Echocardiogram scheduled-how to get him through it

annie51

My DH sees a cardiologist regularly. This time we had a little trouble with the EKG - when they put the stickers on his chest, he complained vehemently about how cold they were, how he was going to leave, etc. I managed to calm him down and we got through that.
Next he usually gets an echocardiogram so we scheduled that for December. After we scheduled it I started worrying about how he will do - he hates anything the least bit cold or wet touching his skin, so I’m picturing him fighting with the tech about the cold wet gel. Has anyone dealt with this? Not sure if there’s anything I can do…

ronda b

Maybe if you explain the problem they will warm it some. Can't hurt to ask

housefinch

Sometimes they can warm the gel. I would ask: Does he really need it? What will the cardiologist do differently with the results? If it’s to see if he could need surgery, for example, would you put him through a surgery? I would always ask these questions when deciding what medical procedures to do. He could need sedation to get an echocardiogram if he won’t cooperate, and I personally wouldn’t do that.

clarinetist

Maybe it’s time to stop the echocardiograms. My DH also is very sensitive to cold and hates anything attached to his body. Which is why it was a special kind of hell to recently spend a day and a half in the ER with monitors attached to his finger, chest and arm. I’m wondering how long to keep subjecting him to monitoring and medical tests.

M1

Agree with the other posters, i likely wouldn't put him through it. Perhaps he no longer needs a cardiologist, period.

trottingalong

My DH is still pretty functional. Going to doctors of any kind, stress him horribly. He has COPD and his GP suggested a few months ago that he go see a pulmonologist again. As the time approached he became more stressed. I cancelled. I am not going to suggest that he continue to see specialists.

Biggles

I also agree only if it is a necessary procedure for an outcome don’t put him or yourself through it. Just to check if there has been any change; what for, not necessary, he does not need to be used as information baggage. Protect him and yourself unless there is some real reason for doing anything; for your DH’s piece of mind I wouldn’t put him through it.

annie51

Thank you all for your posts. It certainly gives me something to think about. DH is still very healthy and this is just monitoring for some past issues that might get worse over time. He always liked the doctor and never minded the testing and visits before. I guess I need to evaluate the benefits vs the risks for things like this.

psg712

My mother has a past history of breast cancer. Mastectomy almost 20 years ago. She faithfully went for her yearly screening mammogram on the remaining breast. Once I moved her to a facility near me, I took over the mammogram scheduling. Last year was interesting. She told the technician that she had never had this test before. Then she said she never had cancer (she has had 3 occurrences of breast cancer as well as a melanoma). The poor technician had to clarify her history with me.

This year i am not going to put her through the mammogram. Her dementia has progressed significantly since last year, she is still guarding the arm on that side from a recent injury, and I can't imagine she would cooperate with the test. Skipping the mammogram goes against everything I've taught people about the benefits of early detection (I'm an oncology nurse), but I have to consider what we would even do with a positive test result at age 85 with advanced Alzheimers.

M1

Annie, i say this with all compassion and kindness: anyone with advanced dementia is not "very healthy" by any definition. With any test, you have to know what you would do with the information before you even collect it. An echo is only going to monitor for things that might need more invasive procedures or medications to treat. If it showed a worsening, what would you do? If he can't tolerate cold gel, do you think he could tolerate a cardiac catheterization or invasive procedure? It's probably time to stop looking. But i understand that that's a hard threshold to cross.

annie51

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/226709#Comment_226709

The echo would be to check his leaky valve (which is supposedly worse than normal aging) so I guess a valve replacement would be the worst case scenario. At this point he has no symptoms that point to this being the case. I don’t know how invasive a procedure a valve replacement is but I assume it’s not simple!

Carl46

When my friend had a valve replacement 20 years ago, they had to cut through his ribs and pry them open. About as invasive as it gets. Plus general anesthesia often makes dementia a lot worse. I wouldn't put my LO through that, even to save her life.

midge333

As @M1 says it can be a hard threshold to cross but you really have to re-evaluate everything in light of the fact that your spouse has a terminal illness. Would you really want to replace a heart valve so your DH can experience a longer stage 6 & 7? We have stopped all screening tests (colonoscopy, mammograms, pap smears, etc) and have even stopped medications that theoretically may prolong life (statin, aspirin, etc). I don't want to do anything that will make my wife suffer the indignities of late stage dementia. I recognize that everyone will look at this in a different way. None of this is easy.

elainechem

My hubby had no other significant health problems except for EOAD. He died from Alzheimer’s. It wasn't pleasant. Both of my parents died from cancer. Their deaths were also very unpleasant, but they had the benefit of being faster. My dad was sick for two years before his death and my mother lasted 1 1/2 years. My hubby was ill for 8 1/2 years. It was awful for him. If he had died of a heart attack sooner, I would have considered that to be a gift. Do you really want to cure one terminal illness just so he can die of another terminal illness?

SDianeL

when my husband was late stage 5 going in to stage 6 I stopped all specialist visits and testing. They wanted to do a colonoscopy. There was no way I could have gone through the prep with him and why put him through anesthesia and the test. Someone posted on this forum to play the scenario all the way out when making decisions for your LO. If they found cancer would I treat it? No. Anesthesia is very bad for dementia patients. Sometimes they are unable to return to baseline. If he has a procedure you would have to stay at the hospital 24-7 or hire someone. Hospitals are not staffed to care for dementia patients. A friend had heart valve replacement & it was open heart surgery like bypass with a week hospital stay. would talk to his Cardiologist about your concerns about treatment considering his dementia diagnosis.