MY JOURNEY TO A BETTER HEALTH Part 1 of a series

How it all started: 

It was this recurring chest heaviness that doesn’t go away unless I burp that caused an episode.   On this first day of March, I couldn’t burp when I felt that heaviness and tightness again. This happened while I was halfway walking my daily 10,000 steps. 

I went home and I still couldn’t burp.  My husband gave me water and after a few minutes of rest, he took my BP: 190/85. 

The very next day I had blood tests

 that was prescribed earlier by my endocrinologist. I also underwent ECG as advised by our family doctor. 

Next move is to get an appointment with my endocrinologist  and a cardiologist.  I had to download an App to book an appointment on line.  My endocrinologist only do virtual consultations due to the pandemic. 

My son was anxious that my appointment with the endocrinologist is after 4 days and the cardiologist will only see me after 10 days. “Why the wait?”, he asked  “did you tell them your condition?”  

Of course I did, the reason for the appointment is part of the profile when I  booked an appointment.  But that’s the reality nowadays, specialists only see so many patients a day, you have to fall in line unless you go to the hospital emergency. 

Booking for tests and procedures works the same way; book for an appointment on line to get a patient reference number; then call a scheduler for a particular test/procedure like ultrasound, ct scan, BMD, thread mill, etc.  This is not easy, those stations do not answer.  After a few rings, I was advised to call again. 

This added to my stress, I have been on the phone almost the whole morning to confirm one test if I got lucky.  Most of the time I gave up to do that again the next day.  

The whole process of tests confirmation  and doctors consultation took two weeks. 

I have to say though that this episode on March 1st is a blessing in disguise and I have to thank The Lord for making it happen. It is a wake-up call that prompted me to seek medical help. 

It was not the Ides of March after all that caused all this but a reality; a challenge that I need to overcome with lifestyle adjustments.  I will focus on what I need to do to overcome this condition in the succeeding posts of this series.