Strong, is your heart.

Since I don't want to type up a big missive on FB or some such, I thought this would be a good time to crank up the old Blog that I haven't been around for awhile.

Since this is Aging Superhero and this is definitely an aging matter, why not?

Thursday I had to have a trans-radial arterial catheterization to check out my heart.
Check out you-tube videos on it...it's pretty cool.

I've noticed a marked decrease in my running ability as of late with increasing chest pain with exercise.
Saw my doc, then the gastroenterologist as it was thought to be a acid reflux problem. That led to me having to be cleared by the cardiologist I see (for some genetic heart abnormalities) who did not like what he heard and had me come back for a nuclear stress test. Saw a shadow on my heart that he was not comfortable with, which then saw me on the table of an eminent Heart doc who specializes in Trans-radial caths.
With me so far?
So that's:
Monday: Gastro.
Tuesday: Cardiologist.
Wednesday: Cardiologist again.
Thursday: a Heart Yoda.

Friday, here at four o'clockish, I'm finally feeling better enough to stand up, and cognizant enough to type and make sense! (I think. Sorry for any mistakes.)

Lots of emotion involved.
Go for the  catheterization, though the arm, and here are the possible outcomes:
You're fine, go home.
You need meds and monitoring to keep partial blockages open.
You need a stent to prop open the blockages that they find in the heart arteries that are severe.
You get to come back for open heart surgery and a bi-pass operation.

Had to take time with Mary Lou (best wife of the world) and talk about insurance, living wills, and what happens if it all goes bad. Tough.

Tears before the procedure. Kisses. "I love yous'"

In and out in 30 minutes.
I remember snap shots of it all with the doc, a Yoda figure, directing his team, teaching, helping, joking.

Urging his cardiac padwans to great things.

In short?
"You have 100 more years on that heart. Go run. go bike. Keep doing what your doing!"
He repeated it again after the meds had worn off a bit as did the nurse later verbatim.

Heart is clear with "Minimal coronary heart disease". I'm 63 so some plaque is to be expected for crying out loud!

My right arm where they placed the port for the catheter is quite sore as is the whole arm. No lifting  for a week and use it as little as possible.

Follow up with the cardiologist ( a man I now trust with my life) this week and off to the gastroenterologist to see whats what with the stomach  and acid business.