This is long, as usual. TL;DR at your own whimsy.
So, yesterday I had my full-day medical workup.
To begin with, I had to fast from midnight on.
The day started by getting up at 4:00 AM, getting the baby to my mother-in-law by 5:00 AM, and stopping by work on the way to the hospital. By 6:50 AM I was at the hospital.
At 7:00 AM my wife and I met with a social worker in the main hospital. We discussed basically my mental state and lifestyle. And as usual, once my daughter was brought up I began rambling on and on.
Next was blood work. They had to draw 21 vials of blood from the vein in my right arm, as well as a small amount from the artery in my wrist. And then I was asked to come back later for another vial of blood.
Next up we had to go across the street (via pedway) to the Outpatient Center to get a Dexascan to check bone density. That was interesting as this arm basically went over my hips, shooting radiation into them.
After that was down the hall to the medical imaging center to do an EKG and Echocardiogram. I get these very regularly.
Next, in the same area, but a different team ultrasound my gall bladder, run a doppler on my carotid artery, and then some other test that involved attaching blood pressure cuffs to both arms, four on each leg, and one on each big toe. While in the waiting room for this area is where I heard a man and the nurse discuss what the testicular sonogram was. He asked, but I didn't want to be thinking about his testicles possibly touching one of teh machines I was about to use.
Then a chest x-ray. Again, very routine.
Finally, I grab some food. It is 11:30 by this point. I got a small 1 cup bowl of salad with oil and vinegar because the delis and cafeterias in the hospital area have no low sodium options.
They also have a McDonald's in the children's hospital
so that was no help.
Moving on with my 10 calories for the day, I head across another street (via pedway) to the Heart and Lung Center to their cardiopulmonary lab. It is here that I undergo various pulmonary breathing tests, including a couple that involve being inside a sealed chamber.
After this we wait for a few minutes for the stress test lab to become free and we were sitting alone and my wife looks over at me sitting in the now open chamber and asks if I am OK. I nearly give her my typical, "Yeah, I'm fine," but realize that I finally hit the mental and emotional wall. For the first time in 31 years I finally hit the point in medical testing where if I had an option I would say we were done for the day. Mentally and emotionally I was exhausted, and all I knew was that I still had to get on a treadmill. I decided that if I was going to deal with this thing head-on like I have been I had to push through.
So, we went to the stress test lab and I got all wired up. Then we waited 30 minutes for a cardiologist to show up so they could observe. I hopped on the treadmill and began working my way through the test. The technician said they try to get at least 10 minutes out of everyone. I went 20. After the test she told me that they have a way to measure the lactic acid being put into your muscles (which includes the heart) and most people are expected to reach 1.01 (whatever that means) before they are actually stressed to a point that they can't keep trying. I hit 1.61 and stopped because my legs were on fire. All I knew was I was watching my heart rate and refused to stop until it broke 120 (I hit 124). At rest, I am around 80. The tech told me I hit their expected stopping point when she asked if I needed to stop the first time, and when I pointed out that I made it three cycles after that (one cycle is three minutes, then degree of incline and/or speed increases) she said I did far better than they expected.
In short, I kicked that stress test's ass...as well as a guy with a dying heart can. When I was 16 I was jogging up a steep hill on the freaking things before I had to stop. This was just a brisk walk up a moderate incline.
And after we finished that it was back to the main hospital for the 22nd vial of blood for the day.
And then it was back to the Heart and Lung Center to meet my transplant coordinator for Transplant Teaching, which is where you learn what life changes you have to make. I also got some of my test results back. Everything looks good so far, except I am borderline diabetic. They want me to get treated for that because the drugs I will be taking can cause diabetes, so they are scheduling an endocrinologist appointment for me. But it won't prevent me from being listed.
Then I learned what I can no longer do. Thsi is what I have in my house now that has to go:
No cat (I've had him 11 years
)
No aquarium
No vegetable garden
No houseplants
No cut or dried flowers
No swimming in pools or natural water sources
No cleaning up after the dog
No changing diapers without wearing gloves
No cleaning toilets
No disc golf on wooded courses
No yard work (raking leaves, pulling weeds, mowing, etc)
OK, so the yard work and toilet things aren't bothering me.
Oh, and I cannot drive for at least 6-8 weeks after the surgery. First the cat, now the car!
And my morning routine will consist of:
Check weight
Check Temperature
Check Blood Pressure
Check Pulse
Check glucose (even if not diabetic, because I'll be at risk now)
And somehow my parents will have to quit smoking or I cannot visit them at their houses. My mom smokes outside anyway, but she will have to immediately wash up when she comes back in.
And to be honest this is all a lot more than I was expecting.
We did meet this nice woman in the lab waiting room who is getting a kidney transplant today from a live donor, who is a friend that volunteered. We compared the processes of live vs deceased donors and I clearly got the shaft. No one can just up and volunteer to give me their heart because we are good friends. I should have gotten her name so I could call and see how she is doing today, maybe send a card. Hmm, small interactions can leave a mark and you don't even know their name. That's a first for me.
But that is my day in a nutshell. We got out at 5:30 PM. I have a CT scan on the 17th and then my case will be presented to the transplant board for approval and they hope to have me listed by the end of the year. My transplant coordinator said that I don't have anything in my files so far to even raise a question for discussion about me not being approved. In fact, I have spent most of my life following medication times and monitoring my own health, so I am a great candidate.
Anyone want to give a middle-aged cat that still has energy a good home? I'm refusing to take him to a shelter or give him to a stranger (well, right up until I have no choice).
, glad things appear to be relatively stable for the next few years.
