@predictable- Martin, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time last February to respond to my request for possible questions I might ask at my Mayo appt. this past April. We've just returned from AZ. back to our home in OR and wanted to follow up with you and other members on how the appts. went.
It was a very busy day and also the last full day in town and it started with a 12 hr. fast so the next morning at 9:30 was blood work, next at 1:30 an EKG and then at 2 a consult with the cardioloigist assigned to me Dr. J. J. Lynch. Next was the Stress Echo which was amazing! I had a team of 2 techs working with me and Dr. Lynch spent much of the time as well in the room. I never had a stress echo before but after they wire you all up for the stress portion, they have you lay down so the echo tech can shoot a bunch of pictures of my resting heart. Then they have you pop up from the bed on a tread mill and begin very slowing ramping me up about every 3 minutes to the next level. I had just finished the 12th minute at 3.5 speed & a 12% grade when the Dr. asked can you go another level? I told him I would give it my best! The tread mill registered a speed of 4.5 and a 16% grade. It was flying and I started jogging to keep up! The Dr. asked if I could go anoth 90 seconds and I said yes. The tread mill comes to an abrupt stop and they have me drop down immediately onto the bed and the echo tech immediately gets after it. I was somewhat winded, but also very exhilarated. The tech was really great having me breath and commenting how well I did and the great pictures she was getting. The Dr. said to me right then and there that there was no way my EF was still at 30 and said mostly likely at 45-48. I can't express how wonderful those words were to hear! After getting cleaned up I spent another 1/2 hr. with Dr. Lynch going over all the preliminary results from all the tests from the day and talked quite a bit about the echo. I was told a year after my HA after my echo that there was no change and likely there would be none. I was bummed! Dr. Lynch seemed to think that new blood vessels have probably been growing and extending new rich blood back into some of those areas of nearby tissue. I got the chance to ask all your questions you sent me and more, never feeling he was in a rush. I'm so glad I made that appt. with the Scottsdale Mayo! What amazing care I received there! Thank you Martin! @thankful.