treadmill testing

[Guest guest]

Alice and Laurie

I'm astonished that you would even consider doing a treadmill. For myself,

I'm completely terrified of one.

When I do anything physical, I'm not just weak. There's also a certain point

where, if I exceed that just a little, I feel like I'm about to die. Really.

Dizzy doesn't even begin to describe it. I almost pass out (on a few

occasions I actually have), and it's NOT pretty. There's no " seeing stars "

or anything, just a horrible feeling of being totally out of control.

Absolute immediate rest has so far " brought me back " , but I live in fear of

this. I imagine that it's not just my skeletal muscles that are so wiped

out, but that it's also ALMOST stopping my diaphragm (for breathing) and my

heart (for the obvious).

I've acquired an ability to see this coming, sort of, and I'm cautious to

stop just short of it. Which doesn't always succeed, but at least next time

I know even better where that line is. The warning signs are not obvious. I

think healthy people, when they are starting to get REAL exhausted, still do

so rather gradually. I've seen people virtually collapse, say at the end of

a long race, but they don't seem to have any FEAR of that. In my body, I not

only have a VASTLY lower threshold of energy expended, but I also have this

sense of how easy it is to accidentally go WAY over the line. It's sort of

like the way drinking too much alcohol sometimes happens. By the time you

realize that you shouldn't have had that last large chug :-) you're way too

far gone, and there you lie on the bathroom floor, frantically negotiating

with your higher power ( " Dear God, please, I'll never never do this again,

if only you won't let me pass out " ).

Maybe what I've described is commonplace with you two, and you're just very

brave. In any case, my hat's off to you. I've just had a CV doc call to

cancel an appointment, and I'm still pondering what to say if he wants to do

a treadmill. I know there is the so-called chemical method, but I think the

point of that is still to stimulate the heart into beating much faster. This

is supposedly safe, in the average population. But I've learned to beware

that phrase. What if it is a disaster in mito people? What do I get then, a

headstone that says " Wow, we sure didn't see THAT coming. " ?

Regards

Steve D.

> Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2004 04:48:48 -0500

>

> Subject: Re: update

>

> Alice

>

> I feel better that it is minor, but was hoping to know more after the

> appointment. I am not looking forward to the treadmill. My guess is that I

> will make it about 2 minutes and have to stop, but it might be one of my

> better days - who knows.

>

> laurie

>

> >

> > Reply-To:

> > Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 20:39:04 -0700

> > To: >

> > Subject: Re: update

> >

> > Laurie,

> >

> > This sounds promising except I wish you didn't have to deal with it at

all. I

> > guess you'll know more after the CT scan. I wouldn't be looking forward

to

> > the treadmill testing. That's not one I could do. I guess you probably

feel a

> > little better after this appointment, don't you?

> >

> > Alice

> >

> > I saw the pulmonologist that my neuro wanted me to see. In looking at my

CT

> > films, he feels the scaring in my lungs was minor and probably due to

the

> > mito. He ordered a lung specific CT that will be done both on my back

and on

> > my stomach. I also will have a pre and post 6 min. treadmill pulmonary

> > function test and then see him. It probably won't be for a couple of

months.

> >

> > laurie