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?
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