Stress echocardiography abnormal

Good morning,
I am new here as of today. about six weeks ago I started having mid chest pain, not severe but uncomfortable, I went to my Dr. who ordered an echo stress test for me. I am a 66 year old female with a family hx of heart issues.
Thursday Jan 9th I had my stress echo, I was told it would be 3-5 days before the results were read. The radiologist called my Dr. the same day to state the results were abnormal and that's all I know.
I go to my Dr. Monday morning, chest pains are nearly daily at this point, not all day. I am going to take a guess at this one and consider CAD as the diagnosis. I live in a rural area where there is no cardiologist and one comes here from downstate on an intermittent basis to see pts, I will have the Dr. office call one in the hospital I used to work at downstate. I am really nervous and scared, not surprised though. Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks!

Edit: I gave your thread a title.

Post Edited By Moderator (stkitt) : 1/12/2014 3:58:53 PM (GMT-7)

I'm thankful we're living in an age of experience on such matters, both diagnostic and intervention. By Monday, I trust you mean tomorrow?

Keep up your spirits, I'm serious about trusting the skills and technology. I can't speak to your circumstances, but you may benefit from mine.

I've had several echo and nuclear tests over the years. One, several years ago, had me sitting there, and I was generating a ton of PVCs (irregular heart beats) while I was waiting to do the treadmill part. An athletic man was running away on the treadmill, seemingly for hours, and he got 1 PVC and was worried. I probably had more than 50 while waiting to get on the treadmill, I wasn't sympathetic with his 1 (and his doctor to him he was OK as well). My test done (my PVCs go away under exertion), I was put into a waiting room (I think I was having a nuclear stress) to wait for my heart to slow and calm. During this time, they put a young woman on the treadmill, and I could hear the beeps of the monitor. Suddenly it broke into a very fast rhythm, the beeps were going wild, and they immediately took her off the treadmill, calmed her down, and transferred her to the hospital.

I'm not sure where your test was done, or the circumstances of the test, but some people have results so bad that they are not allowed to leave. Abnormal may mean various things, I'd be assertive about getting answers, and about treatment and prophylactic options.

Please let us know how things go. Wish you the best.

Thanks for getting back. Wish you the best. Sounds like things are still unsure.
My wife is curious, if you're comfortable in sharing the information, where do you live that the cardiologist is relatively difficult to get in to see. If in the U.S., which state, if outside, which country, nothing more specific than that, it sounds like you're in a rural or small town area. She also wanted to know if they told you the value of the Ejection Fraction? We're not in a position to advise, but she worked for a cardiologist and she's curious about the value.

Glad to see you're on the medication, including the Aspirin.

Thank you. I was hypothyroid (they took it out) and the doctor believed in the "start low and go slow" theory of titrating thyroxine, so during my hypothyroidism I went into Heart Failure (slight). Even before that my EF was always in the 50s. Now, I'm actually running a little hyperthyroid now, just a tad, and my EF is in the 60s. I had thyroid cancer, so the doctor is happy with the levels. I think being a little hyperthyroid gives me more PVCs than I would rather have, but it's better than the other option. Bottom line, other things can effect the EF, so wait and see.

You're on the right track to getting answers, hang in there.

Hi,
Well since we last spoke I was in the hospital for 2 days due to chest pain, it was a good news bad news kind of stay.
The Cardiologist did a Nuclear stress test and a CT scan. This hospital is one I used to work in down state and is very good, with excellent Dr's. I originally had my echo stress done at a small hospital here where I live and this hospital is nothing more than a band aid station. (this hosp told me I had 50 something % ejection fraction) The Nuclear stress test showed the Dr's I have 70% ejection fraction and he said my heart was fine. Bad news, I do have a 70% blockage in one of the arteries to my right kidney.
Now I have to see a kidney specialist:( I am very unhappy with this hospital here but glad to know what I do need to be watching.
Thank you for your support.