What is getting an EKG (electrocardiogram) like / How will having anxiety during the test affect the results?

Question

For those of you who have had it done, what it is like? How long does it take? How long is it until you know the results?

Part 2 of the question: how will having a lot of anxiety/nervousness/stress while the EKG is being performed affect the results of the test?
I'm a 20 year old male and have been experiencing a pounding heart, highly elevated heart rate, palpitations, fast pulse and so on and my doctors all attribute it to anxiety/panic attacks (which I am known to have frequently) but just to be sure I'll be given an EKG later this week. What I'm concerned about though is that the simple knowledge that I am being hooked up to something that specifically monitors my heart will make me much more conscious of it, thus raising my anxiety and also raising my heart rate a large amount and potentially causing other problems that might be worrying in a situation of anxiety like that but would go away once I was back home and felt relaxed again.

For example, I have a heart rate/BP monitor here at home and on the morning of a doctor's appointment before I left I used it and got a reading of 125/79 with a HR of 93bpm. I then stopped at a pharmacy on the way in to do a double check using a different machine they had there and it was 130/81 with a HR of 97. Then when I was at the doctor's office he hooked me up to a thing that beeped in tune with my heart rate and I was very nervous about it and my reading there ended up being 155/92 with a HR of 138bpm. An hour or two later I tried again using my own BP/HR monitor when I got back home and got a reading of 122/78 with a HR of 87bpm. So I'm worried that they'll think I have something I don't because of how my anxiety affects my heart rate in those situations. Either that or the opposite: they'll blame the anxiety I had during the test as the reason for any abnormalities when in fact there may be something wrong regardless of the anxiety. How likely are either one of these scenarios to happen? If it turns out there is or is not a problem, will the EKG show that no matter what my current BP/HR at the time is?

The more info (from people experienced in this field, preferably) I could get on this stuff the better.
Thanks!

Answer 1

As you mentioned, anxiety raises the heart rate while EKG is being recorded, Besides, tight muscle tone that comes about when you are anxious show up artefacts on EKG.



Now, will the changes be interpreted as heart abnormalities? The computerised report any way will say ' Sinus Tachycardia' etc but.. Here is where human intervention makes the difference. The doctor takes into consideration the anxiety factor while interpreting the EKG. The technician will use 'filters' to eliminate artefacts. Even if this fails to eliminate atrifacts, they will be ignored before drawing any conclusions.



For you an EKG may be new,but the medicos have been doing it for decades. They Know what is what. The least you can do is.....



Use relaxation techniques to decrease the amount of anxiety you have. If you feel anxious, place yourself in a quiet environment, and close your eyes. Take slow, steady, deep breaths, and try to concentrate on things that have relaxed you in the past.

Answer 2

Hey! I'm still a kid in my teens & I've had 3 EKG's so far. It's really nothing to worry about! First off, the nurse will have you change into this robe like gown. Then, someone with a monitor & wires will come in. He/She will put these sticky pads onto your body; chest, legs, & neck (usually). Then, the person will hook the wires onto the stick pads & press the button. Don't worry! The wires are on the sticky pads for less than a MINUTE! It takes about 30 seconds - a minute and the wires come off! It really doesn't hurt or anything, and you don't feel a THING! Don't worry. The first time I had my EKG I was TERRIFIED! My heart was probably beating differently, but trust me, the results won't change. I've had 3, and the results have been either the same or very similar.



I really hope this helps!! & good luck with your EKG! I'm sure it'll be fine! :)

Answer 3

I have had many anxiety attack before and it was caused by alot of stress and it wasn't where I wanted to die it was where I couldn't get rid of the pain at all. It was due to a bad marriage at a young age which was at 19. Which I ended up in the hospital because I broke out hives. And another time for working too hard and at the same time found out my boyfriend cheated on me from him being out of town. I did end up in the hospital but the second time was where I couldn't breath at all my left arm was feeling num and I couldn't make a phone call and it was right there next to me! It just that I couldn't think straight at all and finially I was able to get out where I was at to my co- workers and they seen me and got help right away! I had all the test done to my heart, blood work and x-rays done and found nothing but a healthy heart. So I decided to watch what I was eating and exercise more and had a very long talk with my boyfriend and to this day we are still together and it was a long haul and communication was the key to both our relationship and I hope you can get to talk to some one because having anixiety isn't a laughing matter. People can die from this and when my daughter was in kindergarden but now going to be 10 coming week and she did have an anxiety attack her little heart was racing like a little rabbit and she ened up in the hospital and that was so scary because she was too young to worry about anything and I just wanted you to know because it can happen to any one at any age. My daughter is doing well and so am I. :o) I hope this helps. .