Worried about pain during cardiac stress test

[Junot]

I had a cardiac stress test done today, on a treadmill. I got to stage III (I had to run there) and I hit the threshold of 95% of my theoretical maximum heart rate (180 bpm), as expected. Near the end of the test I started feeling my heart pounding very hard, my left carotid artery pulsing, and the left parts of my jaw, neck and chest (laterally, not in the middle and under the sternum) aching - just like it usually happens when I'm in the middle of a panic attack or extremely anxious. In the end I was exhausted. I asked the technician what could be that ache I felt and he told me that everything was fine on the ECG monitor, that my heart rate and blood pressure response to stress were also okay so, according to him, the pain should be muscular. But if that were the case, why did I experience the pain only on the left side? Furthermore, I felt a dizzy spell and a palpitation on my way home. The test will be analyzed by a cardiologist and the definitive results will be ready next week, but I'm a bit worried and apprehensive even though the technician reassured me and told me everything's perfect. That ache being muscle-related doesn't make much sense to me...

[NotCool]

Take it as it is. You were hooked up to all kinds of diagnostic tools during the test, and if anything bad was going on inside of the body - in your heart or lungs, and not in your muscles, the supervisor medical personnel would be the first one to know.

Question: what kind of shape are you in? I've had a cardiac stress test on a treadmill a few months ago, and my results were horrible, stamina wise - physically everything was fine with me, but at the time, during the test, I felt weak, breathless, dizzy, anxious and almost exhausted. I too had a few heart palpitations after the test, but in retrospect it was just my bad physical form. Now that I exercise, I figure the test would be much much better.

[Junot]

Take it as it is. You were hooked up to all kinds of diagnostic tools during the test, and if anything bad was going on inside of the body - in your heart or lungs, and not in your muscles, the supervisor medical personnel would be the first one to know.

Question: what kind of shape are you in? I've had a cardiac stress test on a treadmill a few months ago, and my results were horrible, stamina wise - physically everything was fine with me, but at the time, during the test, I felt weak, breathless, dizzy, anxious and almost exhausted. I too had a few heart palpitations after the test, but in retrospect it was just my bad physical form. Now that I exercise, I figure the test would be much much better.

I really hope so. Since I got home I haven't done nothing but google causes for those symptoms. I have them when I panic as well. As to your question, I'm not in good shape. After almost 8 years of antidepressants I became overweight (I went from about 70 kg/154 lbs in 2006 to 120 kg/264 lbs in June) and I led a sedentary lifestyle. I quit antidepressants in April and started exercising daily also in June. It's been a month and a few days of diet and exercise now. In the meantime I've got rid of 10 kg/22 lbs and counting...

PS - Let me add that at 180 bpm I felt like my left carotid artery was going to burst. I could feel the carotid pulse without touching the neck.

[Junot]

I'm trying to take this as it is but it just won't go away. I'm so anxious to see the definitive results on Monday! On the one hand just the thought of it scares me, but on the other hand it's good that I've felt this during the test, even though the technician said that everything was ok. He previously asked me whether I wanted to run or not and I told him to go on. I really wanted to push my heart to the limit and to see how much stress it could handle. My next appointment with my cardiologist is only in September (he's also the responsible cardiologist of the medical center where I had the test done) so I'll get even more anxious because I won't be able to discuss this with him right after I get the results.