Posted , 6 users are following.
has anyone had a ct angiogram? my cardio has ordered one although my echo was normal. she said echo only shows 70% of arteries and as i have high colesterol wants to see 100%. I am a bit wary about having this as i am asking if really necessary? i have ectopics as i have posted, and she wants to put me on a monitor for 2 months. Has anyone got any advice?
0 likes, 8 replies
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loxie Caterina26101
Posted
Please dont be scared of having an angiogram, it's a very simple procedure which will identify blockages that could be missed by other methods. My husband had what we now know was a heart attack on 1 May. He had presented at the Emergency dept of our local hospital a year ago with similar symptoms and others tests had not highlighted anything and he was sent home and told just to take one extra blood pressure med. This time thankfully they did an angiogram and it revealed he had blockages in three major arteries and a branch. Three months later he has had a quad bypass and is now home recovering. Without the angiogram, he might not be here! They inserted it through his hand/arm and he said although it was uncomfortable it was not painful. That one procedure saved his life.
Caterina26101 loxie
Posted
thanks for yr reply and so glad to hear all well with yr husband. I spoke with my gp this afternoon and she explained that an echocardiogram sees if blood is flowing thru arteries and can pic up major blockages but the ct angiogram is a more precise test as it can see all the arteries including the very small ones and she advised me to have it done due to the fact i have for many years have high colesterol. so am booked in for monday,
loxie Caterina26101
Posted
If your doctor thinks any blockage not yet identified is probably a minor artery, then even if there is a blockage, it can probably be dealt with non surgically, ie meds or angioplasty, or at most a stent. Glad to hear you've got the angiogram booked so quickly, if my husband hadnt been admitted via the ER, he would have waited 6 - 8 weeks for an angiogram appointment. All good news for you. Good luck.
derek76 Caterina26101
Posted
Most seem to do it via the wrist nowadays as it just needs a band round it afterwards while the groin needs more pressure applied to it for longer with the patient laying still. I've had each.
JerryR Caterina26101
Posted
I think you mean angiogram - not echocardiogram. An echocardiogram shows the size, structure, and movement of various parts of your heart like the valves and the walls of the heart. But not the coronary vessels.
loxie derek76
Posted
My Husband's was via the arm. It takes a while to stop bleeding and aches for several days but no real issues. Amazed at how simple these procedures are these days.
derek76 loxie
Posted
My first one via the groin only took ten minutes.
nathan72802 derek76
Posted
Derek, I've had a number of IVP's done when I was younger as I only have one working kidney. Same thing, into the groin. Yeah, they've changed thing a lot since those days. Particularly to reduce the hazards. That femoral vein is huge. One time I finally asked the doctor if there would be any symptoms if I ended up with kidney problem (only one kidney) and he said yes. Needless to say that was the last time I had an IVP.