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Effects if cannabis on cardiac stress tests

Tudo

Troublemaker
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I need to get a stress test tomorrow as part of a pre-op thing because I had had open heart surgery 10+ years ago. They will not perform surgery on my colon/intestines unless I furnish them with a cardiac clearance. I've never done this before and I can understand their desire to protect themselves from lawsuits but how far will they go?








MY ekg came up showing no big deal. Possible heart attack from 20 years ago Open heart bypass surgery 15 years ago. But no real concerns in the ekd for that long. But I smoke weed and wondered what happens tomorrow if I was doing a few bowls in the morning, say 10:30AM and show up for the stress test at 2PM


Please weigh in on this, thank you in advance :thank you:
 

WelderDan

Well-known member
Veteran
Don't smoke before going to the test - A few tokes of weed will push up my BP 10 points for an hour or so. I'd say be safe, take your last tokes before midnight. Smoke all you want after the test
 

Tudo

Troublemaker
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Thanks Gry. My problem is a piece of my sigmoid colon needs to come out and it's getting worse by the day. But because I had open heart surgery I had to see a cardiologist and the one I saw ( really needs a punch in the face ) was aggressive, argumentative and in retrospect I should have gotten up on my cane and walked out.


But as we all do I endured the shit but will never see that guy again.


Monday I see a different one and hopefully this one will allow me to talk rather than think he's reading my mind :dance013:


I don't know how long I can last and have a bag packed in the event it turns out to be a run to the ER for emergency surgery and Gry you should appreciate this since you know.......my Wife is back but the savings is not. That may change but as of today....not.


Huge anxiety.
 
T

Teddybrae

You mentioned your op coming up in a previous post. 8th time was it? My very best wishes to you also.
(I saw a Specialist like the one you describe. I DID walk out. Told him I 'll die at home then. Didn't die tho. They don't help do they?)
 

Smokerman

Well-known member
Veteran
I smoked before my last stress test but mine was done with a drug (persantine) which stresses the heart similar to the treadmill which I can’t do because of blockage in my femoral artery (it causes pain when I walk).
Anyhow, nothing was said about me smoking nor was I asked anything except if I did cocaine which I thought was weird.
Good luck.
 

Tudo

Troublemaker
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I smoked before my last stress test but mine was done with a drug (persantine) which stresses the heart similar to the treadmill which I can’t do because of blockage in my femoral artery (it causes pain when I walk).
Anyhow, nothing was said about me smoking nor was I asked anything except if I did cocaine which I thought was weird.
Good luck.



I canceled the appointment with this character. I see a different cardiologist on Tuesday. I don't know if I'll make it that far, probably will but it's unbelievable....today was 10 hours of this.


My fear of course is they find something and want to do a cath or more. I know there was "abnormal blood flow" where the original surgery was done according to the 1st cardiologist who I blew off and who in turn called me names in his report like " not cooperative" and "believes in holistic medicine" because I told him them that despite not being able to walk my driveway that after 20-30 intravenous chelations I walked several miles, slowly but I did it and I rejected his Lipitor so I guess I'm a bad machine and this is catching up to me somehow.


I hope to illuminate this to the new cardio guy and ask him if me working out for 8 hours and then doing a stress test would yield a fair assessment of my heart? And if not then how do I get the approval to let them go in and cut that piece of sigmoid colon out so I can live without a bag? Is there a "waiver of liability" that I can sign? Will that make them feel ok to do the deed ?


Anyone know about this type of clearance? Soon as I took my shirt off to do the ekg I was told they will want to do a stress test etc. I barely make it day to day now. The thought of surgery while this colon situation is like this is hard to imagine possible.
 

Tudo

Troublemaker
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I smoked before my last stress test but mine was done with a drug (persantine) which stresses the heart similar to the treadmill which I can’t do because of blockage in my femoral artery (it causes pain when I walk).
Anyhow, nothing was said about me smoking nor was I asked anything except if I did cocaine which I thought was weird.
Good luck.




That's the type of stress test they will give me although I'm not sure which chemical. I also have pad and have had it for 20+ years. No can't run very well but again at 64 I wasn't planning on trying out for the NY marathon although I'll challenge the doc to a swim in the ocean off ft Lauderdale heh.


But my feet are also gonzo so treadmill stress test is out.
 

Tudo

Troublemaker
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Saw the new cardiologist and they have me getting the nuclear 2 stage stress test and echocardiogram, tomorrow. In the meantime I have to wear a "holter"?


Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdPJjCaXM2c


Mine is an applied cardiac systems holter and I can remove it at about 11am tomorrow prior to leaving for the stress test. He is aware of my need for colon surgery and that I'm closer and closer everyday to parachuting into an emergency room and letting anyone do this major surgery but they tell me that unless it's perforated than I'll still have to get cardiac clearance because of an open heart surgery in 2005 and the fact that I have purposely not seen a cardiologist a single time since then.


I barely made it there today for a 1pm apt and tomorrow's apt is noon. So............


Anyone else wear a holter? Any surprises??:dance013:
 

Tudo

Troublemaker
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Tomorrow the carotids and the lower extremities


Wednsday the appointment to find out all the results and see if I have the clearance for the surgery.
 

EsterEssence

Well-known member
Veteran
Good luck to you thinking about having to do medical procedures is stressful. Hope all works out well for you...
 

Tudo

Troublemaker
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Thank you. Well the update from the tests of course showed abnormal blood floor in at least one area so he won't give me the clearance without going thru a heart cath which is scheduled for tomorrow and that also means possible angioplasty/stent, hopefully nothing worse than that. Been there done that don't ever wanna do that again and have no symptoms but the fact they're going in to look still has me anxious not to mention that the inflammation in the colon is getting so bad that I'm more or less starving myself or else I would never be able to get out of the house.


And the issue of health insurance did come up and while we pay a pretty hefty fee every month for united healthcare golden rule, we find out the hard way today that they only cover $2,000 in "in-office" tests which most of them are nowadays, least they are here, there's a lot of money in owning the heart cath lab in your own office etc isn't there? So then that's limited by the caring people at united healthcare. If the tests are done in the hospital then the sky is the limit. But then we do an ekg and the insurance costs were a LOT higher than the $12.00 cash pay.


Between 4 and 5 pm today I had to hotfoot it over to the exray lab to do chest xrays then shoot over to the vampire bank to get blood drawn ( again, many times now in the last few months. )


So they be serious about getting me in there and all this is to get clearance so they can do the REAL surgery! Stay tuned on dat! :chin:


Interesting however that I did ask if it's ok that I smoke cannabis tomorrow morning which I usually do for pain and the cardiologist said no problem at all.


For this 64 year old who paid a deep deep price for being involved in the weed biz so many years ago the mere fact we had this conversation felt so good..............we were all right weren't we? I mean it's approx. 53 years for me...............I remember the problems early one especially when young and defiantly telling my Dad back then that "I'll smoke pot till I die", and to now look up in the sky and know he's smiling down from wherever he and mom are :huggg:


Anyway, gotta starve again tonight for fear of not making it there tomorrow and so water, juice, water..........a little rough when smoking...........maybe I'll eat a cookie


Nigh nigh all, wish me luck
 
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Tudo

Troublemaker
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
You mentioned your op coming up in a previous post. 8th time was it? My very best wishes to you also.
(I saw a Specialist like the one you describe. I DID walk out. Told him I 'll die at home then. Didn't die tho. They don't help do they?)




I saw 2 gastroenterologists here in the area and one colorectal surgeon also in the area. I saw 3 surgeons including chief of surgery at Cleveland clinic ft Lauderdale. I was also in the emergency room once and they suggested I have a colonoscopy done. 7 freaking times these clowns either banded my inner rectal walls/hemoriours that may or may not have existed, and did something called Doppler thd which was downright hurtful. Cleveland clinic's "specialist" directed me to "biofeedback" as his "flex-sig" didn't show any abnormalities other than scar tissue from all the previous bandings etc AND that in his view there was a gondola shape upside down which may or may not work itself out and I finally see a local guy here and you know the rest.


May I please have a word with Morgan and Morgan when this is all done if they let me live?


I'm losing track but now with the colonoscopy and flex sig a few weeks ago, + tomorrow I think will be the 11 or 12th time they've deep sixed my brain within 18 months with one of these times now going as they say in that famous 60's movie, deeper than deep lol
 

troutman

Seed Whore
I recommend you don't smoke anything, do any drugs or drink alcohol 48 hours before a stress test. :tiphat:

Even avoid the inlaws and outlaws if you can. :laughing:
 

EsterEssence

Well-known member
Veteran
I had an angiogram a year ago didn’t need any stints results were clear. Hopefully they can go into your arm and not your groin, the groin you have to lay perfectly still for 6-8 hours... no matter what they do GOOD LUCK...
 

