There’s just something nice about getting a “medical” morning behind you. That’s what this Tuesday did for my wife and me. She completed her rounds of annual stuff for this year, with just one minor exception. Unfortunately for me, my rounds of medical stuff never stop, but the “biggies” are behind me.
Her long time doctor decided to call it quits last year so she had to find a new one, which she easily did. She asked one of the doctors at the medical group I use if new patients were being accepted and they were. But, even though she had all her records transferred to the new doc, a very nice young woman by the way, the doc wanted to see for herself so a very comprehensive physical exam was scheduled.
Not having heard my wife’s heart before or not having seen her blips on the ECG printout, naturally the new doc found a slight irregularity and didn’t know what to make of it. So a session with a cardiologist was scheduled, including the dreaded stress test. Now my wife has passed that age of Medicare eligibility, and even though she works part time, she isn’t in the best shape in the world. She flunked treadmill.
The heart guy wasn’t concerned about the blips mentioned earlier, but he did want that stress test. Today she underwent what is called a nuclear stress test where drugs are used to control the stress on the heart. Although the cardiologist will give the results a closer scrutiny to be sure, he said he saw nothing today that would indicate a problem.
She came home a much happier woman with no further tests scheduled for the next six month. At that time, she will have a lipids repeat so her new doc will have her own final figures.
Somehow we had let our respective schedules get away from us and so I couldn’t accompany her to her test this morning. I had to visit my neurologist at the same time. I have a bunch of stents in my body to replace little bubbles (aneurysms) in my arteries. Today was my annual neurology exam to make sure the little critters were behaving properly.
I had a CT scan last week to give him the visuals he needed. That was the exam that led to the huge bruises on my arms from the I-V needles. (You can see pictures of them in yesterday’s post right below here.)
He was all smiles and happy. Opened right up with I’ve looked at your CT results and last year’s aneurysm has shrunk considerably. “That’s excellent,” said he. Naturally I had to ask if he found any new ones. None. He then went through the touchy feely part and pronounced me as good as I can be under all the circumstances of the last few years.
Then the best news of all. He wanted to see me again and go through it all over again next year. He knows because of insurance requirements, I have to wait a year and a day unless I develop a problem. In that case, I should call him immediately. But, I don’t think he would have scheduled me for next year if he didn’t think I’d be around to make the appointment.
I call that “good.”
GiM
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