I tried getting the locum in the surgery to call me two days go. No luck. I tried calling Vincent’s myself, no luck. So I’ve just had to sit tight and wait for my doctor to get back into the surgery, which was supposed to be today. I say supposed to be, because when I called I was told she wouldn’t be in until Monday. I explained that I had been told it was today, but apparently, it’s Monday now because she’s sick. Fine.

Eventually the locum called me back and told me that my ECG results were abnormal, so I have to go for an echocardiograph and a stress test ECG to find out what’s causing the abnormal ECG results. He couldn’t do anything more and said I’d have to wait for my doctor to call me on Monday. Jesus TF Christ, how hard can it be people. SO, I rang vincents, to see if I could book those tests, because I booked the ECG myself originally anyway. But, according to them, you can’t book these ones. My doctor has to send in a referral letter to the hospital, then the consultant cardiologists have to look at it and see how urgent it is, then make the appointment.

Quite like the incredible hulk me….

Grrrrr....

The GPs surgery was back open today, so I called to find out what the story with the ECG results were. Unfortunately my doctor wasn’t actually back in work and wont be until Thursday 31 December. I was aa bit annoyed at the whole thing so I asked the receptionist to have the locum GP who was there to have a look at my file and call me back with whatever they could see from the file . Nobody called.

I decided to take the initiative myself and call St Vincent’s hospital directly to get the ECG/Cardio department and find out what the story was and how and when I should book in for the echocardiograph. The outpatient’s reception number was engaged all day, literally every time I called (and I called many times) and the two direct lines for the outpatients cardiology go kept going straight through to voice messages where you can’t leave a message saying to call the main outpatient’s reception number (which, as I mentioned was permanently engaged)

So, no exercise done and no progress on the whole heart thing. I supposed you could say it was a bit of a disheartening day (wha wha wha). Very very furstrating!!

Anyway, ate my weight in junk food and wine again today, together with truck load of booze and the races at leopardstown (abandoned due to fog after 4 races, and I was only there for 2…arse), then mate up with one of my best mates who is about to emmigrate to Canada (eh) for a few years. So good for the spirit if bad for the health and fitness, can’t win all the time.

Not the Gym, strictly speaking...

To be honest, the message I got from the Doctor yesterday had me a little on edge because I don’t know what they saw on the ECG that made them think  I should go for the echocardiograph. So I called today, but the doctor was gone away for Christmas and there was just some guy on the reception and a locum doctor in the surgery. That didn’t really shed too much light on the diagnosis, so I did what any sensible person would do and sought free medical advice from the Fully Charged listeners over the radio. It turns out that an Echo is basically like an ultrasound they would do for a baby, but it’s of the heart and it’s to see what the muscles and walls of the heart are like. According to a listener who is a med student, a spike or something must have shown up in the ECG and that’s why they want to have a look at the muscles. She said my heart is probably not dodgy, but more likely “unique”. That was sweet of her, but didn’t really but my mind at rest.

My doctor is back next week and she’s supposed to call me to organise the Echocardiograph then. I’m sure it’s nothing major at all, but it would still be nice to know and not have it sort of hanging over me for Christmast. Bastards.

Here’s what BUPA have to say about it!

Interestingly, and of relevance to the whole marathon training thing, I got a call from my Doctor to say that maybe someone had already been in touch with me, but that I needed to go and have an echo-cardiograph done on the basis of my ECG results. As I said, I was rushing about trying to get everything done and Christmas presents bought and I actually forgot to call her back to find out what the story was and what I needed to do….Bit of a rubbish message to get 2 days before Christmas though!!

So to summarise, because of whatever showed up on this

I have to go and have one of these

BUT I’m not entirely sure when where or why. Lovely