Medical Schmedical

Today I had my EKG. I have an HSA insurance plan, meaning that I pay 100% of everything out of pocket until I get to my $1800 deductible at which point the insurance co. picks up 100% of the costs including prescriptions. Having no co pays means that going to the doctor or getting a prescription is expensive.

When I was at the Doctor's on Friday having my checkup, I was complaining that I am still having problems getting dizzy when I workout and that my heart rate will drop, then all of a sudden spike and I feel like I am going to pass out. My regular Dr. was out of the office but the nurse practitioner was doing the routine listing to my heat beat while I took deep breaths. She asked me to breath normally then kept sticking the stethoscope lower and lower down my shirt and onto my left boob. Kind of different but whatever. This went on for a full minute before she asked me to go lie on the table on my left side so she could hear my heart better. After molesting examining me some more she told me that my heart sounded funny and she thought I might be having hyperarrhythmia problems and she wanted to order an EKG to make sure. Also she went over my blood work and my bood glucose and blood potassium were still crazy low, so I got more blood work ordered and another apt scheduled with the doctor to go over everything.

I have my blood drawn yesterday, and the EKG today. I was freaking about how much the EKG was going to cost. Like I said, till I hit that $1800 mark, I have no copays. A routine office visit is never under $100 so I figured the EKG would be around $600. Bleck. How much you ask, $157.12 yipee!!!

I had asked my friend Tina what the EKG would be like, and she said it varies but probably I would have to take off my shirt and wear a gown that was open in the front, and take off any metal jewery then they would put on electrodes blah blah blah... Well, when I got there I didn't even have to take off my shirt... and my tech was CUTE. Glad I wore a sexy bra today (just kidding... sort of...) anyways, he had me lay down on the table and told me he was going to pull up my shirt and place the electrodes on my stomach, arms and chest. Then he went to start the machine and told me I wouldn't feel anything and to lie still. Right before he turned on the machine I was like "my bra has a metal wire in it, am I going to catch on fire?????" At which point he peed his pants and had to leave the room. Just kidding, but he thought that was really funny.

He said they would fax the thing over to the Dr, but glancing at it everything looks fine... which I guess is good... but also not good cause I am def having heart problems so I guess I will probably need a treadmill test. Bummer.

I have my apt tomorrow so we will see whats up or whats next. I can blame working out for this little heart thing, because if I hadn't started I might never have known that I had an issue in the first place. Its good though, I think I'm down like 23 pounds in 3 months now or something like that... I have to take a break from working out till we get this sorted out.

Edit: My loving sister was nice enough to email me this little tidbit:

Melinda Hart to me

show details 11:57 AM (36 minutes ago)

Well, I guess that is good news and bad news? you are probably not going to drop dead tomorrow but that also probably means that you have something freakishly abnormal going on? poor thing :) Did you see the Mythbusters where they tried to catch women weearing bras with underwires on fire with the little heart jumpstart paddles?

Hmm, I wonder if it worked???