Have you ever had an ECG?

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  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
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    if its a stress test echo, then they hook you up to all the eelctrodes and have you walk on a treadmill and they gradually increase the pace and slope to stress your heart. but first they do a baseline with you sitting still. the treadmill stress takes about 10 minutes and they monitor you very closely.

    lot of heart disease in my family.. dad died at 38 from a heart attack so they watch me pretty close so i do these quite often.
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
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    When I worked as a CNA, we actually used to give them to various patients with heart conditions we had to monitor, and they aren't bad at all. You usually are lying down, bare-chested or with a gown, and they apply pads to various parts of your chest, then monitor the electrical activity picked up and map it out. It's actually a very easy, non-invasive procedure. :)
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
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    A basic ECG . They have you remove your top/bra, they put electrodes on you with these sticky discs and you wait.
    They eventually come back check what the reading was. If its not an emergency, they usually relay the info to your family Dr. and he then either calls you up to make an appointment to discuss or lets it be until you come in for your next check up.
    I can't recall but I believe I was hooked up for about 30-40 min. Not painful, no worries :)

    How long?? So I'd better make sure I take something to read then! I've got an appointment with my GP for next week to discuss the ECG, chest x-ray and blood tests I had last week but I am hoping they'll give me some indication tomorrow about the ECG.
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
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    the electrodes they put on the nipples are the worst!




    Just kidding!!!

    Phew!! :tongue: :laugh:
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
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    if its a stress test echo, then they hook you up to all the eelctrodes and have you walk on a treadmill and they gradually increase the pace and slope to stress your heart. but first they do a baseline with you sitting still. the treadmill stress takes about 10 minutes and they monitor you very closely.

    lot of heart disease in my family.. dad died at 38 from a heart attack so they watch me pretty close so i do these quite often.

    Oh wow, so sorry to hear that. Good to know that they're keeping a close eye on you though. :flowerforyou:
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
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    Yes, I had one a few years back, and was really nervous about it too!! (I have a thing about being more exposed in front of other people) TBH it wasn't as I thought it would be, and it didn't take long. You just lie there for a couple of minutes, with the electrodes on you and that's it.

    I had to take my top + bra off for it. If you only have it on your chest/arms/ankles, I can't see the need really to be stripping off properly.

    I'm the same, I don't want to get my la-la's out to strangers unless totally necessary, lol!
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
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    eh... its good to know the data but i dont put any faith in Dr's. they can treat symtoms and conditions, but when God says its time to come home, he'll come get me and there aint a darn thing the Dr's can do about it.
  • smiley245
    smiley245 Posts: 420 Member
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    A basic ECG . They have you remove your top/bra, they put electrodes on you with these sticky discs and you wait.
    They eventually come back check what the reading was. If its not an emergency, they usually relay the info to your family Dr. and he then either calls you up to make an appointment to discuss or lets it be until you come in for your next check up.
    I can't recall but I believe I was hooked up for about 30-40 min. Not painful, no worries :)

    How long?? So I'd better make sure I take something to read then! I've got an appointment with my GP for next week to discuss the ECG, chest x-ray and blood tests I had last week but I am hoping they'll give me some indication tomorrow about the ECG.

    From the time they came in and hooked me up to the time they took them all off it was about 30 min or so. They were looking for irregular heart beat/patterns. Some don't take as long I see, maybe they just forgot about me :laugh:
    All I got from them at the end was a looks good, your Dr will call you if there are any concerns.

    Id rather have an ECG any day than a mamogram! lol
    Hope it goes well for you!
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
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    eh... its good to know the data but i dont put any faith in Dr's. they can treat symtoms and conditions, but when God says its time to come home, he'll come get me and there aint a darn thing the Dr's can do about it.
    Very true but it would be nice to think he would wait a while longer.....
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
    Options
    A basic ECG . They have you remove your top/bra, they put electrodes on you with these sticky discs and you wait.
    They eventually come back check what the reading was. If its not an emergency, they usually relay the info to your family Dr. and he then either calls you up to make an appointment to discuss or lets it be until you come in for your next check up.
    I can't recall but I believe I was hooked up for about 30-40 min. Not painful, no worries :)

    How long?? So I'd better make sure I take something to read then! I've got an appointment with my GP for next week to discuss the ECG, chest x-ray and blood tests I had last week but I am hoping they'll give me some indication tomorrow about the ECG.

