I need a heart cath done and a echo for checking my heart valves.

Honestly, and having had an angiogram first to check for blockages, followed by two ablations to treat atrial fibrillation, it's a breeze. Okay....that's never true when you have to get up to that hospital hallway by 0700 and wait to be called in to get undressed and hooked up with an IV, and then rest on a bed until they come to wheel you into the cath lab....who enjoys that? But the procedure is a breeze. The operating room is chilly, you could say freezing, and that's because the gowned techs and physicians get too hot. A hot doctor is distracted....you don't want that. So, you'll find it chilly. On your back, they ask if you'd like sedation. They'll administer it if you wish through the IV. I declined because I knew they'd use a local around the incision. Mind you, this was only for the angiogram. You may have to be put out with propofol, but that's like taking a nap. Maybe the scariest part is when they put the mask over your mouth and nose, but you'll know its part of the anesthetic procedure. Just still yourself, be calm, trust these experts, and you'll wake up back in your cubicle.

Either way, there's nothing to fear. I'm an inquisitive guy who has to know..,so I declined the sedation and almost enjoyed the whole experience of the angiogram. I felt the catheter shoot up my vein, inside my arm, but then the sensation stopped when it reached my heart. There's no nerves past the armpit.

For me, the tough part, whether catheterized through the groin or the wrist, it's the lying-flat-on-your-back part for three hours or so, unmoving, with a heavy compress on the incision point, so that it can seal with a plug. If you've been administered propofol to knock you out, they'll want you up and to walk around....AFTER...you have had something to drink and to eat to see if you can keep it down. They want you to then walk around the ward to ensure you can sustain adequate blood pressure. If that checks out, they call your ride and that person comes to fetch you to take you home.

That's it! In by 0700, probably to wait two/three hours until your time comes (remember they have emergency cases as well), and you should be home by 1600 hours at the latest, although my first ablation it was closer to 1900 hours because I wasn't wheeled in to the cath lab until almost noon.

It's a breeze!

I’d rather be knocked out for the procedure. I’m the first patient in that day at 5:30 am. It’s on December 10. Would they do a stent if I need one? Or is that a separate procedure?

If I don’t take sedation how do I keep my BP from elevating?

@riflemanz64 I can't answer that, but the attending anesthetist is the person who is supposed to monitor your vitals. They know what to do if you are moving outside of normal parameters and will react swiftly.

@riflemanz64 As far as I know, they normally call an angiogram a single operation. It's a fact-finding assessment, and from there they have a conference or two to decide what, if anything, needs to be done for you. Then, if you need further intervention, they contact you and get your consent, at which they schedule you. So, AFAIK, separate procedures. You CAN ask if they'd consider doing a stent right away, but you need the materials and the team willing to intervene that way on the fly. So,.......ask.

@riflemanz64
I had a right heart cath with exercise on a supine bicycle in the Cath Lab at Mayo. I was sedated, but awake enough to pedal a supine bicycle and answer questions while
lying on the Cath Lab table. The catheter insertion in my neck was quick, and I did not have much pain. I had an IV in my hand. I was nervous, but I used mindfulness breathing to relax. I recovered quickly in the post-procedure Cath Lab area. I did have some pain in my neck after the procedure until they removed the catheter. After I was discharged, a friend helped me walk to the hotel shuttle, and we took it back to our hotel. I slept most of the day and did not have much pain afterward. I took two Tylenols. I also had an Echo and a stress test.

I was diagnosed with heart failure, tricuspid valve regurgitation, pulmonary hypertension, and atrial fibrillation.

I am doing well four years later. I follow a healthy diet and exercise program. My weight is within normal range. I only need oxygen at higher elevations. I slowly increased my exercise to walking and jogging 5-7 miles a day, and I only take a small dose of a statin. Lifestyle changes can make a big difference in the quality of your life and heart health.

I hope your procedure goes well, your new medications help with your symptoms, and you feel better.

My heart catheterization was easy and interesting. I was lightly sedated, but conscious. It was interesting to be able to watch the dye go through the veins in my heart. I couldn't interpret it, but it was good to have a cardiologist with a lot of experience and that I trusted there to take care of that part of things.
As for an echocardiogram, it is just an ultrasound on the outside of your chest (no sedation, no discomfort), unless they are going to do a TEE (transesophogeal echocardiogram) where they insert an ultrasound wand down your throat to get a real close look at your valves; in that case, you will likely be sedated. I've had a couple of those and you end up with a bit of a sore throat, otherwise, no problems.
All the best.

I watched patient videos of this and it says you can’t lift anything over 10# for a week after this procedure. Is that true? Thanks for the info.

@riflemanz64 It was a few years ago since mine, but I don't recall having that restriction. They went through the femoral artery near my groin and you don't want that to bust loose so I would follow your doctor's recommendation.

I just talked to the nurse and she said that they will go thru the wrist and no lifting 5# for 5 days.