I was wondering about the treadmill stress test I will be doing on Tuesday. My blood pressure is already a little high (I think due to my anxiety)...and so I wonder just how high it will go once I'm on the treadmill. I've been taking it lately...after I've walked around the house, doing chores, etc...and it's about 145/92 sometimes.... and then it goes down a bit. I think the closer my appointment gets here, the more nervous I become. I am so scared it will get so high during the test and then I don't know what will happen..will that cause a heart attack during the test? Can I take a xanax before going to the test, or is that not allowed? I'm trying to calm down, but today I'm already super nervous! I have a wedding to go to tonight also, and am already feeling panicky about that - it's about 45 minutes away...I'm beginning to be a bit agoraphobic right now, not wanting to be in a controlled environment where I can leave when I need to, and being further away from home. Do any of you experience this, or does this belong in the Panic Message Board? :-)

Sandy

No need to worry about the stress test. I've had two of them and they are a piece of cake. You will feel safer just because the doctor is there. They will watch eveything about you and if anything goes wrong they will stop the test before it gets out of hand. Good luck!

I feel the exact same way. Home seems to be my safe haven. I freak out mostly because of all the new aches and pains that are popping up. I'm not sure what comes first chicken or the egg. Get a wierd pain and then anxiety or get anxiety than manifests with pain. I didn't know dropping hormones could cause such strange things. I'm learning fast though. I'm working up to going to Costco and running some errands. I usually don't feel great until mid afternoon, which it appears is almost here. Oyyyy!!

I'm sure you will do fine. Most of what we feel is our fears that start the anxiety cycle and then comes the panic. Webalina gave you some sound advice. You will do just fine. It's more the anticipation of the test than the test itself. Once it's done and over with you will feel immensely better.

Thanks to both of you for your support and encouragement about my appointment tomorrow. I'm sure they will be very nice and try to make me feel at ease. I suppose they may be used to people who are nervous about their hearts and having to take tests. I really just want to stay calm. Does anyone know if it's okay to take a Xanax before I go to the cardiologist to take those tests? Do I wear shorts and tennis shoes? Or do I have to wear one of those ugly hospital type gowns again? I wish I were a calmer person, and that this adrenaline wasn't flowing through me so much! I do believe it's making my blood pressure go up.
Sandy

Good luck with your test, I'm sure you'll be fine. I was quite panicky when I had one a few months ago. It is quite safe to take a Xanax before you go. I did because I was afraid I would get so scared that I would faint dead away. It helped me a lot! I was still scared, but no panic and no blood pressure through the roof.

I don't think I'd take a xanax before your test. You might take one after and be prepared to rest. They will be monitoring your heart, so no need to worry about a heart attack. You will be fine.

I echo what the other ladies said here. It's a piece of cake. And they're monitoring you the entire time and will stop the test if they have any concerns about your blood pressure, heart rate, etc. I thought the treadmill would be gruelling as I'm pretty out of shape - it was very easy. Good luck! kathleent

I wore loose fitting running shorts and running shoes for my test. Ten electrodes are attached to various areas of your chest so a bra cannot be worn. I had to wear a hospital gown. (I had worn a tee shirt) I suppose if you wear an button-down loose top, you could leave the top on?

Good luck, and try to relax. Just think, if something would happen to go wrong, you are in the best place for it to happen! (that's what my husband kept telling me, anyway!) The test is stopped when your heart rate gets to 85% of your max. heart rate. In my case, I was up to an 18 degree incline and heart rate of 170 when the test was stopped. I immediately had to jump down off the treadmill and lie down. The only thing I didn't like about the test, was that I wasn't allowed to run. I had explained that my heart fluttering symptoms only occur during running. So, of course, the fluttering didn't occur during my test. (I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse.)

Take Care.

jem

Sandy forget about relazing> It won't happened!!!!!

Just think of it like this: you will be at your worse> blood pressure-anxiety etc. Plus WALKING WALKING WALKING!
What bigger stress on your heart?

So what relief you will feel once it over and comes back good!

