I have a good heart

I just got the results from a rather extensive test on my heart last week and they were good. “Your heart is good.” was the definitive report.

Sigh. Huge sigh of relief actually. Long story short: I have had a pain in my chest from time to time and it has gone undiagnosed for years. My no-nonsense doctor ordered what I thought would be a regular stress test and I set up an appointment thinking I was just going to get an EKG and a free workout on the treadmill.

A couple of days before my appointment I read the fine print. I wasn’t having just your ordinary stress test, but rather a thallium a.k.a. nuclear stress test (better known in Texas as the nu-cu-lar stress test). Essentially they were going to hook me up with an IV and inject radioactive substances into my bloodstream and take lots of pretty pictures of me at work and at play.

I was nervous about the radioactive part of the equation–I don’t even like x-rays–but went along for the ride anyway. It was mostly non-eventful, but being the only patient at the cardiology center way under-qualified to be a member of AARP amused me. And because I was possibly one of the few patients actually enthusiastic about taking on the treadmill I amused the nurses and techs.

As I was lying perfectly still while a robotic armed camera worked its way around my chest I happened to glance at the name badge of the nurse and I began to have second thoughts. Her official title was “nuclear tech.” And the imaging rooms were referred to as “nuclear camera I” and “nuclear camera II.” It all felt a little too space age to me, but then we are well into the space age and the experience did end up being a rather good introduction to the exciting world of nuclear medicine. Who knew?

In any case, I survived and am rather proud of myself I didn’t lose any sleep while awaiting my results. Those came today and the word is that I am good to go. On. With my life. And I now pledge to make more of an effort to be good to the heart that has been so good to me.

Let her keep taking a licking and keep on ticking.