Stress Test Today: Surgery It Is!

[Guest guest]

Hey Everyone,

Today was supposed to be my dobutamine stress test, but it turned out

to be just the regular treadmill stress test combined with an echo

cardiogram--which I was mightily relieved at. The whole chemically-

induced accelerated cardiac rate spooked me to no end.

The results got me off the fence about whether to have the DS or not.

I don't have a choice--I have to have the DS to avoid becoming a

cardiac patient like my parents & grandparents.

The cardiologist said the results were great--it tooks 15 minutes on

the treadmill to get my heart rate up to 155 beats per minute; no

arrythmias, no murmurs, no valve leakage, good blood flow thru the

heart, an ejection fraction of 65% (which sounds rather low to me)

and a quick recovery time. However it did show mild LVH (left

ventricular hypertrophy) or a thickening of the left ventricle

cardiac wall. This was attributed to the unchecked mild hypertension

I had prior to beginning medication. The cardiologist reassured me it

was minor & that the WLS and resultant normal blood pressure will

prevent the LVH from advancing.

I have to tell you, this man telling me I had even this " minor "

cardiac issue scared the h*ll out of me!! If at 36 years old being a

non-smoker all my life with a cholesterol level of 182, already have

a thickening of my heart wall, what will I be like at 60 or 70 if I

don't have this surgery??? I'm not going to take that chance and end

up like my parents, both quadruple cardiac bypass patients who pop

over 14 different meds a day.

Scared or not, it's imperative that I have this surgery... Isn't it

odd that it finally just hit me today???

Bridget )