I am sorry to hear you had angina over the weekend. It could have been a combination of things....a big meal, the game, etc. I hope you are feeling better today.....behaVE yourself! and let us know about the stress test! Hopefully, it was "just one of those things." Sue

Bruce....I will be away from all computers next week, so I want to wish you all the best right now. I hope the "situation" is stable. :)

Bruce , Sorry to hear thumper is back . Let us know what the stress test reveals . Is it the tread mill , or induced ?

something to cheer you up while you wait for testing.

USC vs. Oregon State Last ditch effort by USC to tie Oregon State on Oct. 28th. They needed this two point conversion as time expired to tie the game. Oregon State went on to win... discuss this video | youtube page for this video

I'm a big college football fan, and for the little state of Oregon to put a four game ass-whooping on the mighty Trojans of USC ove the past couple of years has been a delight. Thanks for the attachment! I got through the stress test just fine. When stripped of the Beta blockers for the test, you just don't know what will happen. Twice I've ended up in the hospital after stress tests with twenty four hours, but not this time. I had a little angina during at the end of the test and reported it, and she noted that I had a two block depression of the S-T wave at that time. I have absolutely no idea what that means, but the fact that I recovered quickly bodes well, I think.

I'm glad to be back on Coreg. I never thought I'd say that, I hated that drug with a passion, even when starting out with a 3.125mg dose. I'm taking 50 mg dose daily now, and feel better taking it than I did when I had to quit it for 48 hours for the test. I'm curious... they had to adjust my pacer for the test to allow my heart to get up to 130 bpm, and the pacer adjustment person noted how many PAC's I was having. I thought PAC's were controlled with a pacer. My low heart rate and A-Fib were the reasons for the pacer, but I thought PAC's would be controlled as well. Any thoughts?

I always thought a pacer sensed a few slow beats and then kicked in. With PVC's or PAC's they tend to come one at a time in random order. Unless someone has bigeminy for long periods of time. I don't have a pacer so I don't know all the details of how they work but I don't know how a pacer can anticipate and correct the occasional heart hiccup.

Hi, Bruce. I am glad to hear your stress test was basically uneventful. Did they change anything, or come up with a plan, or are you just supposed to take the nitro prn and live with it? The ST depression means ischemia, and two squares is not bad. They probably turned your pacemaker off for the test.
Irene, the pacemaker can control fast rates after they start by trying to override the fast rhythm. If the pacer forces a beat, it can break the cycle, because the heart muscle will be in a state of repolorization....it can do this as long as it senses a tachy arrythmia is trying to break through. Your comment about PVCs made me think.....I just don't get very many isolated PVCs anymore......I get runs of 4-14, often with two normal beats and then another run.....this can go on for minutes, ......then come back an hour later.....and then happen most of the day.....then I can go for days with nothing. Sometimes I wonder if it is fluid or potassium related.

As for PVC's I've only heard of couplets and triplets. When you get that many in a row it's called NSVT, right?

I didn't know a pacer could butt in and correct a wonky rhythm. I thought it was just to speed things up a bit.

Yup...that's what it's called. Yes, these new devices are smart little guys.

I visited my Cardiac doctor today, and the stress test suggests that my heart has actually shrunk a bit since the pacer was inserted. However, it also suggests that I have a new area of ischemia, bridging the gap at the bottom and side of my heart between two other areas from previous MIs, but it was a small event. You were on the money, Sue, regarding the 2cm drop. It has been expected, a small artery that couldn't be stented probably plugged.

He put me back on Plavix. I lobbied long and hard to get off it, and perhaps once again I took a whiz in my own boot. Back to looking like a leper.

I'll see him in a month, but he wants me to keep a daily log of my exercise, he wants to see if Plavix helps. He also wants me to drop another ten pounds. I do believe I'll be a grinning skull. I have a hunch I'll be getting another cath soon.

I get really tired of this heart crap, but the options are less attractive.

Bruce, you made the most valid point. It beats the alternative!

I don't know how being a bone rack will help your heart. Proper diet is always good but I know you eat good stuff. If a person has skinny vessels or spasms, I don't see how dropping 10 lbs will help that. But I'm not a doctor. Stay away from the funnel clouds there in your area.

Hi, Bruce.....I hope this works! Maybe with thinner blood and still more weight loss all we be controlled. When you figure out how to lose that 10 lbs, please let me know. I am usually fine until bedtime...then I sleep walk and eat things that are bad for me. LOL. Hang in there! Sue

That's GREAT news about your heart shrinking after the pacemaker! That has to feel better.

I shouldn't post this, it is a source of great shame, but I sleepwalk and we find all sorts of food, crumbs, etc in our bed in the morning. I watch my diet very carefully, work out religiously and then screw it all up by eating in the middle of the night. We share the task of making the bed in the morning, Carolyn does it during my work/volunteer days, I do it during her days of the same, but I hate to hear the dreaded words from her, "Found half a bagle in the sheets this morning". I remain my own worst enemy.

I am going put a bungy cord around the pantry doors and also around the refrigerator double doors, see if that helps. The fact I haven't gained even a pound for two years gives me hope, if I would quit grazing at night, I know I'd lose the pounds I need to lose.

Bruce...I have the same affliction...I often find the peanut butter jar on the counter, with the spoon still in it......and pop corn here and there....I have zero recall of this. Once I smelled something funny, and found thin sliced deli roast beef behind the toaster oven. We need the side rails put up at night, I do believe :)

Hi all,
Am going 'stir crazy', from being cooped up sick and nasty storms daily , Bruce , I have extra bungee's , we could strap you to the bed,. By the time you got that to the fridg. you would have burned enough calorys , it wouldn't matter about 1/2 a bagle ,(that was obviously planted ,)

You must be feeling better if you are getting restless. Get well soon!

Half, you are getting the same storms we are. We went to the coast yesterday afternoon and saw breakers hitting that were awesome. Hope you are starting to feel better. Hang tough.