Chemical stress test with Adenosine

stac8454 · 03-21-2007, 01:35 AM

Has anyone else had a stress test that was not on the treadmill, but had a chemical instead that stresses the heart?

I'm had one on Friday and it was so awful. I am wondering if anyone else had a hard time with it. It was incredibly painful for me. My head and neck and shoulders hurt so bad and I had tingling in my legs. Also the nurse kept telling me to breathe and I was trying to, but I felt like I wasn't getting any air. My face and neck was bright red and my heart rate went really really high.

can anyone else share their experience?

amazing_sea_monkey · 03-21-2007, 01:50 AM

This is my first post. I usually lurk, but this topic compelled me to post. I've had two stress tests. I opted to excercise naturally on the treadmill rather than get the chemical. Being 275 pounds, it didn't take long before I became winded. After about five minutes on the treadmill, they speed it up, incline the ramp and push some more dye into the veins. They then continue to push you to the limits of your physical capabilities. After I got off the treadmill, I was so lightheaded and dizzy that the doctor and nurse had to help me down. The whole room was spinning and I felt like I was going to faint! I thought the whole thing was awful. I cannot imagine what you went through. I would probably have a huge panic attack! I hated it so much that I keep postponing the Stress test that I have had scheduled since January!!

chicagocubs · 03-21-2007, 06:46 PM

This is also my first post here. I actually work in a stress lab and do several stress tests a day. Alot of people react to the chemical stress tests. When they inject that it causes all your vessels in your body to dilate. This can cause all sorts of symptoms...headache, chest pain/pressure, nausea, dizziness...this is your reaction to the injection. It doesn't mean the test was abnormal. In our stress lab we use persantine instead of adenosine and the persantine has antidote we can give those patients who have symptoms like yours. If it was really bad I would wonder if you had an allergic reaction to it??? Hopefully you will get a good report and it will turn out as just a nasty reaction to the injection!!

stac8454 · 03-22-2007, 02:02 AM

It was bad! The nurse told me that my face and neck were bright red. Every couple seconds he kept saying "You have to breathe..take a deep breath for me..c'mon you HAVE to breathe!"..I WAS breathing! But I was in so much pain!!!
My receipt had 3 diagnosises on it: chest pain - unknown cause (which is the reason for the stress test in the first place, dizziness and giddiness, and Hypertensive Heart disease.

So, does that mean I have hypertensive heart disease? Nobody told me that, it's on my receipt from the doctor office.

stac8454 · 03-22-2007, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amazing_sea_monkey

This is my first post. I usually lurk, but this topic compelled me to post. I've had two stress tests. I opted to excercise naturally on the treadmill rather than get the chemical. Being 275 pounds, it didn't take long before I became winded. After about five minutes on the treadmill, they speed it up, incline the ramp and push some more dye into the veins. They then continue to push you to the limits of your physical capabilities. After I got off the treadmill, I was so lightheaded and dizzy that the doctor and nurse had to help me down. The whole room was spinning and I felt like I was going to faint! I thought the whole thing was awful. I cannot imagine what you went through. I would probably have a huge panic attack! I hated it so much that I keep postponing the Stress test that I have had scheduled since January!!

My first stress test about a month or so ago was on the treadmill and it was nothing like what you described. I weight 230lbs. After a minute on the treadmill I had chest pain and they made me stop and I was incredibly dizzy and lightheaded and the room felt like it was spinning. When I went back to the cardiologist he said my stress test was normal... what? So I went to another cardiologist, explained what happened and he said that since I could not exercise on the treadmill the test was not going to be conclusive...so he ordered the other stress test...
Before all this chest pain started, I could tolerate more than a minute of exercise!!! so it's NOT NORMAL!!!

eternal · 07-19-2008, 02:22 AM

Wow, this all sounds a little scary..

I hope I don't have these reactions. I have one scheduled for next week.
I've already decided on my own to stop taking Glucophage at least 24 hours (or more) before test day.