By the time you read this, some nurses will be putting Diane and me through our echo-cardiograms. We’ve never had an echo-cardiogram before this, but our new doctors want us to have echo-cardiograms every two years. Diane gets the easy “lay on the table” echo-cardiogram. I have the more complicated “run on the treadmill” variety. Our instructions say Diane’s echo-cardiogram will take about an hour. My stress-test echo-cardiogram will take about 90 minutes. Both of us are interested to see the results of this test. Have you had an echo-cardiogram?
Do you get a chance to study for these tests?
Dan, I just got a good night’s sleep…which I always do before a big test!
Good luck, George. Your doctor is doing the right thing for you.
Patti, since heart problems are so pervasive as we age the echo-cardiogram sounds like a good idea to me.
ECG/EKG yes, but not Echo. I used to think they were one and the same. Good luck, George.
Prashant, I’ve had plenty of EKGs (they’re done right in the doctor’s office now) but this is my first echo-cardiogram.
I’ve had the treadmill one–all was well, thank God, but I was really ashamed of how soon after I started on the treadmill that I began to huff and puff!
Deb, I expect to do a lot of huffing and puffing on that treadmill!
Jackie had the treadmill test years ago (she got to walk rather than run) and had to wear a monitor for 24 hours. Before her knee replacement this time she had the “lie on the table” kind, which took hours because she’d have to wait 45 minutes between segments. Both came out fine.
Jeff, I was gasping for air during the last 30 seconds on the treadmill when the nurse kicked it up to HYPER SPEED! They also had to run an IV of dye into my right arm because they wanted “more contrast.” Diane just had the “lay on the table” echo-cardiogram. We’ll get the results when we meet with our new docs.
I did the treadmill one back when I was 49. How I discovered I have a heart defect
Stan, after my Dad died of a heart attack in 2000, I had the complete heart check-up: stress test, nuclear stress test, and an angiogram. The doctor looked at the monitor during my angiogram and said, “You have the heart of an 18-year-old.” My new doctor wanted this echo-cardiogram as a “baseline” so comparisons can be made every two years.
Haven’t hat my first echo yet, but it’ll be soon…congrats in making it through the test with small trauma!
Todd, when you have your echo-cardiogram stress test, be prepared to huff and puff!
I hope your insurance covers 100% of these tests.
Rick, my Cadillac insurance covers my echo-cardiogram and Diane’s echo-cardiogram. Our co-pay was $8.
My Doctor wants me to have this done but it costs over a grand and my insurance doesn’t cover it so I keep putting it off.
Steve, if you’re going to have a heart test I’d recommend you go straight to the angiogram. It’s the Gold Standard. It shows EVERYTHING! You’ll be offered a choice of insertion points: wrist or thigh. Pick the thigh.
Barry Gardner had one and passed. He was dead a month or two later.
I have not, but I imagine the time will come. Glad your doctor is taking preventative measures with the two of you. Best to be able to establish some baselines and keep tabs on things for maximum health.