Nuclear Stress Test

[smccormick]

I just got back from my home cardio, not an HCM specialist but willing to work with Dr. Lever in Cleveland. She has me scheduled for a nuclear stress test and echo. What is a nuclear stress test and can it have a different effect on people with HOCM? I know that at Cleveland I did a treadmill stress test but both times it was stopped due to a drop in blood pressure and heart palpitations. My cardio is going to perform the test herself to be able to see on the echo what is going on ( I think I'm her only patient with HOCM) Anyway I am concerned about this nuclear thing. Does it make your heart rate go up and if my pressure drops what happens with this nuclear stuff in me? Has anyone had one of these?

[Reenie]

The nuclear part only "marks" the muscle so they can see what's going on in there. It's to see how much oxygen the heart muscle is getting during exercise. There may be other uses too, but that's one of the biggies. Several people here have had this type of test, including my husband. Use the search engine at the top of the page to look up others' experiences with it.

Reenie