    From the time they came in and hooked me up to the time they took them all off it was about 30 min or so. They were looking for irregular heart beat/patterns. Some don't take as long I see, maybe they just forgot about me :laugh:
    All I got from them at the end was a looks good, your Dr will call you if there are any concerns.

    Id rather have an ECG any day than a mamogram! lol
    Hope it goes well for you!

    Oh I had a mammogram a few years back and it was sooo uncomfortable (and embarrassing!). If an ECG is better than that then I'm sure I can handle it. :)
    Thanks for the good wishes. :drinker:
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
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    eh... its good to know the data but i dont put any faith in Dr's. they can treat symtoms and conditions, but when God says its time to come home, he'll come get me and there aint a darn thing the Dr's can do about it.
    Very true but it would be nice to think he would wait a while longer.....
    oh, I'm certainly in no hurry.. but not worried about it either. Its all part of life....:explode:
  • smiley245
    smiley245 Posts: 420 Member
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    Yes, I had one a few years back, and was really nervous about it too!! (I have a thing about being more exposed in front of other people) TBH it wasn't as I thought it would be, and it didn't take long. You just lie there for a couple of minutes, with the electrodes on you and that's it.

    I had to take my top + bra off for it. If you only have it on your chest/arms/ankles, I can't see the need really to be stripping off properly.

    I'm the same, I don't want to get my la-la's out to strangers unless totally necessary, lol!

    The lady doing it for me was very good at keeping my breast covered. I too don't like exposing them to just anyone:tongue:
    Chances are they will ask you to remove your bra. In most cases they put some electrodes under the breast and chest area. The underwire can interfere with the current/signal.

    http://www.emedicinehealth.com/electrocardiogram_ecg/page3_em.htm
  • jillleanne
    jillleanne Posts: 72 Member
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    Hey! An ECG is super noninvasive and easy. Don't be stressing. All they do is hook some sticky pads (containing the electrodes) to your chest, ankles and side. You sit still for less than 5 minutes and its done. So all it requires is you remove your shirt, but they can cover you up with something after the electrodes are on if your uncomfortable.

    So fast, so painless, and totally nothing to work yourself up over. A lot of doctors just do it as a routine test to go along with your yearly physical.

    Good Luck!
  • karensoxfan
    karensoxfan Posts: 902 Member
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    EKG (electro-cardiogram) is NOT the same as ECG (echo-cardiogram or "echo").

    For an EKG, they stick the pads on you and read your heart for a few minutes. It will produce a zig-zaggy chart like you see on TV.

    For an ECG, it's like an ultrasound or sonogram of your heart. This takes much longer, and you have to lay on your left side while the tech probes you with a gel-covered wand to transmit images of your heart onto the a screen.

    I've had both done. You can keep on a button-down shirt for an EKG, but for an ECG, you'd likely be in a medical gown.
  • OnionMomma
    OnionMomma Posts: 938 Member
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    An EKG/ECG and an ECHO are 2 different tests.

    My son was born with a congenitial heart defect and even though he was repaired at 6 months old, he still has yearly EKGs and ECHOs.

    An EKG is the sticky pads they will stick to your chest and various other parts of your torso and hook you up to a machine to record the data.

    And ECHO is an ultrasound of the heart as it is beating just like what they do for pregnant ladies.

    I've seen his first EKG be recodred for a good 15 mins as a 45 day old infant. His 1st ECHO too about 90 mins. done at the same time around 45 days old.

    For his first ECHO and every one until he was repaired they took pictures from way up on his collar bone all the way done to pushing up on his belly to get pictures of the bottom of his heart.

