The conclusive parts of my visit with Dr. P., the cardiologist, are that I did have a heart attack at some time, and that my heart is not up to the standard required for a lung transplant at the moment. That is the bad news.

The good news is that I am not quite finished yet as far as the transplant goes.  Dr. P. is sending me off to the Royal Victoria Hospital downtown for an angiogram where hopefully they will find clogged arteries that will then get busted up by the magic balloons and stents.  Shortly afterwards, Dr. P. will do another EKG and pronounce my heart fit for transplant and bounce me back to The Dr. who will then, finally, submit my application.

The Royal Vic called this morning to ask me to come in for blood tests, an EKG, and an information session about the angiogram which will happen at a later date which I know not yet.  Date set for October 15th.  They said it would take about 3 hours and that I should have someone there to act as a helper/advocate.  

So, I have gone from not having had a heart attack to having had one.  If angiogram and related procedures don't cure the problems my heart is having, the transplant is off for good.  There is no possibility of surgery to fix it.  I have not been worrying about this since The Dr. told me last week that my heart had a problem serious enough to take me out of consideration for a lung transplant.  This week, Dr. P. tells me there is a possible solution. I guess I will run with that for now.  

I let the transplant genie out of the bottle last March when I said I was interested in having my lungs replaced.  Sometimes I am sorry I did say yes.  Prior to that I was, as they say, fat, dumb and happy.  I was resigned to my fate and I think I was adapting quite well.  Since then the stress level has been ratcheted up continuously.  It feels like there is always something more to do, another test, something else to fix.  The whole idea of a lung transplant is scary to say the least.  Hell, the angiogram is terrifying enough.  

I continue to get better post hospital.  Pains that I had in my chest and side are gone now.  I have more energy than at any time since I got hospitalized.  I can breathe a little easier, I get tired a little bit less.  I have lost a step or two, but not too much that it is discouraging.  Stopping the prednisone was a good thing, for now at least.  I feel better emotionally as well, anxiety level is way down.  Our problems have not disappeared by any means but at least we are not letting anxiety kill us.  Getting help is hard.