Part 2 Stress test

My prep for part 2 was nothing by mouth except sips of water since midnight.  And for 24 hours  before, no caffeine, no chocolate, no 'caffeine-free' products, nada.  

It started with an RN from Cardiology putting in an IV and connecting a 12 lead ekg machine to me.  Then my CT technician from yesterday, Johanna, came in and injected the radioactive dye.  

Then the stress medication was injected. Another staffer had joined by this time and was stationed to take my BP every minute.  The stress medication gave me a feeling of panic in my chest and made it difficult to breath.  It was not a good feeling, in fact if I had this sensation at home, I would call 911 and assume the worst was happening.  The nurse & Johanna were very calming though and gave me a tip to move my feet like windshield wipers to help the medicine dissipate.  Mostly I think it kept my mind off that other feeling, gave me an alternate focus.

Five minutes goes by quite quickly and then the effects of medicine began to end.  By the time I was allowed to get dressed, I was feeling pretty normal.  I still had to wait the rest of the hour to have the CT scan, and there were some weird aches and pains in my knees and ankles, which I'm assuming was that drug taking leave.  It is a vasodialator, so it makes blood rush to the heart area which causes the stress reaction in that big muscle.  

Soon, it was time for the CT scan which went a little faster than yesterday.

My overall experience was good. The team of CT & cardiology is well timed and cohesive. I felt well cared for and their timing was precise.  It was impressive to be in the middle of such effective teamwork.

I stopped for breakfast again and then came home for a big, huge, long nap.

The results will be ready in a few days.  Since this is mainly a pre-op check-box, I'm not  too concerned about the results.  It will be good to have this baseline in my record.

I'm very glad to have this completed, I had wasted time dreading the whole deal, and it was nothing worth dreading.

My appointment with the orthopedic surgeon is July 2. Then I'll find out what is next for my achy knee.