Treatment Progress!

Dr. Shoja is a god. I told her about the weakness that I was having and she immediately decided to write to Jennifer, my nurse practitioner, telling her I need a cardiologist and urgent attention. She thinks there’s a ventricular problem. She explained that the pacemaker deals with electrical problems of the heart—arrhythmia—and that my current problems are of a different nature. She also told me to go to Jennifer and book an appointment ASAP.

I get Her Highness into the car, and we went to the Rikki Road trail to walk. I wanted to see what would happen on the hill and I turned back because it was too much. Armed with conviction from that experience, I went to the clinic, and they told me to come back to see Jennifer at 2:30 in the afternoon. The receptionist also told me to be prepared to go to Nanaimo Hospital for an emergency admission. Yikes.

I came home rather freaked. Dave and his daughter and son-in-law were not home, but I will try to catch them later because I think I could pay Sara and Grey to water my gardens if I must be hospitalized, and they will care for my pets, I’m sure. So, I had lunch, fed the brood and cancelled my lunch date with Jillian and Karen that was supposed to happen here today. Then I went back to the clinic, and man-oh-man was I nervous—not about my heart, but about having to go to hospital and worse, be admitted. One day in emerg I could handle but being admitted … NO THANKS!

At 2:10, I left for the clinic, my mind abuzz with concerns. But, at the same time, relieved to be in care. My oxygen levels are good, my ECG was good, and my lungs and heart sounded good to Jennifer; all the tests were done while I was sitting and after I’d been sitting for an hour. Like Dr. Shoja, Jennifer is certain the weakness comes from something not right with my heart. So, today I go for a chest x-ray in Nanaimo, and I wait for a call from the internist/cardiologist—Dr. Abbys I think—to whom Jennifer has referred me. 

I was very glad to be able to come home and not go to emergency. I texted Steve about me not driving to Victoria to fetch him. Jennifer thinks driving alone to Victoria and sleeping alone in the van is not a good idea; my personal alarm will not work away from home. He took the news very well. 

I’m very happy that my ECG, blood pressure and oxygen levels are all good, but that good news worries me that there is actually nothing wrong and I am just old and out of shape. I always have ‘imposter’s syndrome’ when it comes to going to the doctor. I worry my problems are all in my head. It was really challenging to go up the stairs at the clinic, so I think that there must be something wrong. I’m so conflicted.

Today, I’ll go to Nanaimo for the x-ray, and I’ll treat myself to lunch somewhere before coming home. And I suspect that I’ll hear from Dr. Abbys (?) soon because Dr. Shoja and Jennifer are both treating me as an urgent case.