Stress Test Part 1

I had to have the test in two parts. Part one was just the injection of radioactive dye and then x-rays of my heart with the dye pumping through it. Part two was the stress part where I walk on the treadmill, and then more x-rays.

So after all of that crazy back and forth shit with my PCP, don't you think that there was a problem with the paperwork when I got to the hospital? Of course there was. The paper that I was assured was a prescription and a referral, was indeed not. First, they didn't like the wording of the prescription and hopped on the phone to speak with someone at the doctor's office. It was 12:30, so of course, everyone is out to lunch. The hospital decided that the wording was correct after all.

I was called in to give more paperwork and that was when they decided that the paperwork from the PCP was not a referral. They called the doctor's office again and it was going to take them time to get the referral paperwork together. Meanwhile, I was sitting there waiting...The hospital decided to let them start the test even though they didn't have the referral, confident that the PCP would come through. Great because this was my lunch hour and now I was going to have to use more time to cover my absence from work.

A balding middle-aged man came to bring me into the room. He wasn't much of a talker and had zippo personality. Oh, this was going to be fun. I sat down and he went off to get the radioactive dye. It was the color of yellow/green Gatorade. He started looking for a vein to shoot the dye into. Since he was such a cold fish, I wasn't exactly forthcoming with how difficult it is to find my veins...I don't know why because the only person I was really hurting was myself.

He attempted to stick me in the arm. After digging around for a vein and not getting one, I suggested that he just go for the hand. Yeah, it hurts more, but at least they always find a vein. He tried the arm a second time and then went for the hand. He pushed the dye in and I said, "well, you got it, right?" and he said, "I hope so." That didn't make me feel too warm and fuzzy.

Anyway, I lay down on this narrow table with my arms over my head for 15 minutes while the machine slowly snapped x-rays. I wasn't supposed to move, but you know how that goes, right? Someone tells you not to do something, so of course, you have to do it. It wasn't too bad and then it was over. He said he'd see me tomorrow for part two of the test. I took that to mean that I was stuck with Mr. personality again. See what joys befall me?

I had no time to eat anything for lunch and had to head back to work. I used 1.5 hours of sick time in addition to my lunch. I heated a can of Soup to Go in the microwave and went back to my office to eat it. Just then, my boss walked in and sat down. She was in the mood to talk, so I couldn't really have my soup. The soup was too hot anyway, but by the time she left, it was cold. So much for lunch.