I thought the test was to manage the full 9 minutes without exceeding any of the parameters that would suggest your heart was not coping.
Over 70 DVLA stress test
- Thread starter Katies-travels
- Start date
Don’t know until they contact me
They are not measuring your fitness which determines how quickly or not your heart rate goes up
They get your heart rate up to the required level and hold it for a given period, I believe that is a minute. Then the test ends and recovery is measured.
That’s what happened to me when I had the test well before I was 70.
So I’ve got hope then ?
I would gave thought so. I’ve had stress ECGs in the past and that’s what they do - take you to a target rate, measuring how long that takes, and tracking things like blood pressure. The process sounds normal.
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Badknee
LIFE MEMBER
Les Dawson had a massive heart attack at Blackpool Victoria after doing the test for insurance purposes. He did the tests and the 12 point leads were removed straight away. The attack came as he was “cooling down”. They leave the leads in place now till everything is back to normal.
He died a few years later while having an operation In Manchester.
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Just a little worried as stage 3 only lasted 2 mins instead of 3 minutes
As I mentioned earlier you don’t need to do the whole 9 minutes it’s about getting your heart rate to a level and holding it for I believe a further minute.
The senior tester told me at the time not to confuse fitness levels with a health condition.
The way they did stress ECGs is so many minutes (3, it sounds like) at every progression. As it gets progressively harder your heart rate increases. Naturally, you would reach your target heart rate during that process at some point. And one’s target heart rate for this sort of thing isn’t very high when one is 70. The normal formula would be 220 minus age (70), so 150 for maximum. Then a percentage of maximum for target. 105 for 70%, 128 for 85% and so on.
Once you reach that you stop. Logically it will be at some point during escalation 1,2,3,4 etc.
Thanks I’m more hopeful now
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Thanks
I was asked to do a stress test by the dvla. I managed six minutes before they stopped me because my heart rate was getting erratic and over the maximum for my age. I was told that I had failed the test and the c1 was removed from my licence . The cardiologist recommended to the dvla that maybe a perfusion scan would be more appropriate for me. It took ten months of negotiations, letters from my gp and hours on the telephone to persuade them to arrange a perfusion scan, which involved injecting my arm with a radio active dye and a chemical that stresses the heart, then I went into the scanner which shows blood flow around the heart under under stress. Then after two hours it was more dye and back in the scanner for pictures of the resting heart for comparison. A week later my c1 licence arrived with a letter saying that they had completed their medical investigation and that the c1 would last for three years from that date. I am now battling to get the results and recommendations of the cardiologist who did the test.
I am 69, 70 next April, so have this to look forward to.
In my 50’s, whilst cycling to work I was hit by a white van man turning across me without looking. I was OK but, unknown to me, a concerned onlooker had called an ambulance. Response times and ambulance staff responses where different then and, arriving in minutes, they insisted I went to Whipps Cross A&E with possible concussion and needing a check up.
I have a resting heart beat of around 34 and, as soon as they put the monitoring equipment on me it was sirens and flashing lights
Despite my protests I was “diagnosed“ by the NHS staff at the hospital as a suitable case for treatment.
Months later I was introduced to the treadmill test
I ran marathons in my youth and had been cycling to and from work for years so, although not prepared, felt confident. All was well at first. The speed and incline increased every three minutes, and, after six minutes I was warned not to run. By then I was nicely warmed up and starting to sweat. Within another minute the sweat was pouring out of me and for the next two minutes I showered the whole (small) room with smelly salty fluid. The doctor and nurse were quite close and I could see their dismayed faces as I finished. Think St Bernard dog shaking itself after a swim….
Happily I passed and was diagnosed with a large heart- whatever that means.
I still have problems during surgery - two hip operations without general anaesthetics with alarms going off every time my heartbeat dropped below 40
This thread reminds me that I have to get back on the running machine to prepare!
In my 50’s, whilst cycling to work I was hit by a white van man turning across me without looking. I was OK but, unknown to me, a concerned onlooker had called an ambulance. Response times and ambulance staff responses where different then and, arriving in minutes, they insisted I went to Whipps Cross A&E with possible concussion and needing a check up.
I have a resting heart beat of around 34 and, as soon as they put the monitoring equipment on me it was sirens and flashing lights
Despite my protests I was “diagnosed“ by the NHS staff at the hospital as a suitable case for treatment.
Months later I was introduced to the treadmill test
I ran marathons in my youth and had been cycling to and from work for years so, although not prepared, felt confident. All was well at first. The speed and incline increased every three minutes, and, after six minutes I was warned not to run. By then I was nicely warmed up and starting to sweat. Within another minute the sweat was pouring out of me and for the next two minutes I showered the whole (small) room with smelly salty fluid. The doctor and nurse were quite close and I could see their dismayed faces as I finished. Think St Bernard dog shaking itself after a swim….
Happily I passed and was diagnosed with a large heart- whatever that means.
I still have problems during surgery - two hip operations without general anaesthetics with alarms going off every time my heartbeat dropped below 40
This thread reminds me that I have to get back on the running machine to prepare!
Not so much the treadmill but medical and questions asked on many forms later for heart was really stressful and unable to get any useful information from medical dept of dvla.I am 69, 70 next April, so have this to look forward to.
