....so, about the cardiac testing and prodding that followed this past fall and winter. 

 

Get out your programs!  Here we go!

 

- stress test (approx 4 hours in duration)

- nuclear stress test (about the same, only worse - approx 4 hours in duration)                    
- x-rays (too may to count)

- ECG's (again, more than one.  Maybe even more than two - I lost count.)

- blood tests (many, many vials worth)

- echo cardiogram (actually one of the least-invasive tests I had.)

- cardiac CT scan (another multi-hour procedure that must be against the Geneva Convention)

- about the only procedure I didn't have was an angiogram.

 

... all to tell me my "symptoms" were not cardiac-related.

 

So here I sit, waiting for my next appointment with my family doctor to discuss what the heck the collective "we" do next.

 

But before we leave the issue of my never-to-be-discussed-in-polite-society-again cardiac episodes, one final word of advice.

 

If you are ever sitting in your oh-so-comfy armchair and you begin to feel "unwell" and can't decide whether or not you really want to "inconvenience" the EMT's over what is "probably nothing", or if a cup of tea and a lie down will solve all your problems  .... do what I did -

 

Split the difference and walk yourself into emergency (that ER visit resulted in x-rays, an ECG and a dose of nitro-glycerin, but that is yet another discussion for yet another day.)

 

Trust me on this one.  If you are a woman of a "certain age" and just mention the word "cardiac" - ER staff tend to take you seriously!!