Heart Caths: not just for b'fast anymore

Factual Questions
1

My cardiologist suspects I may have arterial blockage and advised me to have one of two tests done. The first option is a thallium stress test, which is non-invasive but only 80-90% reliable. The other is a left-heart catheterization which is 100% reliable, but generally unpleasant, invasive, and can have some negative complications (like death).

I’m not asking for medical advice, but has anybody out there had either or both of these tests? If so, how unpleasant was it? Do you know personally anybody who’s had complications from the cath?

Just in case anybody’s nervous, I’ll post this disclaimer: I fully understand that this is not a board for medical professionals and that any postings regardless of content do not in any way imply an attempt to practice medicine or give medical advice.

2

I’ve had both. Multiple times. Neither are that unpleasant. With the cath, you get lots of fun drugs. Of course the drugs make you forget most of the experience.

I did over 1500 exercise tests on patients, mostly thallium tests. No significant pathology resulted from the testing.

Caths can go wrong, but not often, and if a disaster is gonna happen with your heart, at least you’re in a place where they’re geared to fix it stat.

QtM, MD