Visiting doctors is becoming a full-time job.
It's Tuesday and I'm at the local doctor again. A medical student observes the consultation. He eagerly listens to my heart through a stethoscope and asks me how this heart problem first came to my attention.
The doctor briefly explains the anatomy surrounding my lacking leaflet. He says he was wrong about the aortic murmur. It's the mitral heart valve that is damaged. He says I might need a heart valve replacement. He refers me to a web site where I can watch a video. I tell him I don't want to watch it.
Tentatively I ask: what sort of operation is it, what sort of scar do I end up with and how long will I be out of action? He tells me we have good surgeons here and it's not necessarily open heart surgery. Some cardiologists will do it themselves. The cardiologist will advise me whether my condition should be monitored or operated.
From the Mayo Clinic web site:
"Heart surgeons perform many heart valve surgeries with minimally invasive heart surgery, including video thoracoscopic and robot-assisted surgery. Minimally invasive surgery involves the use of smaller incisions, and you may have less pain and a shorter recovery period after minimally invasive surgery. Mitral valve repair is one of the most common minimally invasive heart surgeries performed at Mayo Clinic."
Minimally invasive surgery sounds good. I'll have that. I'm seeing the cardiologist in two days.
I worry about not earning any fees for a few weeks. I'll have to pay my rent and other expenses in order to keep my office open. Then I remember that I have income protection insurance. When business dived during the global financial crisis, I'd thought about cancelling it, because the premiums are quite high. But I was too lazy to contact the insurance agent. I've paid these premiums for 25 years and never made a claim. It has a four-week waiting period. Could I be out of action longer than that?
Because I've recently returned from holidays, I don't have a lot of work commitments in the next couple of months. I start to realize that I will need to stop for a while. In fact, there's probably no point firing up new projects. I should just finish off what I'm doing.
To be honest, I don't feel right. I'm distracted by my own heartbeat. Bring on the hospital. Hopefully the problem will get fixed and I can get on with life, instead of dragging a chronic condition around with me.
On the Wednesday night, I go to my singing lesson. I tell my teacher the dramatic news. After he gets over the initial shock, Rohan says "Imagine how much better you'll feel". He continues, "You seem quite fit and healthy now. Imagine how much more energy you'll have when your heart is working properly again."
I'll drink to that.
It's Tuesday and I'm at the local doctor again. A medical student observes the consultation. He eagerly listens to my heart through a stethoscope and asks me how this heart problem first came to my attention.
The doctor briefly explains the anatomy surrounding my lacking leaflet. He says he was wrong about the aortic murmur. It's the mitral heart valve that is damaged. He says I might need a heart valve replacement. He refers me to a web site where I can watch a video. I tell him I don't want to watch it.
Tentatively I ask: what sort of operation is it, what sort of scar do I end up with and how long will I be out of action? He tells me we have good surgeons here and it's not necessarily open heart surgery. Some cardiologists will do it themselves. The cardiologist will advise me whether my condition should be monitored or operated.
From the Mayo Clinic web site:
"Heart surgeons perform many heart valve surgeries with minimally invasive heart surgery, including video thoracoscopic and robot-assisted surgery. Minimally invasive surgery involves the use of smaller incisions, and you may have less pain and a shorter recovery period after minimally invasive surgery. Mitral valve repair is one of the most common minimally invasive heart surgeries performed at Mayo Clinic."
Minimally invasive surgery sounds good. I'll have that. I'm seeing the cardiologist in two days.
I worry about not earning any fees for a few weeks. I'll have to pay my rent and other expenses in order to keep my office open. Then I remember that I have income protection insurance. When business dived during the global financial crisis, I'd thought about cancelling it, because the premiums are quite high. But I was too lazy to contact the insurance agent. I've paid these premiums for 25 years and never made a claim. It has a four-week waiting period. Could I be out of action longer than that?
Because I've recently returned from holidays, I don't have a lot of work commitments in the next couple of months. I start to realize that I will need to stop for a while. In fact, there's probably no point firing up new projects. I should just finish off what I'm doing.
To be honest, I don't feel right. I'm distracted by my own heartbeat. Bring on the hospital. Hopefully the problem will get fixed and I can get on with life, instead of dragging a chronic condition around with me.
On the Wednesday night, I go to my singing lesson. I tell my teacher the dramatic news. After he gets over the initial shock, Rohan says "Imagine how much better you'll feel". He continues, "You seem quite fit and healthy now. Imagine how much more energy you'll have when your heart is working properly again."
I'll drink to that.
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