Fifty Plus (50+) - Thallium Stress Test? anxious in Hell'Lanta.

ah crud. this weather has been awful. can't breathe deeply in orange alert weather. not to point of passing out but just very uncomfortable. went to doc yesterday cause this is not normal for me. they set me up for Thallium Stress Test. I know what it does. Dang I hate to think this will kill my bike riding fun. am just short of breath while doing anything outside. inside not so much but outside it's painful. normally I bike commute 20+ miles/day round trip. Never had problem like this has been lately. pray for the heat wave to break soon.

anyone had Thallium Stress Test? what to expect during the test?

anxious in Hell'Lanta.

It's a no brainer. I've had 6 of them in the past. It's longer than a regular stress test that's all.

I've had several myself, following a heart attack in 1999. The test results are the problem, I have several stents now to keep my pipes open.

BTW there is no truth to the rumor that your night riding will improve because you glow in the dark.

"Thallium is highly toxic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic) and was used in rat poisons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_poison) and insecticides (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insecticide). Its use has been cut back or eliminated in many countries because of its nonselective toxicity. Because of its use for murder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder), thallium has gained the nicknames "The Poisoner's Poison" and "Inheritance Powder" (alongside arsenic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenic))."

Just a note from wikipedia.

P.S. I've had them too. When at my last one I said to the Dr. who administered the test "Oh you mean rat poison." he somewhat snickered and said "Yes".

This was NOT meant to talk you out of it - just a hopefully humorous view of it.

"Thallium is highly toxic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic) and was used in rat poisons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_poison) and insecticides (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insecticide). Its use has been cut back or eliminated in many countries because of its nonselective toxicity. Because of its use for murder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder), thallium has gained the nicknames "The Poisoner's Poison" and "Inheritance Powder" (alongside arsenic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenic))."

Just a note from wikipedia.

P.S. I've had them too. When at my last one I said to the Dr. who administered the test "Oh you mean rat poison." he somewhat snickered and said "Yes".

This was NOT meant to talk you out of it - just a hopefully humorous view of it.

Warfarin, also used as rat poison, is a very common anti-coagulant.

Heck, you could probably knock off a few rats with foxglve for all I know.

Significance? There must be some.

Sorry to hear you're having breathing problems. Please keep us informed about the results. :thumb:

If you are planing to do any flying in the next while get a letter from the Doc's saying you have had this test as you don't want to be pulled out of line while the homeland people do a deep cavity search on you without the magic stuff looking for the nuculer bomb the detecters just notified them you have in your person. :D

ok. got it. thanks for the info. no glow in dark for night rides, stay off planes to avoid terrorist no fly listing, don't make rat noises during test, take book to read as it will take a long time. seems harmless enough. :-) I will try to remember to followup. not due for a couple weeks. they don't seem to be in a big hurry. I think it's just the foul air burning my lungs.

I hope it's nothing serious, because the same thing happens to me when it gets hot and humid out. No oxygen in the air. Sometimes I even have to slow down.

"Thallium is highly toxic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic) and was used in rat poisons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_poison) and insecticides (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insecticide). Its use has been cut back or eliminated in many countries because of its nonselective toxicity. Because of its use for murder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder), thallium has gained the nicknames "The Poisoner's Poison" and "Inheritance Powder" (alongside arsenic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenic))."

Just a note from wikipedia.

P.S. I've had them too. When at my last one I said to the Dr. who administered the test "Oh you mean rat poison." he somewhat snickered and said "Yes".

This was NOT meant to talk you out of it - just a hopefully humorous view of it.

Although it's still called a thallium stress test, thallium is no longer used. It's been replaced by technetium-99. This has a very short half life and is not normally found in nature. Instead it is manufactured in nuclear reactors.

- Ed

Warfarin, also used as rat poison, is a very common anti-coagulant.

Heck, you could probably knock off a few rats with foxglove [aka "digitalis"] for all I know.

Significance? There must be some.
Moderation in all things is the key.

hah.... humor is where you find it.

technetium.... just what I need technical stress. I do computer support for a living. at least it has a short half life.

At least you won't have to go through a cardiac cath due to a false positive because your big boobs interfered with the test (at least we hope not!) ---Apparently not an uncommon problem with women --- Hope all goes well. Hope you get results ASAP.

So - it was not as irritating as an MRI but almost - at least it is all open.

so far so good. nothing that caused the technical crew to lock me up. waiting for official word after radiologists and doc's have a go at it. am still having breathing issue though. oh hurry up and read the data already.

I get one every 5 years since my heart attack in 1999. At the last one they stopped me on the treadmill after 25 minutes because they couldn't get my heart rate high enough....LOL.

metoprolol, eh? (My husband takes it)

Have you had any cardiac history? Any previous stress tests? Otherwise, I can't see why start with it instead of a stress test on a treadmill given you are active enough to do it. Maybe even a stress echo. Just thinking aloud.

