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Echocardiogram Preparation

There is no special preparation for an echocardiogram. Feel free to eat, drink, and take medications as you normally do. The test is painless and takes approximately 45 minutes to complete. You will be asked to disrobe from the waist up. If you are female you will be given a gown to wear that opens in the front. Only a very small area of your chest will be exposed at any one time. Three ECG electrodes (stickers) will be applied so that the heart's rate and rhythm can be monitored. The test is completely safe, no radiation is used. The technician (sonographer) will place the transducer over different areas of your chest in order to obtain a variety of views of your heart. A water-based gel will be placed on your chest in order to improve the pictures. The sound waves produce a moving picture of your heart that can be seen on a video screen.

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PAD Screening

There is no special preparation for an ABI. Feel free to eat, drink, and take medications as you normally do. The test is painless and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. During an ABI test, a patient lies on their back. A technician measures the blood pressure in all four limbs with a special device that has four inflatable cuffs, similar to the common ones used in the doctor’s office. The doctor uses these results to compute your ABI.

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Lab Testing

While many people expect that cholesterol tests require fasting for some amount of time prior to the blood draw, research shows that this is not really necessary. We can learn just as much (and sometimes more) from non-fasting blood tests. Therefore, we do not require fasting before our blood tests.

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Exercise Treadmill Stress Test

There is no special preparation for this type of stress test. Feel free to eat, drink, and take medications as you normally do. We recommend wearing comfortable clothes and sneakers, ready for some exercise. You will be asked to disrobe from the waist up. ECG electrodes (stickers) will be applied so that your heart rate and rhythm can be monitored. We will then have you walk on a treadmill at increasing speed and incline. The average amount of time spent on the treadmill is 6-10 minutes. When you’ve reached your limit, we will stop the test.

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Nuclear Stress Test

Don't eat anything the night before the test, and avoid any foods that contain caffeine for a full day beforehand. Do not drink anything containing caffeine for 1 full day prior to the test. You'll have to skip your morning cup of coffee or tea, and avoid sodas and chocolate. We will let you know if you need to stop taking any of your medicines before the test. When you arrive at our office, an IV line will be placed into your vein. Through this IV, a weakly radioactive substance will be injected into one of your veins. After 15-30 minutes, a special camera will take pictures of your heart at rest. We will then have you walk on a treadmill with EKG electrodes monitoring your heart activity. Once you've reached your maximum level of exercise you'll get another injection of the radio active substance and we will take pictures of your heart ~15 minutes later. If you can't exercise, we will give you a drug that will simulate the effects of exercise by increasing the amount of blood that goes to your heart, just like what happens with exercise.

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Treadmill Echo Stress Test

There is no special preparation for a Treadmill Echo Stress Test. Feel free to eat, drink, and take medications as you normally do. The test is painless and takes approximately 60 minutes to complete. You will be asked to disrobe from the waist up. If you are female you will be given a gown to wear that opens in the front. Only a very small area of your chest will be exposed at any one time. ECG electrodes (stickers) will be applied so that your heart rate and rhythm can be monitored. We will place you on a bed and take pictures of your heart for ~45 minutes. We will then have you walk on a treadmill at increasing speed and incline. The average amount of time spent on the treadmill is 6-10 minutes. When you’ve reached your limit, we will stop the treadmill. We will then immediately have you lie back down on the bed and once again take pictures of your heart with the ultrasound machine, while it still is working hard from the exercise.

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Cardiac Monitors

We will place the monitor on you in the office. Then go home and live your normal life. At the end of the monitored time period, simply remove the device and mail it back in the postage-paid envelope.

resources header image of green vegetables
Resources

Please Romaine Calm:
Nutrition Resources That Will Knock Your Stalks Off

Finding trustworthy nutrition education and resources can be difficult. That's why we've spent years reading, researching and vetting sources. Here is a sampling of what we have learned about how to use nutrition to improve your health.

5 Simple RulesFood to Focus OnResources

5 Simple Rules

  1. Avoid Red Meat
    Hamburgers, meatloaf, ground beef, steak
  2. Avoid Pig
    Pork, bacon, sausage, ham
  3. Avoid Processed Meats
    Lunchmeat, sausage, ham, salami, bologna, brats, polish, hot dogs
  4. Decrease Starch Intake
    Potatoes, pasta, noodles, rice, bread, pretzels, chips, crackers, cookies, muffins, etc.
    (And when you eat them, aim for whole grain versions: brown/wild rice, whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes)
  5. Avoid Restaurant Food
    ‍    Not just fast food

Food to Focus On

  • Chicken, Fish or Turkey
    If you are going to have “meat”, focus on these lean versions
  • Vegetables
    Eat a rainbow of colors
  • Fruits
    ‍    Focus on fruits with “Crunch”: apples, pears, oranges, avoid melon, bananas
  • Legumes
    Beans, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans
  • Nuts
    ‍    Unsalted and raw are best

Healthy Eating Resources

Authors:

Podcasts:

  • “The Exam Room”
  • “PBN”
  • “Plant Yourself”

Websites:

Live Events:

  • Plant-Based Nutrition Organization of Wisconsin
    Whitefish Bay Public Library/Zoom
    2nd Thursday night of every month
    6:00 - 7:30pm
    www.PBNOW.org

Videos/Movies:

  • “Forks over Knives”
  • “What the Health?”
  • “GameChangers”
  • YouTube:
    Search Term: “Plant-Based Diet”

Food Delivery/Prep:

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11725 N Port Washington Road
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Mequon, WI 53092
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414.207.4333
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