Into The Lions Den - The Echocardiogram

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer of course as there is nothing particularly difficult about having an echocardiogram done . This is especially true when having the standard noninvasive one as i did . Other than the fact that the technician doing the procedure just wants you to shut up and quit asking questions while being still it can be quite interesting  to watch your heart work on your behalf .

After returning home and doing some research regarding this procedure i now have a better understanding of why a significant portion of my imaging was done in the left atrium - left ventricle area of the heart including the mitral value . This is the chamber of the heart that pumps oxygenated blood to the other parts of the body and where most of my problem lies .

The Cardiologist

As my imaging procedure was not done until late in the day i did not receive a visit from the Cardiologist until the following day . Upon entry the first thing he said to me was " make a fist " . So , i made a feeble fist smug in the thought that i knew he was  going to tell me the heart was the size of my fist .  In fact , i was even ready to crack a joke about having small hands ..   :-)

The joke never came as what he actually said was " your heart is twice the size of your fist " . Worse , or at least it sounded worst to me was the accompanying detail that the heart was operating at about a 50 % rate of efficiency . Now , 50 % or a 500 batting average in baseball would make you the greatest ever in the sport but 50 % in terms of your heart function sounds more like an F for failure to me . And as it turns out that was exactly the diagnosis.. " Heart Failure " .

Fortunately the term Heart Failure in medicine does not mean your heart has stopped functioning completely for obvious reasons . But , it does mean your heart is in the process of heading that direction if not dealt with in a fairly prompt way . My wife even says i had a heart attack though i don't recall that statement being made in my presence . Of course it's possible the statement was not made in my presence or that i was just fogged out at the time and don't remember it . 

Note; For comparison purposes only - the cost of my echocardiogram was listed as 3,700 peso . That was for the test only and did not include additional fees for the doctor(s) that interpreted the results( which can and do run higher than the test itself )   :-)

Going Forward - To Be Continued