When should a stress test be performed?

Question

Grandmother had a pacemaker put in. Since the procedure, she is having reoccuring severe head pains only after walking that bring on a seizure like episode. Repeat visits to the hospital leave the docs stupified. She has no episodes or pain while bedridden in the hospital. Why aren't the docs administering a stress test to cause the symptoms so they can correctly diagnose the problem?

Answer 1

Maybe she has some contraindication to walking on  the treadmill.  If not I think they should carefully try it.  It is true that a paced heart rhythm makes interpretation of the stress ekg impossible and may also adversely affect nuclear interpretation of the stress test.  However if they replicate her attack on the treadmill they will at least obtain some data by examining her, limited data from her ekg and possible more helpful data by evaluating a stress echocardiogram.  It seems worth a try.  Ask for a reason why a stress test has not been done.

Answer 2

may it is another test she might need

like seeing if the pacemaker is in the wrong place