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I agree it a good question. I have wonder that myself. I have steints in my heart.And all my blockages fix by steints and have had stress test almost every year tell the last 2 years. but have not had a stress test save my life yet. All my steints were put in when they shot the dye in me and that shows all the blockages in your heart how much they are blockages .to me your not having stients put in your heart while taking a stress test if you did you probaly be dead.
June 26, 2012 - 5:04amNow the Coast Guard wants to require me to take an stress test every 2 years to hold a merchant Marniers liciese .I do not agree with them if they were my doctor i would fire them. Its my choice .To me i the good guy there the bad guys. makes me want to say your under arrest.it irrespnsable spending like they have in the white house.
Then I have the company i work for looking at paying for these if they will get a tax break . there all for it .Same ole thing are if it will knock you out of getting a 30 year retirement it will save the company money. And hire a new person there start on a new retirement which they changed the rules for the newr ones.
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Now on AARP Their Doctors study says every 2 years can cause damage .if you are not having no chest pains you should not take a stress test. Says exercise and keep your blood preasure under control. So now I am wondering why my doctor order a stress test .I almost come to a conclusion I do not know if I would believe my doctor or is about putting money all there pockets at the hostpital I am having the stress test done at.
August 1, 2014 - 1:00pmThis Comment
I in the same boat have same problem .Not having any chest pains feel normal.I think its about a bunch of evil people .Its about Control and Money. Their a lot of money involved in this including who all is beifits from the money .Well you know a Coast Guard doctor is still a doctor their still getting paid money .Its not about what harm its do to the human body .It has become about the almighty dollor over what is really safe. I have the company now wants phsical done every 2 years try to follow the coast guard rules now .so now I have another doctor and wants his on echo gram done on me .So now I exspose to more radiation I get real piss at these people its not there body .They want to control its like taking the law in there own hands over what is safe, The new one is FSA of going what figure of what they consider safe and this is a group of boss not doctors. There way is there going to do it and what ever it take to make money but they will say its safe cause it involves money in their pockets .Its not their body that taking the damage . you know as well as I do you can do a lot of damage to someone else as long as it is not you.
August 1, 2014 - 12:22pmI agree they only see all these blockages during a dye test to determed if you have a certain precentage of blockage.
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Hi Linda - These are the reasons that are given by Web MD for conducting stress tests:
* Determine if there is adequate blood flow to your heart during increasing levels of activity.
* Evaluate the effectiveness of your heart medications to control angina and ischemia.
* Determine the likelihood of having coronary heart disease and the need for further evaluation.
* Check the effectiveness of procedures done to improve blood flow within the heart vessels in people with coronary heart disease.
* Identify abnormal heart rhythms.
* Help you develop a safe exercise program.
I wasn't able to find any helpful references about the frequency of these tests, which seem to primarily provide diagnosic information and, to a lesser degree, help monitor cardiac treatment.
Have you asked your doctor why he/she feels the tests are needed annually or if there is another way to monitor your heart health that's less invasive? Would you consider going to another cardiologist, even if it meant some travel, to get a second opinion and/or for treatment?
Since you're in a small town you may want to consider joining an online cardiac support group where you can ask other patients about how often they have these tests. I personally have a condition that can be monitored through a bone marrow biopsy, a painful and expensive procedure. Some patients have been told they need these tests to monitor their condition when there are other tests that are less invasive and provide the needed information.
If I'm able to find more definitive information on this I will let you know. I hope this helps!
Take care, Pat
June 8, 2010 - 6:58pmThis Comment
I have a small amount of blockage (recently spotted when I did a full body scan), had a normal stress test, am taking small amount of lipitor, and wonder how frequently I should repeat the stress test. My concern is my doctor seems to be sending me for too many tests (wanting to repeat the stress test because a year has past), but I work out reguarly, eat carefully enough and am worried that the tests are unnecessary.
June 17, 2008 - 8:05amThis Comment
You want to seriously look into the lipitor stuff.
December 6, 2017 - 3:02pmAbout the most dangerous drug you can take.Check this out at Dr Mercolas web site. There is an area there where you can ask a question. Your Doc and drug store push this poison like crazy. Multi Million dollar profit. Only 1% of population needs this stuff. There are thousands in class action law suites for this drug.
Please for you lifes sake, check it out.
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I would like to know the same thing. I am 61 and in a similar situation but my doctor wants to repeat a "chemical" stress test every year. He said I had 20% blockage and had to have it repeated every year. However, he put me on 10mg lipitor and I should think that since my cloresterol has gone down significantly, the yearly test is not necessary. It is very uncomfortable and scary. I might add that he bought special equipment for this testing last year and contracts with a company that sends technicians every Thursday to administer the tests to his patients. There are always several patients there for the test every Thursday, including another woman in her early 50s that I work with. I live in a small town and cannot imagine that all of these people have conditions that warrant this kind of invasive procedure. Is it safe to repeat this every year.
June 8, 2010 - 3:00pmThis Comment
Good question had my mom 73 had another stress test it had been 5 years since her last stress test and she still shows 20 to 30 % blockage
June 26, 2012 - 4:38amnothing had changed in 5 years for her. And know she not going back to the heart doctor its her choice.
yes it can cost a lot money to go as much these doctors and tech. and yes its an abnormal stress to the heart makes a person wonder.Like a person just knows someone has tortured someone to see how much the heart can take before it exspoled.
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Susan-
Great question.....we will post an answer for you on the site within 24 hours.
More to come shortly
May 14, 2008 - 12:42pmThis Comment