The thallium stress test does start on the treadmill. They just put you in an imaging device afterwards to look at blood flow through the heart.

As a woman, I discovered big boobs can cause a false positive. I did great on the treadmill and got a call back about an anomoly and went through a cardiac cath....I was very angry I was not told about the boob issue while I was waiting for the cath!

http://www.heartsite.com/html/isotope_stress.html

There is a chemical stress test for folks who cannot excercise.

The thallium stress test does start on the treadmill. They just put you in an imaging device afterwards to look at blood flow through the heart.

As a woman, I discovered big boobs can cause a false positive. I did great on the treadmill and got a call back about an anomoly and went through a cardiac cath....I was very angry I was not told about the boob issue while I was waiting for the cath!

http://www.heartsite.com/html/isotope_stress.html

There is a chemical stress test for folks who cannot excercise.

I know, which is the reason I asked if he had a history of previous tests or cardiac history. He commutes 20 miles/day already, so obviously exercise tolerance or ability is not an issue.

I thought mine was pretty cool.

Nothing except my age indicated it and my physician at the time thought it would be informative.

I remember when this guy died. I think they recommend for anyone getting older and excercising. I don't know why they need to do anymore than the treadmill test for most folks though - probably to pay for the equipment they use it if they can get reimbursed! You know how that goes.

http://www.halhigdon.com/Articles/Fixx.htm

I had one, it was nothing to worry about.
My thoughts are with you for good results. I know what it is to worry about those kinds of issues.

I slow down in the heat and humidity for sure. I still see some guys hammering, but it's not for me, even though I'm only 49. Asthma has been a bugaboo, and some issues with SVT, hopefully now in the past.

Thankfully, you will do the test in an air-conditioned room so you won't have to deal with the heat and humidity outside.

Let's put it this way, I prefer to have the test to reveal a potential issue, than not have the test.

Since I fly a bunch for business, they gave me a card to carry for a month or so, in case I traveled. The radiation effect was gone by the time I traveled next, so no detectors set off.

I remember when this guy died. I think they recommend for anyone getting older and excercising. I don't know why they need to do anymore than the treadmill test for most folks though - probably to pay for the equipment they use it if they can get reimbursed! You know how that goes.

http://www.halhigdon.com/Articles/Fixx.htm

I remember the book well. I was a 25 year old 1st Lieutenant in the Air Force, and me, some F-101 drivers and wizzos, and a few wannabee astronauts thought that a good 35 minute five mile run was what everyone was supposed to do at lunch, on the Texas gulf coast, in the summer.

FWIW, I've had two thallium stress tests, the first at age 43. My resting EKG always looks good. My exercising/stress EKG returns a false positive. So far, no problem, but I have a thallium stress test every five years or so, and I'm due another one soon.

Never reallyhad a stress test, thallium or otherwise, at least I don't think so. I once had a treadmill test to see if my blood pressure rose while exercising - it didn't. Perhaps that was a stress test?? Anyway, that was 20 years ago or more.

I'm 70 now, and, hopefully, any problems should have shown up by now??? I do have an annual EKG.

Never reallyhad a stress test, thallium or otherwise, at least I don't think so. I once had a treadmill test to see if my blood pressure rose while exercising - it didn't. Perhaps that was a stress test?? Anyway, that was 20 years ago or more.

I'm 70 now, and, hopefully, any problems should have shown up by now??? I do have an annual EKG.

+1 I feel kind of left out since I have never had any of these kinds tests done on me.
I was, however, riding in the Atlanta area just last week and can confirm the generally hellish conditions. Heat and humidity plus radiant energy were about a bad as I ever want to deal with.... very performance inhibiting, and even potentially dangerous if you don't use good judgment. Thanks to Ron H for meeting me for a ride! :thumb:

The basic stress test is so low tech that I think it should be used for anyone over 50 as part of routine screening.
We are talking a treadmill, an EKG and a BP cuff.

I question the use of the thallium test if the treadmill test shows nothing - that is expensive imaging equipment and people with false positives (about 1 in 10) go for a more expensive invasive catheterization.

My test was done due to short term ongoing chest pain which I correclty attributed to reflux

Never had a thallium test. I had a regular stress test a little over a year ago. Thanks to my knee surgery I had to do the test on the bicycle -- no treadmill. :beer:

The basic stress test is so low tech that I think it should be used for anyone over 50 as part of routine screening.
We are talking a treadmill, an EKG and a BP cuff.

I question the use of the thallium test if the treadmill test shows nothing - that is expensive imaging equipment and people with false positives (about 1 in 10) go for a more expensive invasive catheterization.

