Relax and the Stress Will Melt Away

Sure, that happens all the time, doesn't it! 

Yesterday I had my second of now four days of tests or doctor's appointments.  Monday was the eye doctor, yesterday was a STRESS TEST.  You want to see stress?  Hook me up while I am on a conference call that involves anyone in Customer Care!

So I go to the place, very nice office at Sky Ridge, get escorted back by Brian, who let me tell you, had the most perfect beard I have ever seen on a dude.  This guy's beard was immaculate - not a hair out of place, and though it looked a little weird with the hair on his face longer than the hair on his head, but maybe that is just a "me" thing.

But I get all hooked up, and they had to shave little places on my chest where these electrodes go, so now if you were to look at my chest, it looks like a diseased cat.  The goal, I guess, is to get my heart rate up to somewhere around 165.  OK, you are the experts!  So I get up on the treadmill and start walking.  It starts innocently enough, then goes faster, and then faster, and then up to "I am missing my connecting flight" speed.  Personally, I think I am doing great, heart rate up to the high 120's.  My oxygen intake from the Pulse Ox was low 90's which I wasn't too thrilled about, but when you are walking that fast and you have your blood pressure being taken every minute, you cannot stop to think about issues.

So Brian takes it up one more notch on the treadmill, to where I am almost inclined to run.  You know me, Jimmy don't run.  Then my labored breathing went into what I call survival mode, very difficult to get air, and it overwhelms my need to be active.  And then the test ended.

Difficult to say that I flunked my stress test, but I did, since they want me to come in for another version, this one called a Nuclear Stress Test.  Sounds imposing, doesn't it?  I guess they hook me up again, shoot me up with some uranium or something radioactive, and I do the treadmill again, only this time no running.

So actually, I am pretty glad this happened when and where it did.  A professional medical person got to see what my body does every time I am in the ring or at a class.  Maybe it will lead to some better meds for asthma, that is doc appointment number 3 today.

So I can't have any chocolate or caffeine for 24 hours, so pardon me while I stock up like a damn squirrel on some dark chocolate covered cranberries.  Dark chocolate is good for the heart, and berries are fruit, which I need to add more to my diet.  So these are a definite win-win.