Health Matters with Dr. David: Stress Test

"Just a little scared... apprehensive."

She wasn't afraid of what Dr. Lynn Davis might have her do... but what he might say. You see Deb has a heartbreaking family history of heart disease.

"My mother passed away at 64 with a massive heart attack and then my sister passed away when she was 59."

And Deb has other risk factors too...

"She has an elevated c-reactive protein level which puts her at some increased risk of having heart disease. Plus she had some chest pains, " says cardiologist Dr. Lynn Davis.

This stress test is the simplest and quickest way to find out if she's has coronary artery disease.

"There aren't too many things in medicine that have immediate feedback and a stress test is one of them."

Dr. Davis and his staff can look at real-time data including heart rate, blood pressure, and EKG... all while Deb goes for a brisk walk.

"Stress tests are not recommended to screen healthy individuals or those with known heart disease who are stable. Only if symptoms have changed or, like Deb, a diagnosis of coronary artery disease suspected should a stress be done."

"We just discovered I think that your blood pressure, as good as it may look when you're at rest just sitting around it has a tendency to really spike up there."

To Deb's relief... everything else looked normal..

"I was just afraid to go find out or hear the words."

Funny how things work. The stress test Deb was so worried about ended up reducing her anxiety... a prescription will reduce her blood pressure.

"I just feel like a big relief off my shoulders."

So if your doctor recommends a stress test remember it's really no sweat...