Yozo!

Today, I went in for my echocardiogram.  Being the hyper-punctual person I am, I gave myself plenty of leeway between the time I left home and my appointment.  This resulted in me arriving a full 45 minutes early (!).  Although it didn’t get me in any earlier, it did ensure that I get seen that day since a glitch in their system caused them to triple book my appointment time.  And, since I was the first one to sign in, I was the one to get the spot.

The test was comprised of two different sections: the ultrasound and the EKG.  First, the dour ultrasound technician had me lie on my side and instructed me to raise my left arm over my head.  Alas, because of my recent shoulder issues, I wasn’t able to fully comply which resulted in her running the transducer probe over my chest with one hand while using the other to continually prod my elbow out of the way.  Once done, I was escorted into another room where the kindly EKG technician attached a bunch of electrodes to my chest, checked my blood pressure, then had me run on a treadmill for 15-20 minutes at increasingly steeper inclines and faster speeds.  Once my heart rate hit 160, I was instructed to lie down while the ultrasound technician did a follow-up pass with the transducer probe.  At some point, the doctor came in and reviewed the data and gave me the news…

I’d have my results in a day.  Maybe two.  Their system has been kind of wonky of late.

He did, however, note that the anomaly present in my last EKG was present in this test as well.  What does that mean?

Guess I’ll find out tomorrow or Monday.

In the meantime, I did receive the results of my shoulder x-ray ultrasound.  I have a chronic rotator cuff tear.  The results have been sent to my physiotherapist who will decide on the best course of action.  I suspect she’ll go with…physiotherapy?  Which is okay with me.  I’m not keen an either surgery or steroid injections.

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I had an early light lunch so that I could have a heavier after-test late lunch (Very hobbit-like, no?).  We ended up at Tokyo Kitchen, where Akemi enjoyed some salmon sashimi –

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While I went with the heart-healthy katsu-curry…

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Our walk home took us through a part of downtown we haven’t passed through in some two years – and the plethora of Asian-themed businesses in a three block stretch.  I wanted to visit them all but Akemi insisted we needed to pace ourselves – and promised we could come back.   So we ended up check out Bloom Cafe where we sampled…

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A matcha cream puff filled to bursting with delicious matcha cream.

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A delicious assam cream-flavored eclair with a delightfully crunchy exterior.

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And a surprisingly great bitter-sweet matcha latte.

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Fortunately, I brought along my sipping mask!

Tomorrow, it’s errands, a zoom call about another potential project and perhaps, dare I say it…test results?

Then, this Saturday…

Finally, today’s Yes/No…

5 thoughts on “December 9, 2021: Echocardiograms, Shoulder Scans, and Matcha Cream Puffs!”

  1. Well, I pronounce you very healthy. You are in great shape and probably aced the heart test. If not, there is no hope for any of us. You work out, run on a treadmill, you walk everywhere, and Akemi has you eating healthy food. That cream puff and eclair look tasty. I’d like to substitute lemon or chocolate for the filling.

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  2. Best of luck Joe, my wife went through similar tests. Fingers crossed all is well

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  3. Be careful posting a “sipping mask”. You’re going to get a bunch of correcting replies. 😉 People just can’t seem to help themselves.

    Sorry about your shoulder and good luck with the echocardiogram. I arrive early for Dr’s appointments all the time. Especially, if I’m out running errands and am in the neighborhood. If the Dr is is having a good day, I’ve gotten out of the visit before my scheduled time. Dreams do come true. 😉

    I’m not a matcha fan other food pictures you posted looks amazing!

    We’ve always said my son is a hobbit. He grazes all day long.

    My favorite cover from yesterday was the Crimson Reign.

    I’ve got to make a few rolo pretzels candies today. Tedious but easy and delicious! https://twitter.com/jertam/status/1469326751612518405/photo/1

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  4. Bummer about that rotator,,,I have shoulder problems too…but then, I am 78 years old…
    Joseph, how do you have the energy to persue all these projects? My son dabbles in writing fantasy,,,his writing is good enough to be difficult to put down…but he’s not interested in the scrabble required to sell his effort…bummer,,,his work is quite entertaining…
    Shalom and hope your new year is prosperous…

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