Medical fun
Jun. 9th, 2016 02:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kengrAnd no, I'm not being sarcastic.
Wednesday did *not* start out well. Seems I'd set the alarm the night before but forgotten to turn it on. Oops.
Woke up at 10:54 and needed to cat the bus for the appointment at 11:37.
By a small miracle, I managed to get showered (including washing my hair) by 11:19.
For breakfast I just sliced off a chunk ofg summer sausage and a hunk of chees and tossed them in a baggie to be eaten on the bus.
The bus was running late, fortunately. I left the house at about 11:30 and had to wait a few minutes at the stop. The bus got majorly delayed after that by the cars and school buses heading for the Junior Rose parade on Sandy.
In spite of that after getting to the Max (also crowded buy folks heading for the parade, I still managed to catch the same #4 bus I needed.
Finding where to go was a bit tricky, but some helpful receptions at Emannuel got me pointed in the right direction. After checking in the fun began.
I was there for an echocardiogram. First time I'd ever had one.
The tech was a nice guy and cheerfully explained things as he went along. I was soon lying on a bed with my shirt off and my right side propped up.
The gel for the probe wasn't too cold. actually it was rather nice being that I was a bit overheated from the walk from the bus. And the view on the screen was neat. Watching your heart beat and the valves work is way cool.
During the first bit of the exam, the only discomfort was that the tech had to push fairly hard to get a good image I don't have a visible bruise, but it is painful to the touch in one spot even now (24 hrs later).
Unfortunately, he couldn't get a good enough image of some things so he had to call in another tech to set up an IV to inject perflutren into me. I'd been warned that was a possiiblility so I was mostly okay with it. I still am not fond of needles,. so I didn't watch.
Before the IV tech got there I asked about the perflutren. I know how contrast "dyes" for x-rays and the like work. And how the stuff for PET scans works. But I couldn't quite figure out how you do it was ultrasound.
Turns out that it's a liquid that has microbubbles of lipid (that's fats/oils to you and me). At which point I got it. Like the tiny glass beads in street signs and the paint they use for the lines on the road, the bubbles reflect the ultrasound back at the source. Making anyplace that has them appear really bright on the display.
The tech told me I'd gotten it right. Then I cracked a joke about "Gee, like I need more lipids" Which got a laugh and him telling me that was a new one.
Anyway, when the IV tech got there he had a little trouble getting things started. My veins are hard to spot sometimes and (as he rightfully complained) the room they do the echocardiograms in has *lousy* lighting. His first try (due to the way I was lying, was in a spot I don't recall anybody ever trying before. Went in smoothly but he accidentally "blew" the vein. the next try was in a spot in the "normal" place on the inside of my elbow. That one was a bit painful, but not bad.
Before that walls of the heart and the valves had been the brighter bits. Now, they were the dark parts with the places the blood was flowing being the bright parts.
And not merely bright, but this neat shifting sparkly stuff.
In spite of the pains (including the pains of getting the EKG pads and other tape off) it was fun.
When I was done, I discovered I'd been in there over an hour!
I caught the #24 towards home and I was thinking that I should hit the Albertsons to see if I could get a roll of quarters for laundry. Than partway up Fremont, I noticed we were stopped next to a small bank. So I got off and bought a roll there. It was quick, but not quick enough. I *almost* was out in time to get back on the bus, but the light it was waiting for changed too soon.
I need to remember that bank though, because when I get a working bike again, it's probably the easiest one to get to.
Since I was at 42nd, I decided to walk home. It was hot, but not horribly so, and I had water. I'm not sure if I'd have gotten home faster on the bus or not. But I got some nice exercise. And my hip, which has been bugging my occasionally, didn't complain once!
A while ago I got a call from my doctor's office saying that my heart was fine. I rather suspected that it would be, but still nice to know.
Wednesday did *not* start out well. Seems I'd set the alarm the night before but forgotten to turn it on. Oops.
Woke up at 10:54 and needed to cat the bus for the appointment at 11:37.
By a small miracle, I managed to get showered (including washing my hair) by 11:19.
For breakfast I just sliced off a chunk ofg summer sausage and a hunk of chees and tossed them in a baggie to be eaten on the bus.
The bus was running late, fortunately. I left the house at about 11:30 and had to wait a few minutes at the stop. The bus got majorly delayed after that by the cars and school buses heading for the Junior Rose parade on Sandy.
In spite of that after getting to the Max (also crowded buy folks heading for the parade, I still managed to catch the same #4 bus I needed.
Finding where to go was a bit tricky, but some helpful receptions at Emannuel got me pointed in the right direction. After checking in the fun began.
I was there for an echocardiogram. First time I'd ever had one.
The tech was a nice guy and cheerfully explained things as he went along. I was soon lying on a bed with my shirt off and my right side propped up.
The gel for the probe wasn't too cold. actually it was rather nice being that I was a bit overheated from the walk from the bus. And the view on the screen was neat. Watching your heart beat and the valves work is way cool.
During the first bit of the exam, the only discomfort was that the tech had to push fairly hard to get a good image I don't have a visible bruise, but it is painful to the touch in one spot even now (24 hrs later).
Unfortunately, he couldn't get a good enough image of some things so he had to call in another tech to set up an IV to inject perflutren into me. I'd been warned that was a possiiblility so I was mostly okay with it. I still am not fond of needles,. so I didn't watch.
Before the IV tech got there I asked about the perflutren. I know how contrast "dyes" for x-rays and the like work. And how the stuff for PET scans works. But I couldn't quite figure out how you do it was ultrasound.
Turns out that it's a liquid that has microbubbles of lipid (that's fats/oils to you and me). At which point I got it. Like the tiny glass beads in street signs and the paint they use for the lines on the road, the bubbles reflect the ultrasound back at the source. Making anyplace that has them appear really bright on the display.
The tech told me I'd gotten it right. Then I cracked a joke about "Gee, like I need more lipids" Which got a laugh and him telling me that was a new one.
Anyway, when the IV tech got there he had a little trouble getting things started. My veins are hard to spot sometimes and (as he rightfully complained) the room they do the echocardiograms in has *lousy* lighting. His first try (due to the way I was lying, was in a spot I don't recall anybody ever trying before. Went in smoothly but he accidentally "blew" the vein. the next try was in a spot in the "normal" place on the inside of my elbow. That one was a bit painful, but not bad.
Before that walls of the heart and the valves had been the brighter bits. Now, they were the dark parts with the places the blood was flowing being the bright parts.
And not merely bright, but this neat shifting sparkly stuff.
In spite of the pains (including the pains of getting the EKG pads and other tape off) it was fun.
When I was done, I discovered I'd been in there over an hour!
I caught the #24 towards home and I was thinking that I should hit the Albertsons to see if I could get a roll of quarters for laundry. Than partway up Fremont, I noticed we were stopped next to a small bank. So I got off and bought a roll there. It was quick, but not quick enough. I *almost* was out in time to get back on the bus, but the light it was waiting for changed too soon.
I need to remember that bank though, because when I get a working bike again, it's probably the easiest one to get to.
Since I was at 42nd, I decided to walk home. It was hot, but not horribly so, and I had water. I'm not sure if I'd have gotten home faster on the bus or not. But I got some nice exercise. And my hip, which has been bugging my occasionally, didn't complain once!
A while ago I got a call from my doctor's office saying that my heart was fine. I rather suspected that it would be, but still nice to know.
