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Test Results

 

Test Results

Friday, September 9, 2022

1:22 PM

I've been slow to post my update from Wednesday at the hospital. The death of Elizabeth took me on many different tangents.

 

As you'll recall from a previous episode, I had to return to the QEH for the second part of the nuclear stress test. This involved having an IV "installed" in my right arm and then having more radioactive material slipped into a vein with some chemical cocktail that caused all my arteries and veins to dilate simulating me exercising. Since I couldn't walk on a treadmill, this was the approach the medical team took. I was hooked up to an octopus of wires that were checking heart, pulse, breathing, etc. There were four on the team: the doctor, the nurse, the tech, and a medical student from Mun. The doctor explained the possible effects from the IV could be an instant headache, nausea and/or vomiting, or feeling flushed. The procedure took about 15 minutes. Along with a variety of digital readouts the doctor monitored graph paper that was steadily being printed with squiggles. Near the end, I told them I was feeling flushed and a little drugged. The doctor had an antidote ready and as soon as we were done, he disconnected the IV and squirted it into my arm. Within 15 seconds I was feeling fine again.

 

Mary was my porter that day and shuttled me back to the room where they would take another CT scan as well as images through these panel scanners that rotated around me. The tech greeted me with an apple juice which further helped me feel better. Once she had me on the scanner bed, she wrapped me in heated blankets which I needed. The temperature in that room was cold verging on freezing. Once I was snuggled in, the imaging took about 15 minutes.

 

I don't know when I'll get the results, but I expect to have an appointment soon with the respirologist and hear what tests revealed. These tests by way of a reminder are part of the process in my application for a lung transplant.

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