VQ test

[brewcrew26]

Has anyone else had a VQ test on their lungs? It's also called a ventilation-perfusion test. It looks for a pulmonary embolism or clot. I have to have one on Friday and I'd like to know what to expect. :(

[Tinkermom]

I had a CT scan with dye when they checked me for pulmonary embolisms which I did end up having and was admitted immediately to the cardiac unit. Very scary!

Do you have symptoms of a PE? If so why would they wait until Friday to check for a PE? A PE is VERY serious and needs immediate treatment or can be life threatening.

[MNNHFLTX]

I'm with Lisa here. Usually a VQ scan is done on an emergent basis in the hospital and not scheduled ahead of time as an outpatient. That's because a pulmonary embolism can be a very serious condition that needs immediate treatment. And actually, a VQ scan is not as effective a diagnostic tool as a CT of the chest (which is pretty much the standard in our hospital, unless the patient cannot tolerate the IV contrast they use in the CT).

The scan itself takes about an hour and the hardest part is that you will have to lie really still while the machine takes the images. For the first part of the scan you will have to wear a mask that enables you to breathe a small amount radioisotope into your lungs. For the second part of the scan they will inject another radioisotope into your vein through an IV. Both isotopes allow them to visualize the circulation and air-flow in your lungs.

[brewcrew26]

I had an incident about two weeks ago where I almost collapsed at the gym. I thought it was just a severe asthma attack. I went to see my doctor. She did blood tests, I had a stress test, EKG and a chest x-ray. The d-dimer came back positive. I guess that's one indicator of a clot?

I also have been feeling very sluggish since I got back from Fla. in March. I have no energy. I'm sleeping a lot more. I'm getting winded doing simple activities. I find my pulse is racing when I'm just sitting down. I feel fuzzy when I stand up or get up, for instance, from bed.

So, I'm going for the VQ and another chest x-ray on Friday. Then I have an ultrasound next Wednesday.

DH said the similar thing - if they thought it was a PE, why not admit me right away and wait a week for a test.

Would there be other things they could be looking for?

[Tinkermom]

I had an incident about two weeks ago where I almost collapsed at the gym. I thought it was just a severe asthma attack. I went to see my doctor. She did blood tests, I had a stress test, EKG and a chest x-ray. The d-dimer came back positive. I guess that's one indicator of a clot?

I also have been feeling very sluggish since I got back from Fla. in March. I have no energy. I'm sleeping a lot more. I'm getting winded doing simple activities. I find my pulse is racing when I'm just sitting down. I feel fuzzy when I stand up or get up, for instance, from bed.

So, I'm going for the VQ and another chest x-ray on Friday. Then I have an ultrasound next Wednesday.

DH said the similar thing - if they thought it was a PE, why not admit me right away and wait a week for a test.

Would there be other things they could be looking for?

Do you have pain when you breathe? Are you short of breath or coughing up blood? My main symptoms were excruciating pain with breathing. It started on a Saturday morning when I woke up and it hurt to take a deep breath. I thought I just pulled a muscle. I helped that day with a huge church event and popped lots of Advil and then was completely wiped out. The next day the pain got worse until in the middle of the night I woke up with difficulty breathing. It hurt just to breathe normal. I had to hold a pillow to my chest and lean over in order to breathe. I am a former RN and figured that I had Pleurisy (infection in the lining of the lungs). I went to my doctor that morning where they did a chest x-ray (clear) and then he decided to send me for the CT scan. I fought my doctor telling him that my DH was out of town and I would have to find someone to watch all 3 of my kids - my 4 year old DD was with me and my other 2 would be coming home from school within the hour. My doctor sat down in front of me and said "If this is a blood clot and we do not get this CT scan now it could be (fatal) but he did not say fatal he just looked at my 4 year old little girl. That did it for me and I was on the phone calling friends to help (all of my family is on the east coast, we are in Kansas).

Like I said above the CT scan showed multiple clots in both of my lungs. My dear friend ended up spending the night at my house to take care of my kids. My poor DH was a wreck as he could not get a flight out until the next day. It was awful!

My other symptoms were loss of appetite, extreme fatigue, and low grade fever. I was VERY ill by the next day but luckily I was now in the hospital.

If your D-dimer came back positive I would insist on an IMMEDIATE CT scan. PLEASE don't wait. I almost died!!