A Change of Lifestyle – Part 7

 

It is a benefit knowing someone in the health care profession. Especially when that person happens to be the head nurse/office manager for your heart doctor. After I was refused to be seen by the doctor that I had the referral to, I called my friend the nurse. She got me in that very afternoon for a heart echo. The technician happened to be in the office that day and had an opening at 1:15. 

Once at the office I was faced with the fact that I was going to have something done to my heart. My wife had briefly explained a little to me but I still didn’t know really what to expect. I have always been a little anxious when it comes to doctors, medical procedures, even having shots or blood drawn for the lab. I was sitting in the waiting room not knowing what to expect when the technician came out to get me.

She led me back to a small office. She had me remove my shirt and lie down on the examine table. She then took a wand/probe and applied a gel to it. She then began to probe around my chest. It was amazing to see the picture of my heart on a computer screen as they ran the probe over the area of my heart. You can see the valves open and close. The tech explained everything as she went and pointed out the different valves and areas we were looking at. It was very interesting and really quite educational. Once done, she told me everything looked good. All the valves were functioning as they should, my heart was pumping normally and my heart was in great condition.

As we finished up she explained that the doctors office did not have a ‘neck doppler’ and I would have to go to the hospital to have it performed. She also warned me that the tech at the hospital would not be as informative and that I would have to wait for the doctor’s follow-up later in the week for the results of that test.

The next afternoon I was back at the hospital for the ‘neck doppler’. They got me right in. Once again I was told to lie on the examine table. This time the probe was used on my neck. When they started I was turned where I could not see the monitor. After they finished that side I was told to turn the direction of the monitor. The view was about the same as the heart echo. I could see from the ultrasound the arteries in my neck and the pulse in them as the blood was pumping through. As I had been told they did not reveal any thing they may have seen as a result of the echo. About all that was said during the 20 minutes it took to do the scan was ‘lie down’ and ‘your all done’. I would have to wait for the visit with the doctor on Thursday to find out any pending problems or if I was going to live.

(To Be Continued)