I’m sorry for ending Saturday’s post on a cliffhanger. I should have known better than that. The tl;dr is that I had a cardiology appointment, got sent to imaging for an immediate CT scan to rule out a pulmonary embolism, and had three-ish hours of worrying that I might have to spend my day at the ER, getting treated for a blood clot. CT scan was negative for any clots! But it was quite the whirlwind morning that I don’t want to repeat ever again, thank you very much.
6:42 a.m.: My damn internal clock had me awake before 7 a.m. on a day off. At least the cats are cute, Lila giving her sister a little “good morning” ear sniff.
7:31 a.m.: After doing my NYT games, it was time for coffee and a light breakfast. I scrolled through some Reddit forums while I ate breakfast.
8:38 a.m.: I’m leaving for my cardiology appointment on time! This is a feat for me. I hate being late, but I also have a bit of time blindness these days.
9:21 a.m.: My cardiology appointment! The appointment went well, and I really liked my cardiologist. As I explained my symptoms and how I’d been feeling in the past few months, he started to get very concerned that I might have a blood clot in my lungs. He wanted me to get a CT scan immediately, and if the scan came back positive, then I would have to go straight to the ER so they could get me started on warfarin. (This isn’t something that could be handled outpatient, as I would need monitoring and intravenous medication.)
I was not expecting this! I had figured I’d talk through my symptoms, we would schedule some additional testing in a few weeks, and I’d be on my way. Instead, after this appointment, I headed straight downstairs to the imaging lab to get scheduled for a CT scan. Thankfully, they were able to fit me in for an 11:30 a.m. appointment. It’s at this point that I first thought I would really like my mom to be with me. Usually, I can handle these medical appointments on my own. No biggie! But thinking about having to be admitted to the ER immediately if my test was positive made me very emotional. I texted her what was happening, and her response was to ask for the address so she could wait with me. I could tell I was in a state since I started crying knowing she would be by my side. (I am not a crier by nature!)
10:22 a.m.: Waiting, waiting. I’m very glad I brought a book with me to this appointment! I don’t always do that because I figure I can mess around on my phone, but I tucked All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert in my purse before leaving home. (Side note: I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book, but she has so many insights about codependency, and it is rocking my world, since that’s something I’m working on hard in therapy right now.) My bigger problem was that I was starving, and my light breakfast was not tiding me over at all. I couldn’t eat until after the scan, so I just stared longingly at the cafe nearby and thought about blueberry muffins and cookies the size of my face.
Thankfully, I was able to get my CT scan started right before 11 a.m. and had the results within an hour: negative for any blood clots! Whew. The next step to figuring out why I keep experiencing shortness of breath/chest tightness is an echocardiogram, which is scheduled for mid-July. I’m glad we got the worst-case scenario ruled out immediately, even if it did cause some heightened anxiety on my end that I’m still processing. My hope is that this is all related to long-term steroid use, but I also want to make sure nothing is underlying causing these symptoms.
11:54 a.m.: After the CT scan (I was allowed to leave while I waited for the results), my mom and I drove to her house so she could drop off her car. We had errands to run, and I’m very glad I could still enjoy my day! I got to have some quality time with my furbabies. I came into the house while they were outside with my mom, and I could see through the sliding glass windows as Chip started sniffing the air like crazy and then got super excited! I guess he smelled me in the air and knew I had arrived before I even showed myself. It was adorable!
12:35 p.m.: I had been craving a croissant turkey sandwich from my favorite local deli, and it truly hit the spot.
1:25 p.m.: A retailer that rhymes with Schlobby Knobby already has their fall decorations out. In June. I cannot process this at all.
2:59 p.m.: Other errands were run, and I kept forgetting to take pictures, so instead, I snuck in this picture of the girls in the nick of time. I’m finally home from my long morning/afternoon, and the girls, of course, do not care to hear about it! They just want their damned treats. (Lila is mid-yawn; she’s not screaming at me.)
3:26 p.m.: I’m sad for anyone who doesn’t have a sweet kitty cat to watch over them while they sleep. <3
No picture in the 4:00 hour because I was in dreamland.
5:23 p.m.: My nap was a good 90 minutes, which is longer than usual these days. It was much-needed! When I woke up, I did some chores around the apartment and worked on some bloggy things.
6:56 p.m.: I made nachos for dinner because what’s a better way to celebrate not having an emergency heart condition? Tortilla chips covered with ground beef, cheese, and sour cream? My cardiologist would be so happy with this meal. So happy.
7:26 p.m.: (Excuse the dirty iPad.) I’m watching the end of season 3 of The Traitors Canada. I had maybe 2.5 episodes left when I started watching tonight, and decided I would spend the evening finishing up the season, coloring, and relaxing.
8:50 p.m.: I made some break-and-bake cookies, paired with a Dr. Pepper because I am the picture of health tonight.
