What is there I need to know about ultrasound screenings of the aorta and carotid arteries?

[Radio_Lady]

Anyone here ever have this done?

How appropriate! We're having it done for Valentine's Day!

Our sessions start in the AM tomorrow which is 2/13. (I'm sure I'll have to wait for someone to read the scans. They never tell you anything about the results, I know.)

We get nothing to eat or drink after midnight tonight. I'm not frightened, but just curious, and thank you -- but I don't need any medical advice.

We both decided to have them through our Health Maintainence Organization. Hubby will also have a bone density test later this spring. (Mine was normal a couple of years ago.) Also, we will undergo peripheral artery testing in our legs to see how those are doing.

The third thing is a possible screening for an abdominal aneurysm. This kills relatively few people a year (15,000 is a few!). I don't know what that entails, but will look it up on the Internet. I just heard about it on TV. My uncle died of an aneurysm, so it did touch our family.

Hey, you younguns! We're checking all our dipsticks this year... your time will come. I guess I'm making up for all those people who decide not to go to the doctor.

Hypochondriacs, unite! We have nothing to lose but our fears! Yeah, what you don't know can hurt you. Hope I don't get hit by a bus as I travel to the medical facility tomorrow.

In peace,

Radio Lady in Oregon

[librechik]

1. easy as pie; it'll tickle

hope they find nothing and they are right!

[Radio_Lady]

3. Librechik, thanks for your heartfelt comments!

"A tickle for a pickle..."

Is that from the device itself, or the COLD gel they use on the skin?

[WarNoMore]

2. I've had both the carotid and the peripheral arteries done.

The carotid test is a breeze, painless and pretty quick. With the peripheral, there was one short second or so that the pressure cuff gets really tight. Nothing at all to be nervous about. I guess it is standard for a short stress test to maybe get the blood flowing good, that part was a surprise for me.

[Radio_Lady]

4. WarNoMore, I appreciate your comments. The PAD screening is not tomorrow.

So I have some time to get ready.

Also next week we're getting our ears cleaned (!) and I have a diagnostic mammogram routinely scheduled by the Nurse Practitioner. Just to rule out anything... was having some pain in my left chest last Friday, but I think it's due to extra shoulder exercises!

Sounds just like a 100,000 mile check-up, doesn't it? Yes, it's an old chassis, but it still gets LOTS of mileage!

[Speck Tater]

5. No big deal.

You'll hear some "whoop whoop" Doppler sounds like the engine room on the Starship Enterprise, but other than the interesting noises it's a boring procedure. The biggest hazard is falling asleep from sheer boredom.

[Radio_Lady]

6. Last time, they saw some uterine thickening. I eventually had to have an outpatient procedure for

five (count 'em 5) polyps. That was in November 2005. I've asked for a re-scan just to see how things have progressed. We'll see if the doctor agrees with that!

[Individualist]

17. Good description

I almost did fall asleep while having carotid ultrasound. :)

[Vadem]

7. I had the carotid artery test done...It was pretty scary waiting for...

the doctor to tell me whether I had a problem or not. The test itself involved rubbing an ultrasound scanning tool up and down your neck on your carotid artery. You will hear a swooshing sound as they rub the thing on your neck. It sounds pretty scary because you don't know how to interpret the sounds. My test was perfectly normal, but I had this huge big swoosh, swoosh, sound; very loud and since you don't know what they are looking for, pretty scary. Try not to be scared of the sounds, because they are probably perfectly normal. We just don't know what to expect or listen for, so it is scary. You'll be fine, I'm sure!



:hug:

[redwitch]

8. They should tell you more of what to expect.

When I had my first ultrasound for my first pregnancy I thought the baby's heartbeat sounded crazy fast. I was so scared. I finally got up the courage to ask if it was ok, they said oh yeah.
When I left the office I got into my car and sobbed. Course, my hormones were berserk and I cried alot for no reason at all...

[northofdenali]

9. My daughter had both at the tender age of 7 -

don't know if they do it where you're going, but she actually got to watch! She thought it was KEWL (late 80's).

I'm fairly sure they're like 150% safe - my kid got a kick out of it. LUCK! :hug:

[Radio_Lady]

15. The technician put up the image on a screen, but the angle was wrong, so I closed my eyes.

I don't know what I'm looking at anyway. I used my mp3 and listened to music. My husband held my hand, which was sweet.

[deadparrot]

10. I had an ultrasound for a heart murmur.

Easy...cold gel and tickling...that's about it.

Good luck!

[Nite Owl]

11. I've never had ultrasound

sone for this but have had it when pregnant. Painless. Little cool and tickly is all.

The only bad part is all the water you have to drink and doing that when you are in your ninth month wasn't fun! I remember running (waddling) off the the nearest ladies room.

[REP]

12. Abdominal Artery US is Like Any Abdominal US - Lots of Poking

Abdominal artery ultrasounds are a lot like external ovarian ultrasounds or renal ultrasounds, but they hurt a bit more (at least mine do) because of the pressure required to isolate the artery. Then again, mine are always done when something is going wrong (I'm not all that old!).

[eleny]

13. I hope everything went fine for you both

Let us know!

[Radio_Lady]

14. UPDATE: The procedures went well. The technician was stony-faced and I decided not to even inquire

about when I might get results for my husband and me. (The last two times I had ultrasound, I had to undergo other procedures, so I was a bit anxious this morning. I came home and took a nap due to the anti-anxiety medicine I took.)

I'll email my HMO doctor tonight to see what he knows. I probably won't hear back anything until next week.

Thanks for all your comments and support.

[eleny]

16. It took a while before we got our results

I think it was two weeks. So hang in there! I'm glad it went well today during the tests.