Passed my stress test!

[dreamshark]

No, not getting through a day at work. I had an actual treadmill test (except Park Nicollet is now using a recumbent bike instead of a treadmill). I decided to have the test because the last couple of years I have been noticing an irregular heartbeat while exercising. I would never have noticed it if I weren't using machines with built-in heart monitors. I don't feel it in my chest or get short of breath. But I'm pedaling along an an exercise bike at about 123 bpm and suddenly my heart rate jumps to something in the 140's. I stop and take my pulse and note that my heart has developed a ping - little extra beats before the main beat. If I were a car I would start using higher octane gas.

Anyway, it's apparently fine. Those little extra beats are called PVCs and they are apparently very common and almost always benign. Anyway, that's what the technicians who did the test told me (unofficially, since of course only a Real Doctor can interpret test results). They also said that the 13 minutes it took to get my heart rate above 138 was impressive and shows I'm in good shape. Of course they also said that as far as they're concerned the patient passes if they don't have to be taken away in a wheelchair. *heh*

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Ed hit over 140 in under 4 minutes during his stress test a few weeks ago.

K.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

:-(