OH YES....one other thing!

When they did the electrocardiogram at Emergency on Tuesday, they said there were no current issues, but there was evidence of a previous myocardial infarction.  That one really surprised us!  So we have an appointment on Tuesday with our family doctor, and will get referrals made to the proper specialists to have things investigated further. 
In my research I keep coming across autonomic neuropathy and silent heart attack.  Now its already been determined that I have peripheral neuropathy which affects my legs.  Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN), or nerve damage to the cardiovascular system, begins silently without symptoms of chest pain or discomfort (angina), and often remain undetected until serious myocardial infarction (death of the heart muscle due to lack of oxygen) has occurred. Consequently, these "silent heart attacks" often pass without the individual seeking any medical attention. Once symptoms do appear, the mortality rate is up to 50% within five years. This is why early diagnosis is so important.  Hopefully we have an "early diagnosis"!

Our new hospital

We had a chance to check out our new hospital here in Napanee on Tuesday.  I've been experiencing episodes of shortness of breath over the last several months.  I was going to refer to them as "short lived", however that sounded rather "terminal", so I'll just say they didn't last terribly long. On Tuesday the problem wasn't going away, even with a short walk outside in the cool temperatures.  Our hospital, which has undergone major renovations, is just behind our apartment.  After a short wait while enjoying the Olympics on the 37" TV screen, we were escourted into our emergency cubicle, where our nursing practitioner, Kathy, took charge.  Three hours later, after an ECG, chest xray, and blood work, it was determined I had an inflammation of my airways, and was prescribed a five day dosage of prednisone, corticosteroid inhaler, and salbutamol inhaler.  I was also instructed to see our family doctor and ask for a referral to the Respiratory Clinic in Kingston.  I guess 47 years of smoking might not have been such a good idea, eh?