Got the scan, man

Yesterday I finally got the echocardiogram scan that was delayed by the lockdowns caused by the emergence of the Delta Variant in August. With the inevitability of similar disruptions once Omicron is loose in the community (because that's inevitable), I was anxious to get the scan done. I was relieved when it was finished.

I don’t yet know what the results were, and may not for some days yet, but the person who did the scan didn’t run out of the room screaming, so that’s probably a good sign, right? I’m not expecting there to be any issues, though it’s obviously possible there will be some. Mainly, this was about getting a new reference scan, since a lot has changed since my last one in 2018.

The only “bad” thing about the scan was that it was at 9am, which, to be honest, is a bit early for me—because of traffic: It meant fighting the morning commuters. I don’t normally schedule any appointments until late morning, but in this case I was so eager to get the scan done that I just accepted the appointment offered and didn’t attempt to change it to a better time.

I knew ahead of time that I wouldn’t sleep well/much the night before, because I never do the night before an important appointment of any kind (including even making sure I’m up for an early morning delivery). Setting the alarm on my phone doesn’t help much, though it at least lets me get some sleep.

Another anxiety-inducing issue was the drive itself. The clinic is located in a part of Hamilton’s CBD (“central business district”), an area I find stressful to drive to, mostly, to be fair, because I don’t know it very well. There was ample parking at the clinic, but there’s not much parking at all in the CBD generally, which is the main reason I never go there—and another thing I find stressful.

In the end, I got there a few minutes early, and got a parking spot right in front of the entrance to the building. The whole thing went quickly—maybe half an hour or so. When I was done, I took the selfie up top outside the entrance to the clinic office suite. When I posted the photo to my personal Facebook, I said:

Scan all done. Nigel was wrong: I do have a heart! I saw it and heard it doing its thing. I know some of you will be as surprised by this news as Nigel would’ve been, 🤣

On the other hand, I again successfully avoided asking, “Is it a boy or a girl?” That’s too much of a grandad joke, even for me. 😁

However, there was a problem. I later added:

BTW, I was normally coiffed when I arrived: The Old Man hairdo is courtesy of having to take my shirt and singlet off, then lie down, then put my singlet, shirt, and, of course, mask, back on. You’d think I’d have looked in the mirror, eh? Honestly, I think my Gay Card must’ve expired or something. 🤷🏻‍♂️

All joking aside, I really was relieved to get it done, and to not have to reschedule yet again because of Covid. Whatever the results show, the fact it’s done is at least that one good thing. I’ll gladly take that as another win.