what i’m thankful for…

As you might remember from my last post, I have been undergoing some testing recently. In response to the shortness of breath and constant fluttering in my chest my doctor ordered a spirometry test and echocardiogram.

I actually have never had a spirometry test, so I was excited to try something new. It’s interesting how being “excited to try something new” has changed over the past decade. In my younger, healthier days, that meant something a lot different.

The spirometry test is a breathing test that involves measuring the amount of air when inhaling from a tube and blowing (again, something that had a very different meaning in my younger, healthier days). The machine measures the air inhaled and exhaled in comparison to the standard for someone of similar age and weight. After a few good breaths into the machine, an albuterol treatment is administered, and after a 15 minute break, the test is repeated. A spirometry test is used to diagnose asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other lung conditions.

The albuterol made my heart race and gave me palpitations, but otherwise the test went well. I passed with flying colors – apparently I am excellent at breathing.

Next was the echocardiogram. An echo is an ultrasound of your heart. A tech rubs a wand over your chest and pictures of your heart appear on screen, and when the audio is turned on you can hear the heartbeat through speakers. There is something rather existential about seeing the valves of your heart open and close on screen while at the same time you listening to the deep “glub lub” of each heartbeat. It’s really quite humbling.

I received a call from the doctor a few days later with the results of the echo. Fortunately, everything was normal, which was a huge relief. With the near constant fluttering in my chest, it’s hard not to worry that something in my heart is malfunctioning. Although I still don’t have any answers, the results of the echo have eased some of my fears.

So since it’s Thanksgiving here in the U.S., and I don’t get to sit around the table with my family and share what we’re all thankful for, I thought I’d share it with you. Today I am thankful for my health. I don’t say that often, especially in recent years. Tomorrow I may go back to being frustrated about this ridiculous chest fluttering and how its cause evades medical professionals, but today, I’m just happy to be alive.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the U.S., and warm wishes for a wonderful weekend to all my friends elsewhere. What are you thankful for?

“I do not think of all the misery, but the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy.” – Anne Frank

Happy Thanksgiving!
– Linds