The Stress Test

My heart passed much to my surprise, the stress test that is that I had yesterday at the cardiologist. Unlike the stress test I had about 20 years ago, which was on a tread mill, this one required me to lay down and pedal. As part of it an ECG was done, my blood pressure and pulse were taken throughout the test and ultrasounds were done.

Being an avid cyclist and a recumbent user the test, for me, was like climbing a very steep hill or bucking a strong head wind. My biggest muscles are in my legs.

The results my heart was skipping about one beat a minute, at least initially. However during the test there were extra heart beats, which I didn’t feel or ignored as my legs were tired and I was puffing away. They were trying to raise my heart rate to about 140 beats a minute. I only got up to 130 beats. The scar tissue, a previous doctor had found and suggested that I may have had a silent heart attack, was not found this time.

For now, no intervention is seen. However, this may change following the results of my sleep test, which is now due in about two and half to three and a half weeks.

This is a mixture of good and bad news. Good news in that my heart is in better shape than dreaded. The bad news I still have problems at night with my heart that are, so far, unresolved.