Saturday, May 2, 2020
Yesterday was a great day to have a great day. Today I am going to finish writing about my great day. As I was rolling in the hospital with my acquaintance, I discovered the entrance I generally use to go into the hospital was closed to the public. I made a mental note to use the main doors next week and went to one of the two open entrances. The hospital still has a posted no visitors policy and seemed to be enforcing it.
I stopped first at a table where a young woman asked me why I was there. Once I told the young woman I had an appointment, she asked me the standard questions. Have I been out of the country in the past month? No, international travel has been shut down. (For the record, the hospital has asked the travel question for each of my appointments for several years, not just since the COVID-19 outbreak.) Do you have a fever, coughing, or shortness of breath? No. I was sent to wait at least six feet behind a gentleman who was checking in. After I checked in, I waited for a registrar to give me a bracelet and send me on my way.
When the registrar was taking me to the waiting room for my echocardiogram, we passed a wall with three large windows in it. The view was simply looking over the top of a shorter building, but it was nice to see the sunshine along the way. When I got to the waiting room, the same gentleman who was checking in before me was already in the waiting room, and I had heard one of the two people in line behind me say she was here for a cardiology appointment. I told the gentleman they must be scheduling us all at the same time.
I was surprised when the gentleman told me he was there for heart surgery. I am sure he was a few years younger than me. He was slightly overweight, and I have heard that carrying extra weight around your belly is bad for your heart, but he looked healthy. His surgery was scheduled for 3:00 p.m., and he said he was so hungry. I commiserated with him because I have been in his place many times. Honestly, I have always been more upset with the no water for eight hours prior to surgery rule than the no food for eight hours rule. When I wake up from surgery, I ask for water immediately. I usually need to wait an hour before they are willing to give me food. Once you are told you cannot eat, you get very hungry.
Less than one minute after the gentleman was taken away for surgery preparations, my ultrasound technician arrived to whisk me away and scan my heart. My ultrasound technician did have me lay back in my wheelchair to see if she could get a clear scan without transferring me into their bed, but she could not get a good image of the lower left section of my heart. After I was transferred into the bed, we got started
This was my first echocardiogram and it was a little fun. We stripped off half my shirt and bra to get better images. I was propped on my left side, but today I am wondering why I was not turned to the right. The ultrasound technician had difficulties getting good images from the lower left side. I think they would get better images if they were not fighting with the bed and my left side was up in the air. Obviously, I am wrong, because everybody does it with people lying on their left side, but now I want to know more.
I had so much fun watching the colors change on the monitor while the ultrasound technician was administering my echocardiogram. When I asked her why there was usually considerably more red or blue in an area she was recording, the technician told me the primary color depends on whether the valve is allowing blood in or out. The coolest part was when the background turned gold and it looked like my heart was on fire. I have had a line from the song Girl Is on Fire in my head since yesterday… My heart is on fire.
My piece of advice to you is to enjoy the tests. Ha! I think I just figured out why I had to lay on my left side. Most people are right-handed and if I laid on my right side, the ultrasound technicians would need to use their left hand to move the wand. I am probably still wrong, but that is my story, and I am sticking to it!
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
Yesterday was a great day to have a great day. Today I am going to finish writing about my great day. As I was rolling in the hospital with my acquaintance, I discovered the entrance I generally use to go into the hospital was closed to the public. I made a mental note to use the main doors next week and went to one of the two open entrances. The hospital still has a posted no visitors policy and seemed to be enforcing it.
I stopped first at a table where a young woman asked me why I was there. Once I told the young woman I had an appointment, she asked me the standard questions. Have I been out of the country in the past month? No, international travel has been shut down. (For the record, the hospital has asked the travel question for each of my appointments for several years, not just since the COVID-19 outbreak.) Do you have a fever, coughing, or shortness of breath? No. I was sent to wait at least six feet behind a gentleman who was checking in. After I checked in, I waited for a registrar to give me a bracelet and send me on my way.
When the registrar was taking me to the waiting room for my echocardiogram, we passed a wall with three large windows in it. The view was simply looking over the top of a shorter building, but it was nice to see the sunshine along the way. When I got to the waiting room, the same gentleman who was checking in before me was already in the waiting room, and I had heard one of the two people in line behind me say she was here for a cardiology appointment. I told the gentleman they must be scheduling us all at the same time.
I was surprised when the gentleman told me he was there for heart surgery. I am sure he was a few years younger than me. He was slightly overweight, and I have heard that carrying extra weight around your belly is bad for your heart, but he looked healthy. His surgery was scheduled for 3:00 p.m., and he said he was so hungry. I commiserated with him because I have been in his place many times. Honestly, I have always been more upset with the no water for eight hours prior to surgery rule than the no food for eight hours rule. When I wake up from surgery, I ask for water immediately. I usually need to wait an hour before they are willing to give me food. Once you are told you cannot eat, you get very hungry.
Less than one minute after the gentleman was taken away for surgery preparations, my ultrasound technician arrived to whisk me away and scan my heart. My ultrasound technician did have me lay back in my wheelchair to see if she could get a clear scan without transferring me into their bed, but she could not get a good image of the lower left section of my heart. After I was transferred into the bed, we got started
This was my first echocardiogram and it was a little fun. We stripped off half my shirt and bra to get better images. I was propped on my left side, but today I am wondering why I was not turned to the right. The ultrasound technician had difficulties getting good images from the lower left side. I think they would get better images if they were not fighting with the bed and my left side was up in the air. Obviously, I am wrong, because everybody does it with people lying on their left side, but now I want to know more.
I had so much fun watching the colors change on the monitor while the ultrasound technician was administering my echocardiogram. When I asked her why there was usually considerably more red or blue in an area she was recording, the technician told me the primary color depends on whether the valve is allowing blood in or out. The coolest part was when the background turned gold and it looked like my heart was on fire. I have had a line from the song Girl Is on Fire in my head since yesterday… My heart is on fire.
My piece of advice to you is to enjoy the tests. Ha! I think I just figured out why I had to lay on my left side. Most people are right-handed and if I laid on my right side, the ultrasound technicians would need to use their left hand to move the wand. I am probably still wrong, but that is my story, and I am sticking to it!
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.