Robert’s Heart

It’s been 2 weeks since my last post when I was waiting for my cardiologist to call with MRI results.  He actually called about 2 hours after the last post but my vacation got in the way of this update.  Anyway it turns out that all of the “abnormalities” are not an issue.  The aneurysm is very small and because the muscle wall thickness is normal it doesn’t pose any danger.  The akinesis is for a small area and doesn’t pose an issue.  The 40% ejection factor is still within the normal range for this MRI.

So the final word is “All Good.”  We will continue to monitor these issues by echo cardiogram every couple of years to make sure they aren’t getting worse.

Now that my cardiologist has had his word…  I’ll likely get a second opinion.  I really don’t expect to get any different answer, but it still helps to have correlation.

Last week my cardiologist was on vacation and I was curious about my MRI results. So, I called the imaging center and asked them to fax me a copy of the report. They can’t do that without my doctor’s OK. Hmm… I’m pretty certain I have a right to my medical records, but I’d rather get them than fight about it. So I asked if they could fax them to an alternate doctor and the answer was absolutely yes. So, I had them fax it to my aunt who is an M.D. Not much to my surprise, the records showed up on my fax within a few minutes.

I read the report and I was surprised to find that there were some abnormalities observed. I truly expected that, after all the other tests, there would be nothing of interest on the MRI. A few of the terms are downright concerning (at least from my perspective).

“Aneurysm,” “borderline systolic,” “akinesis” were all used to describe parts of my right ventricle. The report also indicated a 40% ejection fraction for the right ventricle which is marginal at best.  I should add that the “aneurysm” was qualified by a normal cardiac wall thickness (the thickness of the muscle) which indicates the aneurysm is likely an artery.  From my “google understanding” coronary artery aneurysms rarely burst because they are supported by the pericardium (the sack which surrounds the heart).  That makes me feel a lot better… really.

After discussing with my aunt we agreed that there was probably no reason for immediate concern. However I should contact the cardiologist’s office and make sure that the covering cardiologist has reviewed the results.

Their office had not reviewed the results and I had to specifically indicate that I knew something was abnormal and that they should probably review it to make sure it wasn’t an emergency issue. The covering cardiologist did review the report and indicated it could wait for my cardiologist to return.

So now I wait

As of today, Tuesday August 19th, I haven’t yet heard from the cardiologist. I’ll give his office a call today to see if I can get some results.

WOW!  Didn’t expect the cardiac MRI to last that long.  One hour and fifty minutes is a long time to have to lay still on a cold hard table.  The technician set  me up with some tunes (Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon) to pass the time, but my arms got tired quickly of sitting in one place and it got really uncomfortable real quick.  Not to mention that breathing in and holding my breath for 15 seconds out of every 30 seconds was starting to make me a bit loopy.  I knew it was getting long when “Breathe” came on for the SECOND time (no reference to my breathing in and out over and over intended… really).  Then “Time,” and “Money” for a second time.  “The Great Gig in the Sky” was in there too, but you can’t help but remember the beginning of both “Time” and “Money.”  He then switched me to some U2… a nice change, but I’d like to be off the table.  Anyway, this post is starting to feel like my time on the table.  I’ll be picking up a copy of the MRI on CD.  I don’t know if I can make it available on this site yet.  If I can I will.

At about 75 minutes into the MRI the tech got the imaging center’s cardiologist to come look at the photos.  Presumably to check and see if there was anything of interest which needed further imaging.  After about 15 minutes of waiting we got back to it and took a bunch more images.  Seems there was some question about what could be fat in or around the pericardium.  Unfortunately I don’t really remember the conversation that well.  So I’ll, uncharacteristically, wait for the results instead of guessing