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Since being unemployed, I’ve been having an interesting couple weeks. I thought losing a job is bad, well it is, but not compared to so many of the other things that can go wrong.

We were told after getting fired that our insurance would be up in a few days. Since I’ve been meaning to go to the doctor for a check up, my husband and I decided to go since it’ll be cheap while we still have insurance. I feel fine, but a little peace of mind is good, especially when you haven’t been to the doctor in a long time. Peace of mind is NOT what I got!

I told the doctor one of the things that I have been experiencing on and off for a couple years now: chest pains. They are not often, and they are not bad, but I’ve had episodes where they’ve been kinda bad. Usually, they only come when I’m really stressed, pissed off, or depressed. So, I figured it was anxiety realted. I gotta say, since being away from good ol Moxy, those chest pains have really subsided.

The doctor doesn’t seem too worried, but listens to my heart and suddenly says “oh, actually..i do hear something.”  Turns out, I had a heart murmur. She told me not to panic, and that usually, heart murmurs are caused by leaky heart valves…but a lot of the time, it’s nothing to worry about - you just need to take an antibiotic before getting any dental work done so you don’t get an infection. Ok, you tell me it’s nothing to worry about…but leaky heart valves don’t sound too great to me.

They give me an EKG right after this. It came back normal, but the Dr. still referred me to a cardiologist. So I go to the cardiologist, who listens to my heart, also hears the murmur, but doesn’t seem too concerned. He tells me to go to the hospital to get an echocardiogram done, which is basically an ultrasound of the heart.

SO…I then go to get that done right after. He calls me a few hours later, to confirm that I indeed have leaky heart valves, but he seems more concerned about the fact that my heart isn’t “totally pumping the way it should be”. He says it’s pumping normal, but at the end of the normal spectrum.. wants more tests done in a couple days.

I go back to the hospital to have a stress test done, while the heart Dr. is present and watching it all. This basically involves another echocardiogram, and then running on a treadmill, and then jumping as quickly as you can from the treadmill to the table thingy for another echo, so they can see how your heart responds to exercise. The Dr. says, “a normal heart will get smaller and squeeze tighter after intense exercise, and yours is doing that. so this test came out normal.” ok, great.  But THEN, he still insists on something else.

A freaking holter monitor.

This is simply a very annoying device that’s really dramatic looking and that you have to wear for 24 hours. Let me tell you, that was a depressing 24 hours.

He wanted me to have one put on because he felt my heart rate was “too fast”. He wasn’t concerned about the valves leaking and the murmur, and also agreed with the other doctor that it’s nothing severe. I kept trying to explain to him that I was nervous, and I normally don’t feel my heart beat this quickly, but he said he just wasn’t buying it. Um, whatever…I know how I feel. I’m normally a very anxious person as it is, I normally get nervous when I go to the Dr. for something routine… but this situation… come on. There was  one point, when I was on the treadmill that my gown came undone, so I’m basically running on a treadmill practically topless in front of 2 technicians, the doctor, and some medical students. You’re right doc, not nerve wracking at all.

He tells me if the holter monitor results come back abnormal, I’d need to get another test done. I looked it up online when I got home, it’s basically a test that involves an incision somewhere, and sends mini electric impulses to your heart to see how it reacts. It’s invasive and dangerous. Great.

Well, it’s been a week since I dropped off that holter monitor and I haven’t heard a damn word from anyone. I finally called him myself about an hour ago, and he’s like, “Yeah…I looked at the results…you’re fine…I guess you really were nervous. You don’t have to worry about anything. A follow up with a cardiologist isn’t even necessary. This basically all led up to nothing, which is good news.”

AHHHHHHHHHH!! Of course it is great news though.

Posted: Friday, October 24th, 2008 @ 10:59 am
Categories: Uncategorized.
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