More Appoitments

This week has been long and trying. I still have no update on the hand surgery. Wednesday had me at the hospital for my annual mammogram and bone density testing. More to apply to the deductible is the only positive spin I can put on that. More paperwork to fill out making me wonder if they simply toss all the paperwork from last year and the year before. They always inquire about my insurance and address upon arrival, and I always tell them that nothing has changed. They always hand me the clipboard with a dozen pages to be filled out and returned to the desk.

The process makes my hand ache all day. I had forgotten about this appointment until they called to confirm. I had also forgotten about a follow-up appointment with the electrophysiologist on Friday.

More papers to scribble on, as I am definitely not caring if it is legible. They can always refer to my last visit paperwork. Well, unless it has been shredded. Where do they keep all the papers? I thought it was all online at this point.

So, the nurse gathered me from the waiting area and did the check in with my vitals and an EKG, then left me to wait. No worries, I had my phone with a book loaded to listen to while I sat. The Man was in his truck with his phone. What did we do before phones? I usually had a book to read, but The Man would pace impatiently and sigh a lot.

The visit was electronic. This new doctor appeared on the screen and went through all my recent tests. He went back 5 years and studied all of them. I was impressed! He informed me that during the 2-week period with the halter monitor I had had nearly 400 incidents of various anomalies. He said that was about average for patients experiencing arrythmias but was concerned that the beta blocker was not more effective. He added another drug to my regimen. Flecainide to be taken in the morning and in the evening. I read all the side effects and was not at all concerned about taking it. I usually highlight the side effects I wish to have, weight loss being number one. This had nothing to offer other than its intended target and there was nothing to choose from.

That part out of the way, he began discussing my most recent ECHO. Seems that my left atrium is significantly larger than is normal. The valve is leaky, which might account for the enlargement, but the enlargement is disproportionate to the size of the leak. He said the leak was minimal, while the enlargement is considered to be maximal. This accounts for my constant fatigue and increased episodes of tachycardia. In my mind I was thinking "Well, just fix it!" I didn't voice the thought. I am not a good candidate for ablation at this point but might be in the future.

The next step he suggested is to find out why the atrium is enlarged. To get a better view I will be having an esophageal ECHO next week. I wait to hear from the scheduling person at the hospital. What are the chances that the hand surgeon and the hospital will call with the same appointment time? Maybe the surgeon can come to the hospital and tinker with my hand anomaly while the ECHO is done? Makes sense to me. 

I picked up my new drug and dutifully swallowed it and went on with my day. Friday night we usually go out to eat. Last Friday we tried a new place and were sorely disappointed in the food. The service was great, but the food was not. So, we went to our old favorite where we have yet to be disappointed in the food or service. I was feeling pretty good when we left our house and until we got to the restaurant. We were sitting waiting for a table when all of a sudden, squiggly lines blurred my vision. I was dizzy and did not feel well at all. I waited a few minutes to see if it would pass, then told The Man I did not feel well. By that time, I could not see much at all. I knew he was hungry, so I told him to order the food to go. He offered to get a menu for me. I would have seared him with "the look", but I couldn't even do that. I just told him to get the special for the night. I wasn't sure what it was and didn't care. I wanted to go to the truck to wait as I felt a little nauseous. I figured it would be better to disgrace myself outside, if only for the sake of their business.

Of course, these side effects were listed when I looked the drug up. They were considered to be minor, while I did not think the same since I was the one experiencing them. I thought about walking to the truck alone but thought better of it since I could only see outlines of objects. The Man escorted me to the truck. I was dizzy and could not walk a straight line and stumbled a bit while walking. Once I took the seat, I leaned it back to a reclining position and closed my eyes. It was quiet and peaceful in the truck until my phone alerted me to a text coming in. 

It was The Man. I had to squint my eyes and concentrate to see the words. "You OK?" So many replies ran through my mind, so very many and most of them not very nice. I simply replied with "OK". Why would he send me a text knowing my vision was blurred?  Because that is who he is. If I have a headache so bad I need to sleep it off, it is guaranteed he will wake me to ask if I am better yet. His need to know outweighs my discomfort. He will ask me what needs to be done, and I will immediately want to ask if he can't figure that out by looking around.