2nd: Health check

Yay!! I'm as healthy as ever...

Went to a cardiologist recently to have a check-up on my abnormal heartbeat, a follow up from the previous visit. Once again, I'm one of the earliest people to register, reached there about 7.45am. I got the first number, even though with the first number, I still have to wait until after 10am before I was called. As this is the second time i'm at the hospital, I'm smarter this time. I borrowed a Sony PSP to fill my time. That makes it not so boring sitting there waiting for more than 2 hours.

At about 10am, I was called into the room with a machine. Hrm..what do you call machine that doctor used to scan pregnant lady? Ultrasound? Anyway, the doctor use the machine to look at my heart, he showed me the door valve (injap) that close and open when blood is pump from one room to another, he also showed me the valve from different angle, side way and front. He said they're working fine. Personally, I don't know if they working fine or not but I'd say the way a heart system work are amazing, although I did study them in biology class I'm still amazed when I saw them opening and closing on the monitor.

The doctor said my heart is working fine, it's just that they are a bit too slow. My heart beat is slower than normal per minute count. Then I remembered my friend told me that people who are active (in sports) tend to have slower heartbeat, so I ask the doctor and told him that I go hiking often and I participated in half-marathon. After awhile, he said "that might explains your slow heart rate." -_-"

After the scan, I was again asked to sit and wait for the next round of test. Another one hour passed before I was called into the room to do a stress test. They make me really stressful and check if my heart stop...haha!! No no, just kidding.

They made me walk on treadmill, where the speed and inclination increases every 3 mins. There were wires stuck to my chest and a small reader tied to my waist. The small reader were then connected to a big machine with display monitor of graph, speed and duration plus a graph printer. I thought the running would be sap sap sui for me but I was wrong. At min 9, the treadmill got really steep and the speed gets really fast. I had a hard time running on it already. When it was nearing min 12, the nurse cautioned me that the speed are about to increase again. As the speed increases again, the nurse ask if I can continue, I told her I'm tired already. I was already sweating, and I felt dizzy too. Haih, very cham...I haven't been exercising lately, no gym, no swimming, no jogging lor.

After the run, the nurse attached another set of 5 wires on my body, 3 at the chest area, 2 at both left and right side of my ribs. The wires were then attached to a recorder the size of handphone, and attached to my waist with a belt. That thing is called the holter.

Another half an hour wait to see the doctor. He explain to me what the holter is for and why do I need to have a holter with wires attached to my body for the next 24hours. Looking at the stress test result, he said my heart battery is still good, i.e. it can beat fast when it is supposed to

So what he need to do now is to monitor my heart beat for one whole day to see if there's a sign of the battery stopping. Actually, I'm not too sure what he meant by battery, I guess he was just trying to use layman's term and doesn't want to confuse me with medical terms. Did he mean battery = heart, or some other thing that control the heart beat? I don't know.

After made payment, I was allowed to leave.

My god!! This round to the hospital burned an even bigger hole in my pocket. RM6XX gone just like that!! Some more have to have all these wires hanging all around me, even when I'm sleeping. And also no bathing for the day, only sponge bath is allowed.