Cardio Health & Mortality

[MRG]

Not true, my SIL has a neighbor died at 62 while on a treadmill exercising. Many marathoners died before the finishing line too. I did a bit of research on this because one of my kids want to run for some sort of marathon.

I had a PCP who was both an arrogant azz and a marathon runner. At 40 years old he went for a morning run had a massive heart attack. Might not have been the running, he and karma were overdue for a meeting.

 

[aja8888]

It's your own fault, I'm afraid. You never should have told them about that big bequest in your will.

I think they are sadistic and want to see me suffer! I'm mean, as medical folks, how much fun can they have from patient to patient?

 

[Fedup]

I had a PCP who was both an arrogant azz and a marathon runner. At 40 years old he went for a morning run had a massive heart attack. Might not have been the running, he and karma were overdue for a meeting.

Yes, some might not know what problem they have until it’s too late. This is why I prefer swimming. Much more relaxing, not to hard on the body, some aerobic exercise, but not crazy.

 

[Alan]

The treadmill stress test is just a test and each time I have had one the cardiologist spent time emphasizing exactly that. I was always told that a good result does not rule out the possibility of having a heart attack in the near future and he would go over the symptoms when experiencing a heart attack. I used to have a friend and work colleague who was a soccer ref like myself, and was very lean and fit. However he had family history of heart disease and underwent a treadmill stress test every year as part of his annual physical. His other indicators such as cholesterol were also normal. One year, about 6 months after passing his treadmill stress test he had a heart attack requiring a quadruple bypass.

 

[Red Badger]

Exercise increases the risk of a heart attack (in the very short term). When I was on flight status in the army, we we're grounded for 4 hours after any workout. Army didn't want us having one while "upstairs."

I exercise regularly.

 

[athena53]

I will not take any test that requires me to sign a form to acknowledge and take full responsibility for the fact that the test might cause heart attack, stroke, or death unless I am already at some immediate risk of something as bad or worse. Not letting doctors go spelunking.

I am STEALING the term "spelunking" in this context- I love it! My dear mother said you should never let them scan your body because they'll always find something wrong that wasn't causing you any trouble at all. (After DH had been diagnosed with terminal leukemia, his PCP wanted to treat a possibly cancerous lesion they found on a scan after he fell.)

 

[MuirWannabe]

I’m thinking of an Elton John song with this thread.

I give up. Someone Saved My Life Tonight? I’m Still Standing? Crocodile Rock lol

 

[Alan]

I give up. Someone Saved My Life Tonight? I’m Still Standing? Crocodile Rock lol

Don’t go breaking my heart.

 

[Fedup]

Yes, it’s a cardio thread after all.

 

[razztazz]

The treadmill stress test is just a test and each time I have had one the cardiologist spent time emphasizing exactly that. I was always told that a good result does not rule out the possibility of having a heart attack in the near future and he would go over the symptoms when experiencing a heart attack. I used to have a friend and work colleague who was a soccer ref like myself, and was very lean and fit. However he had family history of heart disease and underwent a treadmill stress test every year as part of his annual physical. His other indicators such as cholesterol were also normal. One year, about 6 months after passing his treadmill stress test he had a heart attack requiring a quadruple bypass.

A treadmill test, even when it's done and interpreted to perfection, won't show any abnormalities related to blocked vessels until the arteries are better than 70% blocked. And that doesn't mean they will show abnormalities. It just means that's the starting point for where it can show abnormalities. That's how it was was explained to me.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Don’t go breaking my heart.

Aha. Okay. Not exactly a favorite from him. But apropos I suppose

 

[razztazz]

I am STEALING the term "spelunking" in this context- I love it! My dear mother said you should never let them scan your body because they'll always find something wrong that wasn't causing you any trouble at all. (After DH had been diagnosed with terminal leukemia, his PCP wanted to treat a possibly cancerous lesion they found on a scan after he fell.)

I actually pay for various tests every couple of years completely off the books. Done via independent labs away from my doctor and not involving insurance.

I do it so that when somebody tries to tell me I'm sick or "Should be treated" I'll know if they're lying, suffering from Disease/Risk factor Du Jour OCD, or running a profit-driven hustle. Or at least I'll have my second opinion in my pocket.

 

[athena53]

I actually pay for various tests every couple of years completely off the books. Done via independent labs away from my doctor and not involving insurance.

I'm planning on doing that when the time for my next physical comes up. Someone here mentioned requestatest_dot_com and it's just what I need. I love my doctor but the stupid lab she uses can never find the bloodwork orders and then I have to wait for a FASTING test till her office opens and they can call her. (Last time I asked for a hard copy of the orders but they didn't arrive in time.) They also didn't code it properly so Medicare kicked out $800 worth of tests as "not medically necessary". Ultimately I wasn't held responsible because they hadn't had me sign a particular form. Through that Web site I can get all the usual bloodwork done for under $300 at any of several labs in my area.

 

[gauss]

I have never had a traditional stress-test but I have had two Cardiac Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) tests over a period of about 7 years.

The first one was when I went to the ER, over age 40, with lots of work stress and a sore arm and chest. They didn't see any evidence of heart trouble from the blood test but when I expressed that I would like to get to the bottom of this, they offered me the CCTA test.

My GP suggested another test 7 years later to compare to the baseline to see if I had deteriorated any. 2nd CCTA declared me "normal".

Bottom line is that the CCTA may be a viable alternative if you don't want to fool around with "stress-tests"

How is a CCTA the same as or different from a stress test?

Both CCTA and a stress test may be used when more information about the heart is needed. Both can help tell whether a symptom is likely related to heart disease. The two tests, however give somewhat different information.

Stress tests look at the electrical activity of the heart and the heart’s muscle function or blood flow patterns while the heart is under stress from exercise or medications. In this way, stress tests find areas of reduced blood flow to the heart, which imply a blockage of the coronary artery feeding blood to that area.

A CCTA, on the other hand, “looks” directly at the coronary arteries and can estimate the amount of blockage. Using this information, a large blockage of a coronary artery likely indicates an area of ischemia (limited blood supply.) In some cases, both tests may be used.

-gauss