Tudo

Troublemaker
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
They went in the groin. I got there around 12:30 and left at 5PM. Long day. Really appreciate this Panama Gold from Northern Emerald . :) Results of the cath, all the heart tests, carotid tests are happy happy no surprise on the legs. I have not done this since the original open heart surgery which is many moons ago, just asked and my open heart surgery was may 23rd 2005 and I have not seen a cardiologist since which the cardiologists I've seen with the exception of the fellow I chose who did me in the last few days, all expressed unhappiness over me not seeing anyone, not doing ANY heart meds, statins of any kind. But I did do intravenous chelation therapy many many times and was laughed at, criticized, told it's quackery etc etc from multiple cardioloists. And I told them upfront that the ONLY reason I was there at al was to get cardiac clearance so as to undergo major surgery, er, sigmoiscopy and hopefully within days.


That said, they did the cath and also did the carotids and lower extremities. Both carotids came in somewhere in the 45-50% blocked which is not a surgery. Blockage in the legs which has been that way for at least 25 years, I had difficulty walking up the road outside of our house in Santi Thani on Koh Samui back in 2000 and difficult to walk from the domestic terminal to the international terminal at lax THEN.


I'm better than that now. I've done about 200 intravenous edt chelation sessions that the docs all say don't do anything.


Guess that's not accurate because with regards to the heart, NO issues were found other than a slight issue with where the original heart surgery was performed which this doctors said he didn't know why they did that as a stent would have accomplished that.


Meanwhile no stents, no angiograms nothing. I am now clear for the colon surgery which is just unbelievable with regards to any quality of life and the extreme pain attached to it. I now have that clearance and I hope the local doc as a spot for me by Tuesday of next week because I already have an appointment on the east coast next weds day. In anticipation of a negative heart cath I made an appointment to see an emergency doc on the east coast in the hopes of being able to get this done without any cath.....which of course is unlikely in the best case. So this news is great news!


And a further testament to the helpfulness of cannabis as well as medicine that in some cases do not fit the traditional mold. Yee Haw !


Regardless of the ongoing abdominal pain, getting this damn cardiac clearance and finding out that even after all these years, and being right about the more holistic approach feels unbelievably good.


Now on to the surgery room, hopefully next week.
 
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Tudo

Troublemaker
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
sat with him today ( also briefly discussed his coin collection lol ) and as you can imagine I had some anxiety, and he stood opposite us with what seemed like a very happy face and told me that my heart is clear, "no interventions of any kind are needed" and didn't understand why I had a bypass, that theres a big artery "in the back" that's clear as a bell that could have been used.

Told me in a more excited tone that my carotids are at approx. 50% and absolutely no need to do anything there. That he had already ordered the angioplasty, stents I think, and ended up with a much cleaner bill of health regarding my heart and carotids and was especially happy about the carotids being so clear.

Said both my legs were 100% blocked and I'm probably walking on collaterals. Would like to see me after surgery and I'm recovered to speak about possibly being on Plavix or some other kind of thinner. I told him that I have not been able to walk much or even stand up straight because of the pain in my lower abdomen which apparently is my sigmoid colon that's sticking out. I told him that despite that I was able to walk around the block last week which is apprx .4 of a mile. Not a speed racer but no pain in the calf muscles which was a definitely symptom I had prior to my very first chelation therapy. I did not want to focus on my opinion of chelation as I think my opinions will clash with his. What other explanations do we have for these great reports on my heart and as far as my legs are concerned he said it's an artery in both legs that goes from roughly above the knee to just below it and he frankly doesn't know if that can be loosened up, depends on how long it's been like that ( It's been like that since 2o years ago, I was not able to walk between domestic and international terminals at LAX when I was flying back and forth to Vietnam/HK/Thailand. I needed to be helped with a wheelchair one of those trips. That was approx. 20 years ago ) and that if I can walk and am not having pain then I should do more of that when I am able to do so after the sigmoidectomy. I absolutely plan to do that

Boy oh boy did I want to tell him at that moment that I've had almost 200 intravenous edta chelations.......but I'll wait till the next meeting, let me get thru this surgery on my colon which is now scheduled for next wedsnday. I await the call and instructions from the hospital as the insurance I think is already approved.


So today was a great day. :ying:
 
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