Getting One's Foot In The Door

                                         Dr. Allan Melicor and his wife Blessie

The gentleman pictured above has been my " foot in the door " . A member of the church my wife attends he is a surgeon by specialty and though not directly involved he has been kind enough to co - ordinate my entry into the Capitol University hospital system by making the necessary connections with the appropriate medical professionals .

Dr. Melicor happens to be one of those rare individuals that you simply feel comfortable with upon meeting and feel as you have known for years  . The fact that he is a rather well know individual for his work in the medical missionary field i did not know until i Googled his name and pages of data appeared .   :-) 

Upon entering the hospital the first order of business was thought to be an ultrasound of the stomach region that might clarify whether the edema was associated with the Kidneys , Liver , etc . Because the ultrasound required a fasting state prior to being done additional tests were run that disclosed the " primary " problem was with the heart and other concerns were secondary effects brought about by the heart .

My EKG was essentially off the chart in terms of my heart's rhythm and it was at this point that i realized i might be in some very deep do do.. A visit by an Internist confirmed that fact as this individual lived up to her reputation as being " straight forward " ( political correctness applied here ) .   :-) What ensued with this particular doctor i only found out about later as my wife had tailed her out the door for one of those conservations you are never privy to as an expat spouse . 

As it turns out this particular doctor thought i was in denial regarding my diagnosis . This was apparently due to my BP remaining stable and my not having some sort of emoting experience resembling a cultural melodrama . Alas , i had already contemplated the possibilities based on my age , lack of previous medical attention and common sense . Also thrown in was a heavy dose of " if it's my time , it's my time " .

Into the Lion's Den - The Echocardiogram

To be Continued