The problem with getting involved with the medical profession is that once they’re well on the way to fixing one problem they like to look around to see if there’s anything else to work on.
So whilst I the doctors were prodding and poking me in various ways to work out what was wrong with my chest they made a little note to themselves that they weren’t entirely happy with my heartbeat and that maybe they should investigate that a bit more closely when they started getting bored with the other stuff. And that time is now.
I was at the hospital on Thursday again for a monthly check-up on the Sarcoidosis. They seem happy enough with the way that’s going. They’ve cut me down to 15mg of steroids for the next month and 10mg for the month after that. And they don’t want to see me again for two months. So that’s all pretty good.
But yesterday the investigation of my heart started in earnest. They’re worried that my heart rate is often a bit higher than it should be so they’ve decided to monitor it for 24 hours and see how it goes. It’s all pretty simple stuff. I have a small ECG machine clipped onto my belt which is attached to three sensors that are stuck to various points on my chest. It all fits under a loose-fitting shirt and no-one need know what’s going on. It was all stuck on yesterday at about 2pm and I can take it off at 2pm today. Then I need to drop it all back at the hospital at some point.
Let’s hope they don’t find anything that bothers them too much.
I mentioned this to one of my medical student chums, and she tells me that sarcoidosis is a systematic thing (I think that was the term she used), rather than a localised thing. So basically if one part goes wrong, the whole lot is likely to need attention. So I don’t think the doctors are just using you for their sadistic experiments. (Of course, they could be plants from the Daily Telegraph!) Good luck with it though, Dave.