Glo-in-the-dark Rat
We leave for Badger this mornin, but last week was sure a roller coaster ride for me. I was havin some chest pains and thought I had a upper respiratory infection. I couldn't see my regular doc up at the Occidental clinic so I got whom ever was available. She asked questions and listened and then tole me that I have angina [hardenin of the arteries], needed ta have my cholesterol checked and have a treadmill test.
Whoa - not good news.
To complicate matters I'm in the processs of switchin my insurance from Blue Shield to Kaiser, which starts today. Gettin an appointment with a specialist usually takes Weeks not days, so I was unsure what ta do. A day later it hit me in the middle of the night, which was sleepless. In the mornin I talked ta Duke [yeah I had ta wake him up] and we called the clinic, where the nurse was very helpful, gettin me an appointment a day later.
The heart doc listened ta me, asked questions and was puzzled as my symptoms weren't what he expected. I did the treadmill test on Tuesday. They shot me up with glo-in-the-dark radioactive dye. I had ta lay for 15 min and have pictures taken, then the treadmill test, then more dye and pictures. I did 12 minutes on the treadmill without any problems and not winded, either. I saw the heart doc Thursday mornin, and he said that my heart was normal and there were no problems. The chest pains have lessen a lot, so he seemed ta think that it was a muscular problem [as did the acupuncturist]. I asked him about clogged arteries, and he said they don't look at those, but that since my heart is normal, I wouldn't have much, if any blockage.
On top of all that, I had taken Z the cat ta the vet the prior week for his annual checkup and vaccinations. Bad news - his kidneys are failin, and his thyroid is actin up. We went ta the vet again on Wednesday, there are pills for his thyroid, 2 times a day and I have ta give him saline solution under the skin every other day for the kidneys. When I practiced with vet, I stuck myself but good in the finger, gotta a lot and bled 'like a stuck pig'. Z has never been really cooperative in the past, so I'll see how it goes. The vet gave him about a year with treatment, less without.
Off ta the clinic this mornin for Duke ta get a shot so he will hopefully not have any migraines at Badger. Gary's commin with us and will meet us at the house when we get back from Occidental, we are bringin stuff for Gene and Bikerbaer, so the truck will be full.
Whoa - not good news.
To complicate matters I'm in the processs of switchin my insurance from Blue Shield to Kaiser, which starts today. Gettin an appointment with a specialist usually takes Weeks not days, so I was unsure what ta do. A day later it hit me in the middle of the night, which was sleepless. In the mornin I talked ta Duke [yeah I had ta wake him up] and we called the clinic, where the nurse was very helpful, gettin me an appointment a day later.
The heart doc listened ta me, asked questions and was puzzled as my symptoms weren't what he expected. I did the treadmill test on Tuesday. They shot me up with glo-in-the-dark radioactive dye. I had ta lay for 15 min and have pictures taken, then the treadmill test, then more dye and pictures. I did 12 minutes on the treadmill without any problems and not winded, either. I saw the heart doc Thursday mornin, and he said that my heart was normal and there were no problems. The chest pains have lessen a lot, so he seemed ta think that it was a muscular problem [as did the acupuncturist]. I asked him about clogged arteries, and he said they don't look at those, but that since my heart is normal, I wouldn't have much, if any blockage.
On top of all that, I had taken Z the cat ta the vet the prior week for his annual checkup and vaccinations. Bad news - his kidneys are failin, and his thyroid is actin up. We went ta the vet again on Wednesday, there are pills for his thyroid, 2 times a day and I have ta give him saline solution under the skin every other day for the kidneys. When I practiced with vet, I stuck myself but good in the finger, gotta a lot and bled 'like a stuck pig'. Z has never been really cooperative in the past, so I'll see how it goes. The vet gave him about a year with treatment, less without.
Off ta the clinic this mornin for Duke ta get a shot so he will hopefully not have any migraines at Badger. Gary's commin with us and will meet us at the house when we get back from Occidental, we are bringin stuff for Gene and Bikerbaer, so the truck will be full.