Jump to content

too stressed for tilt table?


jenwic

Recommended Posts

I went to see a rhythm specialist the other day. I was really nervous and stressed out. My dad was in the hospital pretty bad off. I was a nervous wreck about going to see my dr. All day, even before I went to the dr., I kept having these adrenalin surges through my system that were making my heart rate race like crazy. My heart rate literally stayed up all day until about an hour after I got home.

When I was at the dr. the nurse said, "now we need to get you symptomatic. What can we do?" She said this as she was hooking up the EKG. Then she looked down and said, "Oh good! You already are." My heart rate was already 145 just sitting in the chair. I know it was all stress related. Normally sitting in a chair at home my hr would be 75-90 at the highest.

Now I'm supposed to have a tilt table test done on Monday and I'm afraid I will freak out again and it will mess up the results. :D I've never had an episode like that before unless I was sick or had a dental injection or albuterol or something. I got all shakey and sick after the ekg. I even had chest pain. I've Never had that before. When I got home and soaked in the tub it went away in seconds.

Any advice for a successful test Monday?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Jen,

First off, I'm really sorry to hear about your dad being in the hospital. I hope he is doing a little better now.

I can totally relate to what you are saying about the stress factor. I was feeling very symptomatic and stressed the day of my tilt and was actually shaking a little bit before the test started. I felt like my heart was racing even when i was lying down on the table. But really, it didn't make any difference when it came to the result of the test. They saw my heart rate increase upon the tilt, and i became even more symptomatic.

Just keep in mind that your body will show your natural reactions and try to take deep breaths. One thing i did was try to make a little conversation with the techs before the test started. That helped calm me down a little bit. They also gave me a blanket which took some of the stress off my body since i was cold. Whatever takes your mind off the test, try to focus on that.

Good luck!!

Kristen

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Ernie. Sometimes it's a good thing for doctors to see you at your worst. If we walk in and we're having a good day, they may not believe how bad the "bad" days are.

It's no fun for you, but you want to get help. I hope you get the answers you need.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think there is such a thing as being "too stressed" for the TTT. The test itself is intended to stress your body, so whether you want to be stressed or not, it will happen. What the test is looking for is how your body repsonds to the stress of being moved from a reclining to a standing position--and being emotionally stressed shouldn't skew the results much, if at all.

If it were me, I'd just do the test to get it over with. If the results aren't useful or conclusive, I could then worry about what to do next when that happens.

Nina

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel for you. I agree that it will still work, whether you are stressed or not. Luckily for me I went in all innocent and had no idea what was going to happen. Even the doctor and nurse said, "nothing will happen, it never does, we do these every week and never get a result", so I was not worried. When I fainted, it was a big one and showed everyone that I was for real. Your body will react to the tilt table as it is meant to, so I would get it over and done with. Try and breathe, meditate or pray to keep yourself as calm as you can. You will be fine! Please let us know how you go. <_<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I brought some relaxation music with me, but didn't need it because the techs had some playing in the background.

Of course, once the table was tilted, I WANTED my heart rate to go up so I could FINALLY have a diagnosis. Yea, it went up 50 beats. Although I was shaking, I really didn't feel all that bad. I had heard so many horror stories about the TTT, I didn't think it was possible to leave with a smile, but I did. The techs and I were kind of clowning around, too, and that helped.

I hope your experience is a good one, too. Good luck and tell us how it goes!

Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...