Round three of the new medical adventure for your narrator has come and gone. This morning I ventured down to the hospital where my amputation was performed to have a doppler test to check the blood flow to my remaining leg AND have my very first stress test echocardiogram or ECG. I have to "thank" my Dad for that last test because thanks to him there is now a history of heart related illness in the family.
The doppler was first and it was perfunctory to say the least. Blood pressure cuffs were applied to my arms and thighs, as well as my left caf and left big toe. The tech used those cuffs plus a ultrasound device to check to see if I had blood flowing to the foot as it should and though no medical opinion was offered per se, the tech did inform me that the blood pressure reading she got was the same in my arms and my legs both, so I interpret that as circulation being fine as can be expected given the situation.
Next came the stress test. In order to not put any undue stress on the leg that is in the prosthetic, and owing to the fact that it is virtually impossible for me to run normally they chose to put my heart under stress pharmacolgically...that is, by the use of a drug. It was by far the oddest sensation I have ever experienced because though there have been times when my heart has raced for both good and bad reasons this took those experiences and added a factor of +10 to them. I will say that while it was uncomfortable what little pain I felt was akin to the kind I had in school when running in P.E. Since I hadn't seriously run since I was in school (for any distance anyway) my mind fleeted with the idea about how a precursor to a heart attack might feel and if I was actually feeling that sensation right there.
The procedure was very controlled, I didn't feel great but I knew I was in a place where if something went wrong they could get me help fast. They took 9 readings over a 50 minute period and after they were satisfied, another drug was administered and it brought me back to a normal rhythm in short order.
That was it and I was out of there. I have resolved myself to be the model patient for the medical field and so far I do believe I have held up my end of the bargain. I complain about what I must do but I do it because the alternate is the afterlife way too soon. When I go, I want to go as an old man with great grandchildren. I don't want to head off by doing something stupid like NOT go to the doctors when I am supposed to. I was almost that guy and my Dad definitely was. I refuse to be him in that sense. I'd love to have his self-confidence and his innate ability to speak his mind, but croaking too early not so much.
Next up...a bleed for the blood sugar and the debut of Buster 3.0.
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