My test was done due to short term ongoing chest pain which I correclty attributed to reflux

Not all agree

http://www.creators.com/health/david-lipschitz-lifelong-health/checking-for-heart-disease-experts-skip-the-stress-test.html

Checking for Heart Disease? Experts: Skip the Stress Test


I often see patients who, despite being asymptomatic, have annual exercise stress tests to screen for heart disease. If the result is positive, an angioplasty is often done. Needless to say, stress testing is even more frequently performed in symptomatic patients to monitor progress.
More and more information indicates that this is inappropriate. New information released in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders found that using treadmill stress tests following an angioplasty had no value in determining if the implanted stent remained open. This further confirms the recommendation of the American Heart Association and the United States preventative task force that stress tests not be performed to routinely screen for heart disease.
In the long term, there is little evidence to support the value of stress testing in asymptomatic individuals or stable patients with proven heart disease. A groundbreaking report from the New England Journal of Medicine showed that in more than 2,000 symptomatic stable patients, an angioplasty offered no advantages over ideal medical management. Simply put, angioplasty did not reduce the risks of death or a recurrent heart attack.
Information is accumulating that a large fraction of angioplasties and even open-heart surgery are unnecessary and could be avoided. The older you are, the more likely this is to be the case. And yet, increasing numbers of invasive cardiac procedures are occurring in people 75 and older, in whom risks of side effects are substantially increased.
So what should be done to screen and treat heart disease? First, you must recognize that everyone over 50 is at risk of developing coronary artery disease. In addition, other risk factors include a strong family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, a high-fat diet (http://www.creators.com/health/david-lipschitz-lifelong-health/checking-for-heart-disease-experts-skip-the-stress-test.html#) and a sedentary lifestyle. Increases in an amino acid in the blood called homocysteine and evidence of inflammation by finding an elevation of C reactive protein are also risk factors.
The best approach to heart disease is to make sure that as many of these risk factors as possible are removed either by medical treatment or lifestyle changes.

From age 50 onward, an annual medical checkup and an EKG every couple of years should be done. Screening for high blood pressure should be done annually at a much younger age, and cholesterol should be measured every five years from age 30 onward.

A routine stress test should be limited to those who require it for occupational purposes (such as an airline pilot) or when evaluating an individual with numerous risk factors. A stress test should be done if new symptoms develop that suggest coronary artery disease. These include atypical chest pain, increased shortness of breath and palpitations. In this case, the stress test can help make or exclude the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. If positive, an angiogram may be needed to identify the extent of the problem and determine if coronary artery bypass surgery or an angioplasty is needed

Easy peasy had many of them after surgery in 96 until now. Takes several hours they inject you, lay you down for 22 minutes without moving while a camera circles your chest. They put you on a treadmill and get your heart rate where they want it, inject while you are still on the treadmill back to the camera for another 22 minute picture taking bout. Then they compare pictures to see if there is a lot more blue after exercise which would indicate lack of blood flow to the heart.
The whole thing takes about 3 hours.

If you aren't in good enough shape to do the treadmill then they use a chemical to increase your heart rate, this is somewhat less than desirable from what I have heard.
Good luck with the results.

Allen

well the results are in.... drum roll please..... I'm alive. well I knew that. still having issue with breathing deeply. so am on a round of steroids. heart is ok. lungs are ok. doc can't figure out what is going on soooo... will be visiting the pulmonary lab friday. probably just overwhelmed by smog. I'll try riding in the early morning hours and see if I can deal with that. I know I can't deal with not exercising. will see tomorrow. pray for freezing temperatures. :-) I could move to Canada. eh?

day 1 of steroids. nope muscles are not getting bigger, dang. though my head hurts. ugh. will be doing a round of 'roids to see if this clears up the lungs. must be a lubricant problem... :-) just kidding here. will see in a couple more days whether any changes arise. so far just the headache. oh and it still is uncomfortable with breathing deep. also decided not to ride just yet. too hot and smoggy.

must be a lubricant problem... :-)
I use TriFlow. What do you use? ;)

We're BACK! well sort of. rode this AM. hot 76 deg. sweat like a pig. will not be riding home this afternoon. Heat Index 98? nope not doing that. oh and the med's really helped. I can breathe deeply again. this is wonderful. at least I'm getting out on the bike again. so far so good.

I use TriFlow. What do you use? ;)

heh. the predisone really fixed it.

Glad to hear it. :thumb:

Heat index??? I left for my ride at 10:45AM and the temp was only 74F. Thought about digging out the arm warmers. :lol:
The heat index right now (4:30PM) is only 88F. Much better than its been lately. :beer:

Glad to hear things are working out. The nuclear test is a PITA, but at least according to my doc, far more accurate than the EKG or a non-nuclear stress test. Now that you can breathe, sounds like you have the big green light!