The Stress Test

This was pretty interesting. My Dr. wanted me to take a heart stress test due to my family history. So I went to the cardiologist for a stress test (after the usual preliminary visits). It was actually kind of fun.

You start out in a room with a battery of machines, and never less than three and up to five technicians present. They take your blood pressure and heart pictures and sounds constantly. Your chest is shaved and they attach eight or ten electrodes (is that the right word?) with some kind of gum. The EKG machine is fired up and starts printing out for the rest of the test. The nice sonogram person arrives and she begins taking pictures of my heart, which is as big as my head on screen. She measured the valves and other heart plumbing. They do another blood pressure test. They ask me if I feel good. " Does your chest hurt at all?" "Are you ready?"

Now I get on the treadmill. You walk moderately at first on a slight elevation. Every three minutes the pace increases and the elevation gain on the treadmill increases, and they take your blood pressure every three minutes...right before the machine cranks up a notch. About once a minute someone asks you how you're feeling. "Tired? Short of breath? Any chest pain?" They are exceedingly cautious. But then it probably is a little unseemly if a patient keels over on the treadmill at the cardiologist's office...

After minute six the Physician's Assistant said "Most people quit smiling by now, you know. You don't have to be macho." The grin ended when they notched it up to the last setting, where you are jogging up a steep hill and hanging on to that bar for dear life.

Suddenly they say "OK, you're done in five seconds." I have to stop dead in my tracks, which is a little bit of a shock. They guide you, wobbling and panting over to the table again for five more minutes of heart sonogram work, blood pressure, and EKG work, post-stress.

I won't find out the "results" until Friday, but all the techies and the P.A. said everything looked great. There's that, eh?
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