Ellencee, I have a question for ya...

[Whyte Noise]

What is the name of your state? Missouri

This isn't a legal question, but I was hoping maybe you could point me in the right direction. Might be a bit wordy, so please bare with me.

I was diagnosed in 1997 with MVP w/ regurge. Had a chemical stress test done that same year. (Dobutamine and Atropine). Also had an echo done, and wore a Holter monitor for 30 days.

In May of this year, I had a Dobutamine Stress Echo performed. (I had been having more arrhythmias, fatigue, etc. Also had gone to the ER with chest pains, and an EKG showed that I now have inverted T-Waves, which I didn't have back in '97) I had gone in at 7 A.M on the 29th of May for the test. NPO since midnight, except for a swallow of water to take my Inderal (for high blood pressure) before I went to the hospital for the test.

Got to the hospital, and was in the testing room on the table. They inserted the IV line, and the tech started the echo. Cardio arrived, and Dobutamine was pushed. All was going along fine... heart galloping along, echo showing up nicely. (I could see the machine. Man, it's weird to see your heart!) Anyways, then my cardio had the nurse push the Atropine. about 15 seconds after she did, I felt like someone had slammed me in the back of the head with a sledgehammer. I have never, in my life, had a headache like that. I told them, I was getting a massive headache. Cardio continues with the test. It got worse, and the last thing I remember before I blacked out was asking the cardio to stop the test. When I came out of it, the nurse was pushing the second dose of whatever it was to counteract the Atropine and Dobutamine. All I could do was lie there and hold my head. They asked me how I was, and I couldn't even talk, my head hurt so badly. Then, they asked me if I suffered from migraines, and my b/f told them yes, I did occassionally. Nurse said that sometimes people with migraines have headaches as a result of the chemical test. Cardio asked me if I took my BP meds, and I told him yes, I did. (My BP had spiked to 200/160.)

After about 20 minutes of lying there with my head in a vise, and having nausea, I sat up. Felt like I was gonna pass out. I sat there for about 5 minutes, and got off the bed. I asked where the bathroom was, and went directly in and got sick. Then, I walked out to the car, and came home. On the way b/f had to pull over for me to get sick again. I got home, came upstairs, and went straight to the bathroom again. Finally, I was able to get to the bedroom. Luckily, the staff at the hospital had given me and emesis basin when I asked for it. All told, I was sick for 3 hours after the test. After the first 2 times, nothing came up but bile, but I was dry heaving. After waiting for about 15 minutes the last time I got sick and not feeling like I was going to again, I took 6 advil, and laid down. My head was still hurting as bad as it was at the hospital. Anyways, I had an appointment with the cardio at 5:30 that afternoon to discuss the results of the echo. I got up to go, dry heaved once before we left. On the way there, my b/f told me what happened when I blacked out. That's when my BP spiked, and the cardio stopped the test. B/f said that I was jerking my leg, begging him to stop the test, all kinds of things. When we got to the doctor's appointment, I apologized to my cardio for anything I had said or done, because to tell the truth, I was embarassed as all hell. He said that my heart rate had never gotten up to the rate it was supposed to, but that he had used what he had, and let me know about the results, etc. I asked him about the headache (I still had it) and he said to take Tylenol, or Advil or such. We left.

That was on May 29th. I've had this headache for almost 3 1/2 months now. It's never went away. I've taken Advil, Tylenol, Exedrin, etc. and nothing has made it go away. It's nowhere near like it was that day, but nonetheless, I still have it. It does get worse when my BP goes up, and here lately I've been having sharp intermittent pains in my left temple area. That doesn't happen everyday, but it comes in groups of 4 or 5 when it does happen.

