David-aviator
Well Known Member
I lost most of a night's sleep this week after visiting my Doctor who is also my AME. The visit was for a routine check up, but there was more to it than that. I debated long and hard whether or not to mention a persistent pain in the upper far left chest area, almost to the shoulder, and finally decided it would be best to do so as it was not going away. Every pilots night mare, right?
I like my Doctor. He came up through the Russian Army 30 or 40 years ago and somehow ended up in the U.S. with a very respected private practice in internal medicine. When I mentioned the pain and area, and suggested it probably is a pulled muscle from lifting 15 bags of crushed rock six weeks ago, he said it could be, but at my age (67), we have to check out your heart and pluming immediately. There was no discussion about it. His front desk girl set up an appointment for a "thallium stress test" first thing the next morning.
Well, "thallium stress test" sent me to Google as soon as I arrived home, not ever having heard the term before. Many readers here probably know what it is, but it was another day in school for me. Simply put, they shoot some radio active stuff into the cardiovascular system that shows up on a monitor when the recipient is stretched out on a flat table under a moving device. The moving device takes 32 shots from that many angles and a computer builds a 3D image of the heart showing where blood flow is good and not so good. This is done resting and after 8-10 minutes at WOT on the treadmill. The whole deal took about 2 1/2 hours.
A senior Dr. sat in a chair next to the treadmill while a young gal revved the thing up. He knew I was a pilot and joked about WOT, and how tough the heart is compared to most aircraft engines. He said the heart will run a hundred years without an oil change. They finally got enough data on their recorder and asked if I had had enough, to which I responded with a simple nod as I was completely out of air. He looked at all the jiggles on sheets of paper and said I could keep my shoes on. (?) I said, what? He laughed and said, we take away your shoes as you do not leave this hospital if you have a problem.
I had passed the tread mill test!!
They took more pictures 30 minutes later and I was free to leave. I have not yet seen the official radiology report, but if anything significant had turned up, they would not have turned me loose. Wow, I couldn't believe it. I was certain my flying days were over.
Getting one of these things is not a bad idea. While it could crimp a pilots life style, at least they could fix what was wrong sooner than later. From what I've read about the procedure, it is the best non-invasive test of the heart and associated plumbing going.
dd
I like my Doctor. He came up through the Russian Army 30 or 40 years ago and somehow ended up in the U.S. with a very respected private practice in internal medicine. When I mentioned the pain and area, and suggested it probably is a pulled muscle from lifting 15 bags of crushed rock six weeks ago, he said it could be, but at my age (67), we have to check out your heart and pluming immediately. There was no discussion about it. His front desk girl set up an appointment for a "thallium stress test" first thing the next morning.
Well, "thallium stress test" sent me to Google as soon as I arrived home, not ever having heard the term before. Many readers here probably know what it is, but it was another day in school for me. Simply put, they shoot some radio active stuff into the cardiovascular system that shows up on a monitor when the recipient is stretched out on a flat table under a moving device. The moving device takes 32 shots from that many angles and a computer builds a 3D image of the heart showing where blood flow is good and not so good. This is done resting and after 8-10 minutes at WOT on the treadmill. The whole deal took about 2 1/2 hours.
A senior Dr. sat in a chair next to the treadmill while a young gal revved the thing up. He knew I was a pilot and joked about WOT, and how tough the heart is compared to most aircraft engines. He said the heart will run a hundred years without an oil change. They finally got enough data on their recorder and asked if I had had enough, to which I responded with a simple nod as I was completely out of air. He looked at all the jiggles on sheets of paper and said I could keep my shoes on. (?) I said, what? He laughed and said, we take away your shoes as you do not leave this hospital if you have a problem.
I had passed the tread mill test!!
They took more pictures 30 minutes later and I was free to leave. I have not yet seen the official radiology report, but if anything significant had turned up, they would not have turned me loose. Wow, I couldn't believe it. I was certain my flying days were over.
Getting one of these things is not a bad idea. While it could crimp a pilots life style, at least they could fix what was wrong sooner than later. From what I've read about the procedure, it is the best non-invasive test of the heart and associated plumbing going.
dd