Page 21 - Seniorstoday March 2022 Issue
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of my children, twenty-three years of good and a 2D-echo confirmed all was well with
health, kind of gave me the vision that I was my heart.
on the right track. The marvel of a curious doctor, suggested
I belong to the nature cure, ‘food is (not on an urgent basis) a CT angiogram to
medicine’ brigade, so when I was asked to rule out all doubts, given my family history,
start a statin a few years ago, because of yes here is where the family history came
family history, I slyly declined the doctor’s into play again.
advice and continued to live by nature cure. It was this CT angiogram that revealed a
All signs of chest tightness were attributed little something that was in hiding for who
to stress and anxiety as I never felt tiredness knows how long.
or breathlessness and walked my ten to The report suggested an angiogram and one
twelve thousand steps plus one hour of knows that an angiogram is almost always
Iyengar yoga six days a week. followed by an Angioplasty; it’s just a matter
of how many tubes need cleaning. Hmmm,
THE FIRST SIGN—One day I experienced sounds so clinical but it is the very truth.
a giddy spell after my yoga class and on Exactly the way it panned out for me.
taking my blood pressure, saw it was The three important parameters to clear—
unusually high, this settled in a few ECG
days naturally. The chest pain and slight 2D Echo
heaviness in my head continued. CT angiogram
if these are clear you are home safe.
What exactly did I feel? Once the CT angiogram reported
Like you want to burp and the burp is not irregularities, there was no time to be
released, like air bubbles are trapped in your wasted.
chest and intestines, sometimes you can’t I was asked to do a few tests — CBC,
take a deep full breath but normal breathing Creatinine and of course RCPTR, admitted
is fine, occasional pain in shoots or stings in early next morning and before I could
your chest area and your neck and shoulder catch my breath, I was on a stretcher being
area feels stiff. All this passed and life was wheeled into the Cath Lab.
well again.
I also believe that I am divinely protected, How Do You Prepare Yourself Before You
good or bad, foolish or wise I don’t know, but Get Admitted —
I tend to live life fearlessly with this belief. Physically
Here’s how my story unfolds with divine remove all body hair
protection leading me to safety. good clearing of the bowel
put together a mini toilet kit
THE SECOND SIGN— A deep tissue your medicine pouch
massage, led to soreness of my left shoulder your medical file
blade, this slight swelling but acute soreness, no lenses, no false teeth
burning sensation and shooting pain at a set of clothes
times for over two months permeating to disposable slippers
the chest led me to investigate. A visit to the eye mask
Physiotherapist confirmed a muscle spasm ear plugs
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #33 | MARCH 2022 21
