HEALTH SCARE

When you have gone past 60 and graduated into the senior citizen rank, the body begins to show its wear and tear. I don’t have any idea what my use by date is but the tell tale signs of aging have started to appear. There is no longer a spring in the steps. Even my walking speed has slowed visibly from 6km to a more comfortable 5km/ hour. Only the other day while walking in the park, the wife commented that I walked like an old man. I can’t quite remember the last time I bound up and down the stairs three steps at a time.    It seems like yesterday but then my memory might not be so good too.

I had a viral infection last month and went to see the family doctor.  During a routine examination that included a blood pressure check she exclaimed that my BP at 160/90mmHg was extremely high. I was given antibiotics and other medication but nothing for my hypertension. After brooding over it for a couple of days I decided to get a second opinion from another doctor. The second doctor confirmed the hypertension and I was immediately prescribed medication for the condition. The doctor also arranged for me to undertake a medical check-up. When the blood test reports came back, my cholesterol levels as expected, was way above the acceptable thresholds. So the doctor gave another prescription to control my bad cholesterol. I was strongly advised to immediately adopt a Healthy Lifestyle – meaning regular exercise and a controlled diet. No more binging on salty crisps and beer, durians or Bak Kut Teh.
So now I am officially a lifelong member of the pill popping crowd. In other words, a card carrying certified drug dependent addict. When you have arrived at the cross road, turning back is no longer an option.  However begrudgingly, it is time to say goodbye to those carefree days. I don’t think it is right to sulk or complain. After all hypertension and cholesterol problem are common ailments among the older folks.

What really scared the shit out of me though was my ECG result of the medical check-up. The doctor told me that the inverted T-wave of my ECG graph is abnormal and recommended that I see a cardiologist. Hypertension and arteries clogged with bad cholesterol are often the main root causes for heart complications and peculiar looking T-wave is a bad omen.
Only the last couple of months, 2 of my otherwise healthy golf buddies were diagnosed, out of the blue, to be on the verge of suffering a major heart attack. One had to undergo an Angioplasty stenting operation. The other one needed multiple bypasses which involved open heart operation. It only made me more apprehensive after hearing all the gory details of the operation and the trauma. The 6-12 months period required for the wounds to heal also does not help to sooth the nerves.

I needed a cooling down period of 2 weeks before gathering the courage to make the appointment to see the Cardiologist.  I also spent hours poring over the internet reading up on how to interpret ECG diagrams and the implications of the inverted T-waves. There are a few possible medical scenarios but the picture is generally not pretty. The highly suspected problem is either Left Ventricle Hypertrophy (thickening of the heart muscle tissue) or Myocardial Ischemia (blockage of the coronary arteries). The only bright spot is there are also a few isolated cases of benign congenital heart defects.  
When I made the internet appointed to see the Cardiologist, I was advised to go to the Sime Darby Medical Centre in Ara Damansara as it is newer and has better facilities than SJMC. In my case the waiting time was also much shorter.

The doctor had a quick look at my medical report and recommended that an Echocardiogram and a Stress Test be carried out. During the Echocardiogram you can see the clear color image of your heart pumping on the flat screen monitor. They also took a video recording of the heart as they scanned through every corner. After that it was the stress test whereby they hook you up with electrodes and wires that are connected to the machine and monitor while you work out on the treadmill.
While still on the treadmill the cardiologist came in to pronounce that although an ejection systolic murmur of the heart was detected the echocardiogram showed that my heart was otherwise in good working condition. So despite the funny leaking sound my heart is working normally and there is no need for a follow up appointment. I would have jumped down from the treadmill to shake the good doctor’s hand for the good news if not for the electrodes and wire dangling from my chest.

It was such a tremendous relief after agonizing over the past 2 weeks. I bet my BP immediately dropped by at least 10mmHg. Hmm… 2 extra large serving of Bak Kut Teh will be a good way to celebrate.
20 September 2013

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