    Both tests are painless. But for a 45 day old, it was not fun. They already don't feel well because their body is not functioning properly and then they are being poked and proded, even though it is a little bit.

    The ECHO was the hardest that first time. They need to get a good baseline as that is what tells them the extent of the defect.
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
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    Hey! An ECG is super noninvasive and easy. Don't be stressing. All they do is hook some sticky pads (containing the electrodes) to your chest, ankles and side. You sit still for less than 5 minutes and its done. So all it requires is you remove your shirt, but they can cover you up with something after the electrodes are on if your uncomfortable.

    So fast, so painless, and totally nothing to work yourself up over. A lot of doctors just do it as a routine test to go along with your yearly physical.

    Good Luck!

    I'm having to take the test because I've been getting chest pains which is why I'm a little bit worried about it all....eek! :frown:
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
    Options
    EKG (electro-cardiogram) is NOT the same as ECG (echo-cardiogram or "echo").

    For an EKG, they stick the pads on you and read your heart for a few minutes. It will produce a zig-zaggy chart like you see on TV.

    For an ECG, it's like an ultrasound or sonogram of your heart. This takes much longer, and you have to lay on your left side while the tech probes you with a gel-covered wand to transmit images of your heart onto the a screen.

    I've had both done. You can keep on a button-down shirt for an EKG, but for an ECG, you'd likely be in a medical gown.

    Well it's definitely an ECG I'm booked in for and I thought EKG/ECG were the same. ? Electrodes are definitely involved, not an ultrasound. Confused now?? :huh:
  • jillleanne
    jillleanne Posts: 72 Member
    Options
    Hey! An ECG is super noninvasive and easy. Don't be stressing. All they do is hook some sticky pads (containing the electrodes) to your chest, ankles and side. You sit still for less than 5 minutes and its done. So all it requires is you remove your shirt, but they can cover you up with something after the electrodes are on if your uncomfortable.

    So fast, so painless, and totally nothing to work yourself up over. A lot of doctors just do it as a routine test to go along with your yearly physical.

    Good Luck!

    I'm having to take the test because I've been getting chest pains which is why I'm a little bit worried about it all....eek! :frown:

    It's always better to know whats up and have it fixed than just leaving the issue alone. I hope every thing goes well for you!!

    And an electrocardiogram (shortened as EKG OR ECG) is different from an echocardiogram (shortened as ECHO). Here's a website that explains it all. http://www.sads.org.uk/cardiac_tests.htm And by no means do I think you have SADS haha, they just have basic, easy to understand information on the differences.
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
    Options
    An EKG/ECG and an ECHO are 2 different tests.

    My son was born with a congenitial heart defect and even though he was repaired at 6 months old, he still has yearly EKGs and ECHOs.

    An EKG is the sticky pads they will stick to your chest and various other parts of your torso and hook you up to a machine to record the data.

    And ECHO is an ultrasound of the heart as it is beating just like what they do for pregnant ladies.

    I've seen his first EKG be recodred for a good 15 mins as a 45 day old infant. His 1st ECHO too about 90 mins. done at the same time around 45 days old.

    For his first ECHO and every one until he was repaired they took pictures from way up on his collar bone all the way done to pushing up on his belly to get pictures of the bottom of his heart.

    Both tests are painless. But for a 45 day old, it was not fun. They already don't feel well because their body is not functioning properly and then they are being poked and proded, even though it is a little bit.

    The ECHO was the hardest that first time. They need to get a good baseline as that is what tells them the extent of the defect.

    Oh bless him, that must have been so traumatic for you all and a constant concern. Hugs all round from me. :flowerforyou:
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
    Options
    eh... its good to know the data but i dont put any faith in Dr's. they can treat symtoms and conditions, but when God says its time to come home, he'll come get me and there aint a darn thing the Dr's can do about it.
    Very true but it would be nice to think he would wait a while longer.....
    oh, I'm certainly in no hurry.. but not worried about it either. Its all part of life....:explode:

    That's the spirit! Here's to you and your wonderful heart. :drinker:

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