My question is.... could the headache be a reaction to the Atropine? I'm kinda at a loss as to why I got the headache when she pushed it, when I've had this done before, and didn't have this kind of reaction. The first stress test back in 1997 went fine. No adverse reactions at all with it. I guess one GOOD thing, is that since that day, I've not had migraine one. Just this constant headache. I'd think though that once the Atropine was out of my system, that the headache would have went away. Do you think it's something that I need to inform my cardio of when I go back for my checkup on the 27th? I guess I'm just scared the Atropine did something to me that it shouldn't have. I'm a scaredy-cat when it comes to taking meds period, and then to have this happen, kinda un-nerves me. Any input would be appreciated!

[ellencee]

Well, I guess it's time for me to get started on that book, How to Kick Up a Ruckus, or Let's Be Assertive (and Aggressive if necessary), with Ellencee.

I think it is very much indicated for you to request an EEG and a brain scan (hold the drugs please) and rule out any damage to the vessels in your head.

Migraine headaches are diagnosed by their characteristic of being only on one side of the head; usually this means left or right as opposed to front or back. The word Migraine comes from the German word, hemikrania, which means 'half skull'. These headaches usually do not last for a prolonged period of time such as you are experiencing, although they can last for several weeks.

It is possible that this severe reaction to the medications did cause a doozie of a migraine that has not responded to normal treatment and gone away. If that is the case, it's time for someone in the medical profession to find a way to relieve your headache.

I would want assurance from my physician(s) that all is well within my head, vascularly speaking. I would let my physician know the level of my concern for my wellbeing and my level of concern that the procedure may have caused problems not usually associated with the procedures recently administered to my body. I would insist that the appropriate tests be scheduled while I waited in the office, in the presence of the person scheduling the tests--say for tomorrow, or even later the same day of my appointment.

I would smile when appropriate, cry when appropriate, and stomp my little feet when appropriate, but I would get assurance that all is well with the vascular structures in my head and I would get something to stop the pain. After all, it's my head and I like it functioning properly and without pain.

(I started to say that being female it's doubly important that my head work properly since I don't have a spare, but I decided that would be in really bad taste, so I didn't!)

[Whyte Noise]

Thanks for taking the time to read that monster, and answer!

I'm going to ask my cardiologist for a referral. There is only one Neurologist here, and he only takes new clients by referral. Go figure. I have seen one of those too, because of dizziness and the migraines, (dizziness was from the HBP, and the neuro is the one who actually put me on my BP meds. But, this was in Georgia.) He did an MRI, and all was normal with my noggin'. This was back in.... *thinks* (yeah, my noggin' is normal! ) 2000 when the MRI's were done. So I guess if I can get in to see the Neuro here, he would have something to compare to. My ex-MIL hd an aneurysm (I doubt that's the correct spelling) burst... she was in the hospital for 6 weeks, and survived. So, I know what those things can do to ya. And it does frighten me to think about that happening to me. To tell the truth, when this happened to me with the stress echo, that's the first thing I thought of.... that I had an aneurysm burst or something. Or a stroke. All I know is that I have never felt pain like that in my life. I had 2 of my 3 kids natural, and never passed out from the pain. And the constant headaches aren't like migraines... they are more in the forehead area, and now the temple pain on the left side. Like I said, I haven't actually had a migraine since the echo in May. Just this one, long, drawn-out headache that flares on some days, and is just a dull ache on most. But, I will talk to the cardio on the 27th. And again, thanks for taking the time to answer.

[ellencee]

I had several sets of MRIs of my brain in 1990 and 1991 and I still have those films. If you have yours, take them out and look at them.
You know what the inside of my head looks like? It looks like a dog's face, with floppy ears and a round, clown's nose, and a party hat on the top of its head.
It looks like a clown-dog to me.
I hope the inside of your head looks a little more human.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
EC

[Whyte Noise]

LoL No, I never got the films. Never even saw them actually. Wouldn't know what I was looking at if I did either! But, in 1991, I had a set of X-rays done because my ex beat me up once. They took them of everywhere I had bruises, and one of those places happened to be my face. On one of the frontal shots...... I looked like the thing out of Alien! I have no clue as to why it looked like that! And I still have it. I'll let ya know what the cardio says.