After a nuclear stress test ordered by my GP, I was referred to a Cardiologist who advised that I needed to have a heart catherization done. He explained that the procedure would uncover and pinpoint any existing coronary artery problems. He also explained that, when problems/blockages are diagnosed, 25% of his patients needed bypass surgery, another 25% needed angioplasty, stents, or both, and the remaining 50% could be treated with medications.
So, you may be headed for a visit to a cath lab. If so, have no fear. The proceedure is basically painless (they numb the area where the catheter is inserted - normally the groin) and you should not experience any post-proceedure difficulties or discomfort.
The right approach to take from a mental stanpoint is this, if you do have some type of problem, they are about to diagnose and treat it before it causes any great harm. That's a huge plus in your favor.
Good luck to you.
If it's that bad, I'm surprised that they didn't diagnose ischaemia or heart damage from an echo scan and schedule an angiogram? I've not heard of anyone going straight in to a nuclear scan, mainly because they can be so inconclusive and are usually used as a guide with existing patient data.
The stress test was stopped while monitoring your system and that almost always indicates there is evidence of ischemia (lack of adequate blood flow) and may be the result of vessel occlusion, and sometime it is evidence of an old heart attack The test is not very reliable for the conditions named, however, it is considered unsafe to continue without the possibility of injury. If you felt a little pressure in the chest that would be additional evidence for some blockage. My test wasn't stopped until 7 minutes of exercise....one minute is a very short time....do you get chest pain or short of breath walking up a flight of stairs, etc.?
What I have given is the worst case scenario so don't be unnecessarily alarmed, and if true the underlying problem can be successfully treated. Thanks for sharing and if you have any followup questions you are welcome to respond. Take care.