stay safe, everyone. I'll show myself out…

Yes. Both types. Neither was fun.

The treadmill test was probably two decades ago. Basically, the nurse attached EKG electrodes and BP cuff and I got onto the treadmill. The speed was raised and I had to almost run to stress my heart as the doctor watched the monitors. As I remember the treadmill was not inclined, so I had to walk fast, and stumbled and the test ended. I don't know why it had to go fast, rather than walk more slowly with the treadmill inclined.

The chemical test wasn't very different. After electrode attachment and IV placement, I laid on an exam table. A med was injected into the IV to stress me and I remember feeling kinda like anxious, but not quite the same. The doctor watched the monitors and after a couple of minutes another med was injected and the feelings went away swiftly.

In either test you really have nothing to do. You are the subject.

FWIW

I've had both. Part of the diagnostics in the ER after my first heart attack was a mechanical stress test. I didn't last 30 seconds on the treadmill before the cardiologist said, “Get him to the Cath Lab right away.”

Two years later, immediately after my second heart attack, I was given the chemical stress test. I thought I peed myself, but that was just how many men's bodies react to the chemicals - didn't pee, just felt like it. I felt as though my entire body was engulfed in flames, and, after what seemed to be hours, I was taken back to the ER. After several minutes my triceps felt as though someone was beating on them with a sledge hammer. The pain was excruciating during both episodes.

My wife had two chemical stress tests after her first heart attack and claims there was no pain or even discomfort. Go figure.

Had one years ago on treadmill, I was fine.

A cardiac ‘laboratory’ with extensive testing facilities had a grand opening & open house. I knew one of the cardiologists who was a partner, and was invited. He was next to the stress test machine, a treadmill with monitoring wires attached. I told him when I was doing 400 meter repeat runs I would sometimes feel a pressing sensation on my chest. “Hmm. could be sneaking insufficiency. Wanna try the stress test?” I was on the way to the track anyway; I pulled off my sweats, tightened the laces on my running shoes and got on--only shorts shoes and sox. He put a wire harness and stuck on all the leads. They started it slow…'more' I said. Soon they had machine at max incline and speed. It was hard, but I wasn't maxed out. Our competitive running club works out in the hills. After 5 minutes or so he said he'd never seen a cleaner heart and threw me out.

I’ve had three or four on a treadmill and one on a stationary bike. The one on the bike was a real thrill. It was in the mid-1970’s at the Cleveland Clinic. I was put on the bike and told to maintain a certain pedaling RPM as the tension was gradually increased. The tough part was watching the lab tech, a shapely young female bending over at a filing cabinet across the room, revealing her shapely derrière in transparent pantyhose! I could clearly see her nice crack and more! The site of her luscious hiney certainly sent my blood pressure upwards!

I had one on the treadmill a few weeks after my 6x CABG in 1996. They insisted on it before going to cardiac rehab. On the treadmill there was a nurse standing behind me with a cattle prod to make sure I didn't back off the thing. Started level for 3 minutes then went up a step for another 3, up again for 3 and up again. After about a minute there I said that's enough and they shut it down and rushed me over to the table to do a bunch of checks. I remember the drill sergeant nurse at rehab reading the report that said I never reached the target heart rate. I thought that was a bad thing but maybe it was a good thing. About 5 years ago I had another stress test that began with an EKG. I was pleasantly surprised to have one of the nurses from rehab there so we reminisced a bit then it was on the table for a chemical stress test. That one's famous for making you feel like you are dying for being out of breath. She even held my hand during the test in case I began feeling too bad. It wasn't bad at all, I felt a little out of breath so I took some deep breaths to see if they helped — they didn't. There was a tech monitoring me on a piece of electronic equipment out of my range of vision. I guess I passed as I never heard any more from them.

I have had a few nuclear stress tests. 1 exercise & 1 medication. They took hundreds of pictures. The exercise was the first one. Not bad. They determined I had had a heart attack in the past. Don't know when but there was scar tissue. The second was medication which made me so sick I thought I was going to die. They stopped it. Both times no one was with me.

@Barbara No medical personnel were in the room monitoring you? That sounds dangerous. Or no one came with you?

@Barbara I see from your profile that you are OVER 70 and I see from your comment that you wrote:

. . . The exercise was the first one. Not bad. They determined I had had a heart attack in the past. Don't know when but there was scar tissue. The second was medication which made me so sick I thought I was going to die. They stopped it. Both times no one was with me.

Help me understand please! No one was with you during either heart test??? Even after the first test indicated you had had a prior heart attack? No one was monitoring you either time?? You could honestly swear to this all in court??? What medication was used in that second test you had? Where was the scar tissue located - in your heart?

i would say you have great grounds for a malpractice lawsuit to win millions of dollars. Send me a PM if all you write is true and I will contact my lawyer nephew to represent you!

How you word things does matter. I didn't say no one was in the room. I said no one came with to the appointment. I was 50 yrs old at the time.

I had had crushing chest pain from early childhood on. Test was to see if anything was wrong. I was told that I had had a heart attack sometime in the past but it seemed to have resolved itself. There was scar tissue on the bottom of my heart. I asked if it could have happened when I was a child & the answer was yes.

The second stress test was done just before my knee surgery in 2017.

I don't need your lawyer or anyone's lawyer. I trust my doctor.

I was put on medication to regulate my heartbeat because of a heart murmur. I AM FINE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.