Thanks for all your support . It has made me feel better about the stress test....although I'm afraid tomorrow morning the anxiety will be back full-force before my afternoon test. I'm also anxious that they will "find" something, and then make me take more tests which will really panic me. I've actually felt pretty well today, until about an hour ago....now my shoulders are hurting. I did babysit today so maybe they are sore from lifting a one year old a few times? I'm such a hypochondriac, getting sick of being around myself, and dealing with my thoughts.
Thanks for your help as I go to the doctor tomorrow! I hate being a nervous wreck!!

My good wishes on your test tomorrow. I am just like you except give yourself a pat on the back. You are handling what you need to handle. I will writhe in pain before I will go to a Dr. I am extremely phobic, I panic about whatever issue (health) I have but I panic even more going to to Dr. to find out what it MIGHT be. I never think it could be something benign I always think the worse. I so emphasize with you 110%. I wish I was different about this stuff. This has manifested itself just recently as I have gone through the different peri stages. I really wish it would take a hike. I'm just starting Lexapro so I hope it helps me come down to earth a little so that I can handle some health concerns I am having.

Good luck tomorrow. You will get through it. i won't say it won't be without nerves (perhaps take an anti anxiety med if you have it beforehand, if that is allowable). People say it's better to know so if it's nothing you can put that obsessive thought to away.

Take care,
Mich

Good luck on your test tomorrow hope all goes well.

Sending good luck vibes!!

Blessings,
Meg

Hi all, just thought I'd give an update on my cardiologist's appointment on Tuesday - thanks for your concern and prayers the other day! It went well, and actually the doctor seemed mainly unconcerned about my heart, and all they did was another EKG and took my blood pressure. He hardly even stayed in the room long, which was kind of disappointing, since I thought I would have more time to talk with him about all my concerns. I guess it's a good thing since if he had been "too concerned" I would have been really nervous, but we discussed that I may have acid reflux and he told me to take tums or whatever. I mentioned I was scared of having "blockage", and so he scheduled me for a cardiolyte stress test for September (probably just to ease my mind, but now I'm thinking I may cancel it if I feel lots better by then).... I didn't feel like he "cared" about me very much. :-) Nice enough doctor, but whizzing in and out. Maybe the urgent care doctor had already warned him I was an anxious, hypochondriac middle-aged woman. ha Oh well, we shall see where all this leads. If I continue to have chest pain, I will go back to him (or try another cardiologist). I probably need to have an upper GI done to find out about my esophagus and get prescription meds if I need to. I haven't been eating as much lately, and have been eating blander foods, and my chest feels so much better. My blood pressure has been back to normal the past two days. I think I was so nervous about going to the cardiologist and dreading the stress test that my bp had been up...if I had known earlier they weren't even going to do a stress test, I would have been a lot calmer! I'm still anxious, and glad I have a few Xanax left. The Urgent Care doctor only gave me 15 ( he doesn't like Benzos - so he only gave me 15)...I do hope my regular doctor will let me have more than that when I go back to her! Do you have to convince your doctors you "REALLY" need them, or act nonchalant, or how do you get them to prescribe them readily? I know my doctors can tell I'm an anxious person just by talking to me a few minutes, ; I guess they are afraid I will use them too much and become addicted? I haven't used my Xanax all that much and still have quite a few left. I have a softball banquet to attend tonight with my daughter, and am nervous about that so I suppose I will take one before then. I wish I could just relax and go with the flow. How does one do that? :-) Love and prayers to all of you!! Sandy

Yay Sandy! Glad that you are feeling better!!
I have my stress test on the 8th and even though that is a bit away, there it is in the back of my head "stress test...heart problems, brain tumor, stroke symptoms, etc etc" that nagging thought pattern that wont let me rest.... seems to me to be one of the worst symptoms, always checking how I am "feeling". *sigh* But I don't think we would be checking if we werent feeling so off, so what comes first, the symptoms or the checking?
I do not know how we are to relax either.
Glad all went well for you!!

Meg

Did you have the same Dr. I had?? Seriously!! I don't even remember my dr's name and his face is a total blur. Everything was fine for me too, but DR, what about all this SWELLING and the EXTREME SHORTNESS OF BREATH??? Nope!!! All I got was an everything's fine and go home and stop complaining, b****!!! Well, not really, but that's how I felt!!