and they did an EKG. No big deal; they always do one. However today the T wave was much lower (missing completely) compared to least year. Dr says I must go to a cardiologist for a stress test or an angiograph and they will inject radio active dye:eek: in my femoral artery.
How could I possibly have any blockage when every cholesterol test my entire life has come back high good and low bad.
Anyway, I do not want to worry any family so I am sharing with you; people who do not know me.
Aw, hang in there. Don’t let the “radioactive” part scare you. The worst part is getting your heart rate fast enough to be interesting and please the testers - either running on a treadmill (most common), or with a medicine that makes you absolutely panic, but lasts only a few seconds.
Low or absent T-waves don’t always mean heart disease. They may, or they may mean you need to eat a few bananas (low potassium.) So no sense stressing yet, until you know more.
Thank you for making me feel better. I made the cardiologist appt as soon as I got home.
My husband has always had super low cholesterol numbers (eat eggs every day and have 112? Yep, that was him.); and yet flunked a stress test and now has four stents. Good luck to you!
I eat a pretty healthy diet (mostly fresh veggies, fruit and lean protein), yet I’m overweight and have high cholesterol. When I had my aortic valve replaced last year, I also got quadruple bypass. Even my cardiologist didn’t know I needed the bypasses until I had a heart catheterization a month before my surgery.
I was going to ask if you’re a middle-aged lady, CT_Damsel, then I realized what your username is. I went through all of this last year because my EKG wasn’t “normal” - by that, they apparently meant “male normal.” It turns out my heart is normal for a middle-aged woman; in this day and age, they still don’t have female normals to compare women to. I hope this is the same (stupid) situation for you, too.
The tests aren’t that bad.
Yes I am middle-aged. I am optimistic though; in the past 12 years this is the third time this doctor has referred me to a cardiologist. First stress test no dye passed. Second echocardiogram no problems. However this is the first time she thinks the cardio doc will perform the stress test with dye.
I’ve had the radioactive stress test without problems and all was well. I keep kicking myself, though, for not finding someplace to set off a radiation alarm just by walking through. You know - see if I can close an airport, or make them nuts during a tour of a nuke plant, something like that. Don’t make my mistake - do your homework in advance and be ready to strike while the iron is hot. I mean, while you are hot.
Any answers yet, CT_Damsel?
Please tell me the part I bolded above is a joke:eek: I read On the Beach by Nevil Shute when I was really little and have been fearful of radiation ever since. :eek:
The appt. for a consultation with the cardiologist is 9/18.
On a positive note my cholesterol test results are: cholesterol 188, Hdl 66, triglycerides 58 and Ldl 110.
Does anyone know how many airplane flights are equivalent to the imagining stress test? 
I peed on lower base at Sub Base New London after a radiological test and set off the alarms and closed lower base … who knew they had radiation detection gear in their plumbing:p
I was a little miffed at the Navy at that particular point in time. They needed a drill anyways.