This appointment took about 30 minutes.
I changed into a gown and lay on my back. The technician - who was very friendly and professional - put a few electrodes on my torso.
An echocardiogram takes images of your heart via ultrasound. The technician used a transducer and warm gel, and took pictures from 4 angles: straight above through the chest, on my left side through my rib cage, from my stomach looking up, and from my throat looking down.
Every now and then I looked over at the monitor. I wouldn't have been able to tell that what I was looking at was a heart, but I could see what I assume was a valve flapping open and closed! Crazy.
The technician said the images would be read today, and a report would be sent to my doctor. I wish I had thought to ask if I would get a copy, too. I'll be sure to check both online patient portals, and I'll add it to my list of questions for my next medical oncology appointment.
Sounds like you had a very busy and stressful week. Hope you get a nice break and some good rest over the weekend!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's really interesting. From diagnosis to double mastectomy, the process was so slow, waiting for appointments, waiting for results and phone calls, waiting for surgery. But once I got my treatment plan, it was boom, boom, boom, everything is happening so quickly.
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