Annual heart ordeal off to a good start

Cloudy and warm today. Possibly some showers here and there, but possibly not, too. It’s one of those “depends on where you are” days. Gator Wife was concerned enough about the lack of rain or showers that she had me run our irrigation system last night. The overnight temperatures were good for it, too.

As I mentioned yesterday, my implanted heart device was read with the wand and then the stored up information for the last three months were electronically transferred to the cardiologist’s office. This is really quite a system. The device is located next to my bed and each night, sometime around two AM, it receives a transmission from the device in my body. I don’t even know it’s taking place.

The prime purpose is keeping a record of my heart activity over the three months which it then sends with a “hard” reading via telephone. The hard reading simply means I have to hold a wand over the device in my chest for a few moments; then its reading and the stored ones are sent for reading.

If at any time during those nighttime readings the device detects a serious problem, it will immediately call the doctor’s office with the report. I will then get a call that tells me to either get to a hospital, get to the doctor’s office, or some other instruction like changing my medication. At least that’s what I’ve been told would happen. I’ve haven’t experienced it so I’m just going on what I think I’ve been told.

Of course if the device needs to defibrillate me, I’d know it and would already be at the doctor’s office or, more likely, the hospital.

Handy little device to have stuck in your chest, wouldn’t you say? Oh, why did I go into all this? Simple. I got the phone call yesterday with the results of the morning transmission. Everything is working just like it should and it quietly continues to make sure my heart beats as it’s suppose to beat.

I’ll get the complete report today when I have my annual visit with the cardiologist at his office. He already has the results of the echo-cardiogram test. My only question when I get there today will be to ask if I also have to have a regular electrocardiogram today. The cardiologist I use, and have ever since my heart attack back in 2001, always has every session start out with the EKG, or is it ECG? If I do have to have one today, I’ve found one way that some of that high cost of health care could be lowered.

GiM