bikegeek57

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.

Retired

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.

Airdog320

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.

wmodavis

"Thallium is highly toxic and was used in rat poisons and insecticides. Its use has been cut back or eliminated in many countries because of its nonselective toxicity. Because of its use for murder, thallium has gained the nicknames "The Poisoner's Poison" and "Inheritance Powder" (alongside 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.

The Weak Link

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.

RonH

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

overthehillmedi

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.

bikegeek57

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.

BlazingPedals

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.

groth

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

JohnDThompson 

Moderation in all things is the key.

bikegeek57

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.

nancyj

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.

bikegeek57

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.

ridemy2300

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.

nancyj

metoprolol, eh? (My husband takes it)

dgasmd

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.

nancyj

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!

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

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

dgasmd

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.

ahsposo 

I thought mine was pretty cool.

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

nancyj

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.

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

rideorglide

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.

Monoborracho

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.

DnvrFox

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.

billydonn

+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!