Nuclear Stress Test - Treadmill and Medication - Personal Comparison by a Person With Asthma

Around a decade ago I had my first Nuclear Stress Test.  At that time they opted to have me do the treadmill version of the test.  At this point, you should know that I have asthma that is often triggered by exercise or exertion. Yes.  I told them this.

Here's what happened:

• They did a session in the machine that takes pictures of your heart first. No one told me what to expect, and when I asked questions I was told the doctor would answer all my questions after the procedure.
• Then they took me to the room where the treadmill was located.  They told me to just leave my purse in the dressing room near the first machine.
• I told them that I have asthma and if I get overheated by exercising or just being out in the sun too long, I will have an asthma attack.  They said I should be fine and told me not to worry.
• I did start the stress test fine.  Walked as far as that particular doctor said I should for my age, weight, etc., but the techs thought I should keep going to see how much I could do.
• As my breathing became labored, I started sweating profusely, and my asthma attack began.  Pretty soon I could not breathe at all and was coughing and wheezing terribly.
• One of the techs RAN for my rescue inhaler that was in my purse in the dressing room.  
• The other tech RAN for the doctor.
• The tech came back with my purse.  I grabbed my inhaler and used it.
• The other tech came back and said the doctor had left the building and could not be found.
• In the meantime I still could not breathe, so I took a second dose of the albuterol from my inhaler.
• I finally became able to breathe again.  They finished the picture-taking part of the test and I drove the several miles home.  It all took about three hours. 
• The doctor never came back in the building, so I never saw him, and none of my questions were answered.
• The techs never wrote down that I had an asthma attack at all.  No record of it is in my medical records from that cardiologist's office.

I will NEVER go to that cardiologist again. 

Fast forward a decade or so to yesterday.

Yesterday I had another Nuclear Stress Test at a different cardiologist's office.  Wow.  What a difference!  This time I had the medicine version of the test.  No treadmill because I have a sprained and arthritic knee right now.  

Here's what happened:

• The tech took me into a room where the treadmill and a table were both located along with the machine that does all the measurements.  No picture machine at first this time.
• The tech explained the whole procedure to me and answered all my questions.
• The physician's assistant came into the room and administered the medication to open all my veins and speed up my heart.  He stayed in the room the whole time.
• He explained that the medication was a vascular dilator and told me exactly what to expect, but he didn't know that with my veins dilated, I would suddenly be able to feel my feet!! It's been years since I have had normal feeling in my feet due to what they believe is small fiber neuropathy (No. I am NOT diabetic.), but now I'm wondering if it may be a vascular problem.
• When the shortness of breath and asthmatic coughing began, I had my rescue inhaler in my pocket, so I took a dose right away before the asthma attack had a chance to get out of control.
• The physician's assistant did not leave until after my heart had slowed down to normal, and my asthma was under control.  
• After my heart slowed down, the tech took me to another room where the machine was that takes the pictures they needed, and that test was run.
• They made sure I was okay before sending me the few blocks home to do a nebulizer breathing treatment.
• They told me to take it easy the rest of the day, and assured me that I should have my test results sometime next week.

The moral of the story??  All cardiologists are not the same.

If you have a bad experience with one cardiologist, find another cardiologist.  Find one who hires good, honest, and caring people.  Find one who is good, honest, and caring him or herself.  Worrying about a heart problem is bad enough without having to also worry about your cardiologist.  

I will say that some people have told me they had no trouble with this test at all.  That has not been the case for me, but if you are scheduled to have the test, I hope that is the case for you.

The most useful thing I can tell you is, if you have asthma or COPD or other breathing problems, tell them before your test, and PUT YOUR RESCUE INHALER IN YOUR POCKET!!! 

I wish you well!

The machine that does the picture taking part of the test will look similar to this.  Do not worry.  This part is painless. You just lie on your back and wait for the machine to finish.  Easy.