Eeee! See G.

Despite the efforts of BC Ferries, I managed to get to my ECG appointment at Lion's Gate Hospital last Thursday. Momzy was to have joined Penny and me on the trip but opted out due to a scheduling conflict. Good thing as the one-hour+ we had planned to have for pre-ECG lunch vanished in a fog of frustration and ferry fatigue. Yes, I know it's summer and that ferry runs at this time of year are almost always an overload situation. However, I fail to understand how said tub can arrive at Langdale on time yet managed to depart more than 40 minutes late. But I digress.

You, gentle reader, may remember my last adventure at Lion's Gate Hospital. Without going into the gory (gooey?) details, suffice it to say that it involved one rogue container of yogurt. I had hoped to have enough time prior to the ECG appointment to casually glance at the ceiling of the radiology department to see if the offending pink ooze continued to drip or otherwise show itself, but time didn't allow for diversions.

Immediately upon my arrival, I was whisked into an examining room. The great thing about an ECG vs a MUGA scan is that there was no special prep for the procedure. No fasting. No slowing. No needle in. No needle out. As this was my first such exam, I was eager to see how my heart appeared "on camera". I was informed by the nice but humourless tech that I could most certainly watch the procedure as it was being informed. Then she had me lie on my side with my back to the monitor. I am not entirely certain she managed to capture all the necessary information because upon completion of the test she asked if I had any questions about what I had seen (I wasn't allowed to talk at all during the procedure). I pointed out that it was rather hard to view the monitor from the back of my head (although when I was teaching my students often swore I had eyes in the back of my head). That tidbit of information seemed to puzzle the tech, but she did offer to do a little show-and-tell for my entertainment. What I saw was amazing! I have never been blessed with children, so have never had cause to undergone an ultrasound of that sort before. The monitor gave an very clear view of my heart, with each of the four chambers showing up quite nicely. I could also make out the valves as they opened and closed as is their way. The tech also showed me a from-the-bottom-up view. Fascinating! I was so taken by the experience that I felt the need to share with the tech my musing re what it must be like for an expectant mother to catch the first glimpse of her child via that method. I could hear the wheels grinding in the tech's head as she tried to comprehend what I was driveling on about. Sadly, she didn't offer to take a screen shot - even after I said, in reference to my heart, "Yes sir, that's my baby!"

So, while I lack any form of photographic evidence with which to prove the point, it's nice to know that I have a heart. And it appeared (to my untrained eye at least) to be functioning just fine.

Wish I could say today's PAP test was as much fun. And, no, there will be no photos of that event either.