Greetings, Dr. Roach A few days ago, my mother-in-law, who is 85 years old, suffered a small heart attack. She had nitroglycerin on hand, but she didn’t take it right away. Her cardiac doctor was informed of the incident by her pacemaker. Her doctor contacted and requested that she have a nuclear stress test after noticing the anomaly. It caused her a great deal of discomfort when she had one done eight years ago. She worries that she might not make it through another one.
Except for the hours they spend watching cable news every day, she and her spouse lived a reasonably relaxed and comfortable life. She should stay away from news, which is, in my opinion, meant to enrage viewers. Should I tell her not to watch or should I keep my mouth shut? — S.I.L.
ANSWER: A stress test can be performed to diagnose conditions or determine whether activity is safe, particularly following a heart attack. The individual must use all of their energy to produce a diagnosis. All of my coworkers, senior residents, interns, and medical students were put through stress tests when I was an intern. Despite its unpleasantness, it was a worthwhile experience. I had a better grasp of how hard a stress test is after my team urged me to continue using the treadmill when I was on the verge of passing out.
A stress test following a heart attack, on the other hand, is not a maximal effort. As the degree of exercise grows, the person’s ECG is closely watched, and they are never permitted to reach a point where they risk damaging their heart. It is important to convince her that this stress test would differ greatly from the one she had before. A nuclear stress test examines the heart’s blood flow during rest and exercise using radioactive isotopes.
Many of my patients who are worried about the news of the day reported that their mental health improved when they stopped watching it on a daily basis. Although I agree with you that some news broadcasts seem to be more intended to arouse an emotional response than to educate, I still believe that we should be educated.
In one instance, while awaiting heart surgery, a guy in the cardiac intensive care unit insisted on watching his preferred football team. He did had a heart attack during the game, thus this was a mistake.
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Greetings, Dr. Roach I read your recent column about when to take drugs. My pharmacist and I recently met to discuss how to arrange my medications in daily order and when to take them. I become overwhelmed and confused since my meds change so frequently. Other elderly would undoubtedly benefit from this as well! What are your thoughts? L.A.
ANSWER: It’s a fantastic concept. For people with complex regimens, I have also suggested pillboxes that may be filled once a week and have times on them marked for taking the meds. For convenience, the majority of pharmacies have the option to package drugs in blister packs, each labeled with the precise time.
One reader recommended that the doctor provide a list of the drugs, together with information on dosages, timing, and their intended uses. During most office appointments, I take a few minutes to review medication lists because I frequently discover misunderstandings, duplicate prescriptions, or medications that I had assumed had been terminated.
Although he regrets not being able to respond to each letter individually, Dr. Roach will try to include them in the column. Questions can be sent by mail to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803 or by email to [email protected].
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