I had my first medical appointment of the year today
Some background.
I had a cardiologist since 2006, when I had my heart attack.
He met me in a room at St. Anthony Hospital and said he wanted to do an angiogram, and stent me if I needed it. There happened to be an opening at that moment, I think it was 6:30 or 7 pm.. I could also wait until the next day.
I went that moment.
I remember conversations in the cardio lab. I heard someone say they needed a 14 stent. I asked if that was 14 centimeters. He replied, "If it is, it will have to come out your nose."
We always talked about biking. I told him once that I had ridden 300 miles that summer. H looked at me and said something like, "I just had a75 year old patient who rode 1,500 miles. Come back when. you have something to brag about."
He wasn't being snotty, but he was trying to motivate me to ride and exercise more.
He was my cardiologist until 2022, when he retired and I had a new heart guy. But I did not connect with the new guy in a way that may me comfortable. When I tried to schedule an appointment last August for December, they said he did not schedule that far out and they would call when December came. Well, they did not call.
So I opted to change to a cardiologist at Kishwaukee Hospital.
Why him?
In 2017 I saw my regular guy and during the conversation he asked me how I was mentally, and I said I felt like I was going to die, but nothing seemed wrong.
He wanted me to have an angiogram but my insurance did not cover the procedure at St. Anthony so he recommended this heart guy in DeKalb. That doc was booked but a new doctor had just joined the staff, so I made an appointment with him.
He did the procedure, inserted 2 small stents, and I did a couple of follow up visits.
So I am back with the Kish guy.
He did an EKG today and said it looked the same as the one I had before surgery in 2020 and the EKG done in 2017. He said my heart was stable.
I asked about a stress test, and he said he would not recommend it now because I was not having any symptoms or problems.
But he did change my blood pressure medication. And I need to monitor it at home.
I did not know that the feeling of impending doom was one way our bodies tell us there is a problem with the heart. I have had 2 doctors tell me this, as well as a nurse who worked in ICU.
New doc said if I ever have that feeling, call or go to the ER. He also said the same for chest pains, shortness of breath, or dizziness.
He did ask why I came back specifically to him.
I told him, "You once had my life in your hands and you did ok."
He laughed, which is always a good thing.
Well, that's a much ado about nothing!
Peace and Love
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