Catch and Release

Yesterday, earlier than expected, Renee was taken down to radiology for the nuclear stress test. Here, they put her on a table about the size of a balance beam and used a camera device that moves around you and takes pictures for eighteen minutes. Then they injected her with some wild juice that makes your heart go pitter patter and took more pictures for six minutes. She was then sent to a holding pen for 45 minutes. After the wait, they brought her back in for even more pictures.

They compare the pictures from the three stages and can tell if there is something abnormal going on with your heart. Then you are sent back to your room and wait, of course, for the doctors to review the findings and relay them to you.

In the meantime, both the gastro-doc and the staff doc stop in to tell us how well things are going and agree that if nothing major comes out of the stress test that Renee may go home.

Some friends stop by for a visit and Renee says that she’s starting to feel like herself for the first time in a year. Upon hearing this, the friends leave. They came to visit a sick person. Just kidding, they had to run, I think they left their combined six kids alone outside trashing the minivan.

The nurse pops in and says that the staff doctor has released Renee as long as the cardiologist agrees. And we wait … tick, tick, tick.

About 4:00Pm the nurse pulls the IV tube from Renee’s hand and says she’s pretty confidant about Renee going home. She said she’s called down to radiology to see if the cardiologist has an answer yet … tick, tick, tick. Her beeper goes off while she’s wrapping Renee’s hand in gauze but she ignores it. The nurse’s assistant comes in and tells the nurse that the cardiologist is on the phone…. It’s about the patient in Room 442…boo…we’re in 435. But then he says the name. It’s about Renee, yea. She rushes out to take the call.

She reappears a few minutes later and says she has called for transport. The paperwork is done and Renee can go.

Renee’s not in perfect shape but she’s good enough to recover in her own house. She is given strict orders about follow up with her family practitioner, blood specialists, gastroenterologist and the cardiologist. Numerous prescriptions are attached to the paperwork and she’s told not to miss the next scheduled antibiotic dose.

After a stop at Walgreen’s, we made it home around 5:45PM. With all of the hooks removed, Renee has been set free again to swim in the big pond.