Mmmm…… what’s this chest and back pain that Jenny has been experiencing recently? The doctor was not convinced that it was in fact heart related and tended to think that the discomfort was coming from her back. So then he asked the magic words, “Do you have health insurance?” Yes we do, at least while while we are still working. To find out one way or another Jenny was booked in for a treadmill test at a specialist Heart Clinic. Robin came along too for a bit of moral support.
We met with the Specialist first and he asked lots of questions and took copious notes. Then it was down the hall to where the treadmill was waiting. Lots of little electrodes were stuck all over Jenny’s front with the wires then attached to a waist band which was in turn attached to a rather impressive monitor. This was to record the heart rate and the heart rhythm. All this high technology was covered up with a “one-size-fits all” blue tunic. Then an arm cuff was fitted to monitor the blood pressure at periodic intervals.
The treadmill was started up and the instructions were to stand up straight, don’t clutch hold of the handle too tight, and don’t watch the feet, look out the window. As the speed increased and the elevation was raised, so did Jenny’s breathing increase. The arm cuff was pumped up several times and the numbers called out to the nurse to enter on her machine. Robin was keeping an eye on the “blips” moving across the monitor, while Jenny was walking fast and breathing heavily. After 6 minutes the Specialist called a halt to the procedure. “There is absolutely no sign of heart problems”, he told us. Thank goodness for that!!
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