Thursday, May 30, 2024

The First Tests

I checked into the Radiology Department at Sacred Heart Medical Center at 10:15 this morning. I was there to begin testing to determine if I’m a viable candidate for a heart transplant.

I was greeted by Jeff, who was the first technician to deal with me. He was performing ultrasound scans on my veins. I was laid on a bed and he put blood pressure cuffs on both my wrists and both my ankles. Then he proceeded to take a bunch of reading while putting the ultrasound scanner all over my arms and legs. The hospital posted some records on my on line chart but I  have no idea what the tests determined but I suppose I’ll find out when I talk to the doctor.

The next technician was Ben, who did ultrasound on my Carotid arteries and my abdomen. He checked out my liver, my spleen and various other organs. I looked at the reports on those tests, and while they were still mostly indecipherable, I don’t think there was any news there that indicated problems. Again, we’ll find out more from the doctor.

The next scheduled test was a CT scan. This is the test where they stick you in a tube and run tests through the scanner. It was quick and easy and I was out of there pretty quick.

Finally, I had a couple of hours before I had to be back for an Echo Cardiogram. I’ve had lots of those in the past so there were no surprises there. The only thing I got from the report is that my Ejection Fraction has dropped from somewhere around 30 percent to 20 to 25 percent. That’s a little distressing but not surprising considering how quickly I tire during activity.

Stand by. More testing and meetings to come.

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