Has anyone had Autonomic Nervous System Testing for their loved one? Mom's cardiologist has ordered it and I just can't figure out why. He said it was to check for any peripheral neuropathy but I'm wondering and what if there is?
She has a vasovagal condition as well where she passes out if she gets too hot or if she pushes too much with a bowel movement - it is not a traditional syncope. I am planning on calling tomorrow morning to check on what is the plan if she does have neuropathy or anything else that would come out of this testing. She is 90, late stage 6, starting to have trouble walking because of her knees (bone on bone) and gets very nervous about new things. Am I wrong for questioning this or is there necessary information that would come out of this?
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I did call the office to cancel the testing. I found the manufacturer's of the home ANS product and looked at the particulars of how they administer the test. There were several parts of the test that I know mom wouldn't be able to withstand, such as the cuffing of her arm to cause an arterial occlusion and then releasing the cuff to see how quickly her blood flows through her arm. Somehow that doesn't sound like a good idea for a 90 year old.
I had to fight off a sibling who though "it could give us good information" but when I responded with and then? that caught her off guard. I appreciate all of your comments as it gave me the fortitude to follow my gut feeling. I appreciate all of you for weighing in and thank you for virtually keeping me company.
“Patients to Consider for Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) testing:
Patients with Symptoms Suggesting Autonomic Dysfunction
Syncope
Orthostatic Hypotension
Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
Pain / numbness in feet
Numbness in hands
Cardio Metabolic Syndrome
Cardiac patients with silent ischemia
Diabetic patients
Pre-diabetic patients
Impaired glucose tolerance
Insulin resistance
Blood pressure disorders
Resting tachycardia
Congestive heart failure
Sleep Apnea
Chronic pain in extremities
Digestive disorders
Patients with chronic inflammation
Rheumatoid Arthritis”
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She did have that tilt table test about 15 years ago, and passed out and what they said was yup, she's got vasovagal and vertigo, but not the vertigo that responds to exercises.
She can't follow instructions well and the woman who called to set the appointment up said they will "measure her BP and heart rate and put her hands and feet on discs to check for any nerve damage." And yes, all of that will make her nervous. Now, in my mind, I think this is totally unnecessary but then I wonder why in the world this is important and am I missing something?
I did call the office this morning and left a message saying I had questions as to the plan for after the testing. What is the doctor looking to find out from performing this test? I did not hear back but I will call again in the morning.
I so appreciate all of you taking the time to answer and being so supportive. Thank you!
http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchicago.edu/learnaboutpn/evaluation/autonomic/index.shtml
How will your mom respond to tilt table testing? Can she follow instructions?
A very wise geriatrician said to me "if you're not going to do the treatment, don't do the testing".
You need to ask the doc what the treatment would be if they find neuropathy. Will it help with the vasovagal problem?
I just read a quick article about this, I would question his motivation for the test.
Never ceases to amaze me that once a specialist gets you on their calendar they just keep scheduling visits, no matter what.
You can say no, no procedure, she can't deal with it.