9:52 p.m.: Almost done! This scene is the “Fire of Truth,” which is the final part of the show. The host of this iteration of The Traitors is Karine Vanasse, and her style is wild. You can see her finale outfit here, which was an 80s-style prom dress with wet curly hair? IDK.
10:35 p.m.: After three hours of watching TV (oops), I need to get Saturday’s blog post ready to publish! I spend a little time on that and read through a handful of email subscriptions, too.
11:39 p.m.: After an abbreviated evening routine (meaning: I skipped my skincare routine), I’m finally ready for bed, and so is Eloise. She’s often sitting on my bed waiting for me, starting around 10 p.m. Then, when I come into the bedroom, she starts meowing at me, as if to admonish me for getting to bed so late. I hear you, girl!
Have you ever had a CT scan? What’s the last TV show you watched?
Oof. That was a long day for you. How nice that your mom could hang out with you while you were waiting, and I’m so glad it turned out OK. That’s stressful! I have had 2 CT scans. So far, knock on wood, I’ve not had anything bad show up. It’s amazing technology. Ha! Schlobby Knobby! I love that store! Bring on the fall decorations! 🤣
The whole “feeling like you peed your pants” feeling from the dye is SO WEIRD, lol. I’m glad I was able to get a quick CT scan and quick results. I didn’t THINK I had a PE, but who friggin knows.
Maybe I’ll be ready for fall in July???
Well…this was a great day apart from the 3 hours of worry. Phew!
I’m in a nacho phase right now with no apologies and no regrets. Look, I had leftover taco meat, what else was I supposed to do? I started things off with an enormous roasted sweet potato as the carb base with a few tortilla chips on the side, which was enough for two dinners and on the third night the sweet potato was gone so I went straight up nachos.
The last TV show that I watched was The Gilded Age! I held off on starting season 3 forever and this weekend I decided that it was finally time to go for it.
I love how you made your nachos semi-healthy with a sweet potato base! I don’t even attempt to be healthy.
Ooh, I keep hearing great things about The Gilded Age. I need to give it a try!
OMG Stephany. I am so glad you didn’t have a blood clot! That’s so scary and something that I worry about a lot, what with my crazy varicose veins and everything. How upsetting to go to the appointment and then get an emergency CT scan! I hope they have answers – maybe it is the steroid usage? I don’t know but I hope they get it figured out.
That photo of your cats cracked me up. It’s like, is this what they do when you’re gone? It’s hilarious.
Your mom is fantastic.
SO glad you’re okay! xo
I’m really hoping this is all due to long-terms steroid usage, but better safe than sorry! I mean, I used to do HIIT/spin classes multiple times a week and now I’m getting out of breath when going on a walk! Bah.
I am so glad your CT was clear! I definitely could not wait until Monday for this news so am glad I could text you! I was worried!
I’ve had several CT scans, and I have also been checked for blood clots in my lungs. I had a hard time breathing during my pregnancy with Paul in the later weeks of the pregnancy. I thought it was just the way he was positioned but it was freaking Phil out because I would kind of gasp for breath. So I sent a note to my doctor at Phil’s urging and she called and said that since I had a blood clot at 34 weeks, I absolutely had to get checked to make sure I didn’t have a pulmonary embolism. It was unlikely since I was on blood thinner injections. And sure enough, the CT was clear. I’ve had several other CTs but can’t tell you how many I’ve had. I’ve also had MRIs and a nuclear medicine scan when a persistent cough would not go away and the pulmonologist I saw wanted to investigate a node he saw in an x-ray. That process was more stressful than any other scans since I knew they were checking for cancer. Thankfully it was clear.
Awww – I’m glad you did! I didn’t think anyone would worry. I should have phrased things better!
A nuclear medicine scan! That sounds high-tech. I’m definitely getting my fill of new medical experiences in the past few years. Yay?
EEK. That’s scary! Very glad you don’t have a blood clot in your lungs. That part of the day sounds horrible, but I like how you enjoyed the rest of it. Delicious food, fun errands (fall stuff OMG!!!!) a nap, TV, cats… The day sounds fun from 12:00 on.
Right now we’re trying to watch the World Cup game between the US and Australia. I don’t know… soccer just isn’t that much fun to watch??? I feel like I’m in the minority though- it’s obviously wildly popular. I’m also reading my book so missing the most exciting (?) parts.
Ugh, I am so sorry you’ve been dealing with chest tightness/shortness of breath. It’s such a scary and uncomfortable feeling. I am glad the doctor wanted to make sure everything is ok, even though you didn’t expect to be sent for a CT scan that morning. Better be safe than sorry (and I am so glad that the results came back negative for a blood clot). You’re also scheduled for an echo…. do you by any chance also have to do the long-term ECG patch? LOL We could compare notes! 😉 J/K.
I am glad you were able to hang out with your mom and your day otherwise sounds delightful.