In my 50’s, whilst cycling to work I was hit by a white van man turning across me without looking. I was OK but, unknown to me, a concerned onlooker had called an ambulance. Response times and ambulance staff responses where different then and, arriving in minutes, they insisted I went to Whipps Cross A&E with possible concussion and needing a check up.
I have a resting heart beat of around 34 and, as soon as they put the monitoring equipment on me it was sirens and flashing lights
Despite my protests I was “diagnosed“ by the NHS staff at the hospital as a suitable case for treatment.
Months later I was introduced to the treadmill test
I ran marathons in my youth and had been cycling to and from work for years so, although not prepared, felt confident. All was well at first. The speed and incline increased every three minutes, and, after six minutes I was warned not to run. By then I was nicely warmed up and starting to sweat. Within another minute the sweat was pouring out of me and for the next two minutes I showered the whole (small) room with smelly salty fluid. The doctor and nurse were quite close and I could see their dismayed faces as I finished. Think St Bernard dog shaking itself after a swim….
Happily I passed and was diagnosed with a large heart- whatever that means.
I still have problems during surgery - two hip operations without general anaesthetics with alarms going off every time my heartbeat dropped below 40
This thread reminds me that I have to get back on the running machine to prepare!
If I was you I would start looking to downgrade
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Before reading this thread I thought the DVLA stress test was calling them on the phone and listening to their bloody ‘Hold’ music for 45 mins without chucking the phone out of the window!
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Quite agree
Katies-travels Nooooo….. Motorhome is with Andrew James Motorhomes at the moment having more Solar Panels, Lithium batteries, external side cameras and nightly bits looked at. Add these to the levellers fitted a few years ago and this motorhome owes us years of trouble free travelling.
I will have to ask my GP if I can obtain a clean bill of health statement.
Motorhome is with Andrew James Motorhomes at the moment having more Solar Panels, Lithium batteries, external side cameras and nightly bits looked at. Add these to the levellers fitted a few years ago and this motorhome owes us years of trouble free travelling. I will have to ask my GP if I can obtain a clean bill of health statement.
Good luck still need medical and medical questions snsweredKaties-travels Nooooo…..
I will have to ask my GP if I can obtain a clean bill of health statement.
Katies-travels Thanks, I will Google them - do you know where examples are?
D2 and D4 application forms on dvla website or post office
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Book with (Doctors 4 Drivers" costs £51
but more importantly, they are 100% conversant
with filling in the DVLA medical forms,
have an up to date eye test too, in preparation for the form filling
When I used my GP for the DVLA form filling it was a disaster
they were returned 3 times as the GP had not completed them correctly ,
and wanted paying in cash for the form filing ££££,
If you have any leg joint issues that are a "problem" on the treadmill
then an alternative is available called a Dobutamine stress echocardiogram
which involves a monitored injection, under ECG monitoring
and is performed with the patient lying on their side
totally painless, and the DVLA pay for the procedure
But only available if you are unsuitable for the treadmill torture
because of arthritis to leg /hip joints making the treadmill painfull
Katies-travels Thanks, just looked at these. Hope they will also be useful for others following this thread.
Clive Beeza I think I will be OK for the physical parts. My retirement job is keeping fit
I walk at least 7k a day and follow a fitness regimen. I cycle 25k each day on an indoor bike. The two hip replacements have been very successful - I would encourage others to have them if needed. However I am worried about the heart issue - I never even considered it as I am otherwise healthy.
This thread has been very informative - my thanks to the OP for introducing it.
Clive Beeza I think I will be OK for the physical parts. My retirement job is keeping fit
I walk at least 7k a day and follow a fitness regimen. I cycle 25k each day on an indoor bike. The two hip replacements have been very successful - I would encourage others to have them if needed. However I am worried about the heart issue - I never even considered it as I am otherwise healthy.This thread has been very informative - my thanks to the OP for introducing it.
In my case after sending in the D2 and D4 forms
the DVLA sent out a medical questionaire, lots of questions
(this applies if you have a previous heart issue)
after returning the questionaire, received a letter stating
they would need further information, and would arrange a stress test.
had that test, and result was good, and did eventually receive my C1 licence
this whole fiasco from sending in my D2 & D4, to holding my C1 in my hand
took a whole year
(but was able to carry on driving the M/home in the meantime in the UK only)
which caused me to miss a trip with four friends to Norway.
Looks like I shall not apply until after our May/June trip to France (birthday in July). If I apply when they send out the forms we won’t get any time away abroad at all next year. Fully expect a stress test as have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease.
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Hi Stevec,
you might consider writing to the DVLA,
and explain next years plans, and ask to apply before your birthday
which they do allow,
so if you apply now, you should be sorted before your May/june trip
good luck
Clive
(The DVLA send out the forms 90 days before your 70th birthday)
- Apr 12, 2020
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I know nothing of the DVLA stress test but a BP of 210? I’ve had that, and was put on Olmesartan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmesartan as a result… No issues since! Passed my over 70 medical for C1 licence twice already…
That was my issue with the "walking" test...managed it to eight mins but had to give up, too painful. Anyway got the above test done and all was fine, C1 for three years.
As an aside, a fortnight later I found myself back in hospital with a burst appendix......I did manage an ironic laugh afterwards, going through all that testing for a C1 rating and finding myself rushed into theatre because of something like that. I did feel that someone celestial was having a laugh at my expense
Said it all well done
Exactly my problem
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