1:19 pm
Just got back from Mary Beth's echocardiogram. We had hoped to measure how well her heart is pumping while lying down and compare it to when she is standing up when she gets tachycardic and her blood pressure drops to nearly nothing. On the way there I was praying that God would provide a parking spot in front of the clinic, as Mary Beth can't walk very far. There was the most traffic that I've seen since March when the quarantine began. Not a good sign for those wanting a parking spot. Just when we arrived at the clinic, a car parked in front pulled away leaving a spot at the door. God really does take care of the little details too! I sent the cardiologist a message that Mary Beth can't walk or be upright for very long, so to let me know when he was ready for her and I'd bring her in. When he was ready, we walked in, but while waiting for the elevator, Mary Beth nearly passed out, so we had to get a wheelchair.
The cardiologist tried to do the echocardiogram, but because of Mary Beth's pectus excavatum he couldn't see all four heart chambers at once to calculate her ejection fraction or stroke volume. He thought the myocardium looked healthy but it doesn't have any space to work. He said it was displaced to the right side quite a bit. He kind of had an amazed, "How have you lived 37 years like this?!" look on his face. He said we could get a cardiac MRI to calculate her ejection fraction, but we really have enough information at this point.
Perhaps the most amazing part of all was when I asked him, "How much do I owe you?" He replied, "Nothing. I couldn't do the study."
3:16 pm
Speaking of money, I turned in my insurance claim for the month of June. It included a CT scan, a Holter monitor, lab work, medicines, specialist consults and COVID tests. Total: $367.72. Yes, doctor friends in the USA (Dr. Porter and Dr. Schmidt) didn't charge me for internet consults, but it still seems pretty cheap compared to the USA.
5:21 pm
Great news! Dr. Jaroszewski at Mayo has agreed to take on Mary Beth's case. She will have an appointment via internet on July 10th! That's only a week and a day, so we are very thankful!
