Heavenly Beverley : When My Search For Answers Took A Different Tangent!

I haven't posted for nearly two weeks. Not because I didn't have much to report - that situation would be highly unusual - but I was waiting (again) for another procedure to unravel the mysteries of my prolonged breathlessness. I couldn't find the flippant or carefree words for any other aspects of our lives, which I generally embrace.

I was becoming disillusioned with my cardiologist, the excellent Jenny Deague. To her, I owe a most heartfelt (!) apology. And to Scott Claxton, for his recommendation of Jenny as a cardiologist. I thought he might have lost his mind, but I was proven very wrong.

The catalyst for my complete somersault in attitude was cardiac surgeon, Cara Barnes. After my stint at Joondalup Hospital, Jenny referred me to Cara as she was unsure if the Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) was the cause of all my symptoms. Much to my surprise, Cara rang me immediately and organised an appointment for last week.

We duly attended, still convinced the ASD was the problem. Cara completely disarmed my bolshiness almost straightaway. She explained that Jenny Deague's approach was akin to a dog with a bone, pursuing a challenge until she'd solved the underlying issue. That validation of Jenny was exactly what I needed to hear.

Cara was swift in her analysis. She proposed to perform a right heart cardiac catherisation for those much desired pressure measurements inside my heart as well as the shunting of the ASD. This was a test that had been previously mentioned, but I had been reluctant as I believed the entry would be through my groin or neck.

Not so. Cara would use my upper arm. She also advocated repeating a coronary angiogram to check the health of my heart's blood vessels which would have an entry of my wrist. And so yesterday, we returned to the Mount Hospital early in the morning to undergo this momentous procedure.

We actually drove to the Big Smoke on Sunday to attend Violet's wonderful second birthday party. This was followed by an overnighter at the Windsor Lodge in Como (we were pleasantly surprised) and an Italian dinner which gave us both indigestion! Along with an unfamiliar bed and without our pillows, a restless night was the result.

So we were both tired and anxious. Our re-introduction to the Mount Hospital was not particularly auspicious. The entire place resembled a building site, the temporary admissions area was rocked by drilling noises and navigation around the premises was rather tricky. In spite of all this, the admissions clerk was cheerful, informative and efficient.

Once we found the Same Day Unit (!), we were both reassured by their level of care. We would particularly like to thank Clareece and Sonya, but all the nurses were attentive and empathetic. Being increasingly nervous, I became very cold and the heated cotton blankets were a godsend. Michael received a ham and cheese toastie, biccies and drinkable coffee whilst we were waiting. Cara came onto the unit at about nine-thirty, explained the entire procedure and soon afterwards we were off.

Into the cardiac catheter lab. Cara offered me a small amount of sedation, which she explained would feel like I'd drunk a glass of wine and was exceeding useful for frightened eighty-five year old patients! I gratefully accepted. She used ultrasound to find a vein in my upper arm and then guided the catheter wire into my heart. This was somewhat surreal but she talked to me right through the process. A second glass of wine (!) was added to my cannula to complete the investigation of my coronary arteries, again using the wires. At no time did I feel too breathless or panicky and I remained alert, if a trifle relaxed.

She delivered the verdict a short time later. I had also enjoyed a toastie, some yoghurt and a cup of tea. What she explained was a bit of a bombshell. My ASD turned out to be a total non-event. What was actually going on was high blood pressure within the left side of my heart. Double in the left atrium and up to triple the normal readings in my left ventricle. In turn, this was causing Pulmonary Hypertension, breathlessness, fatigue, exercise intolerance and swelling. I'd completely forgotten that Scott Claxton had previously suggested I might have a "stiff" left heart. Finally, we had unmasked the actual source of all my issues.

We had to remain in the Same Day Unit until the air was slowly removed from the clear plastic band/tourniquet around my right wrist to ensure that the artery wouldn't spring a leak. As I had been given blood thinners, the cannula in my left hand did impressively unleash a finite mini-flood before pressure put the brakes on that minor inconvenience.

The excellent news is that I can't carry out any strenuous activity or lift any items over two kilograms for the next five days. Michael is in for a rude shock!

I can't thank Cara Barnes and the staff of the Same Day Unit enough. They expertly handled me, reducing my mountain of anxiety and mistrust into a far more manageable molehill. I still have a reasonably serious health condition and my drug regime has increased. However, I firmly believe that with the help of my specialists and GP, I am going to feel better, improve my fitness and lose some of this bloody weight. That is like being given a precious life buoy.

I also have a goal. My beloved, if somewhat eccentric brother Simon, is arriving on 10 May and we are travelling on a four day jaunt to the Porongurups. If Simon decides he would like to hike up the nearby Bluff Knoll (our tallest southern mountain), I intend to travel at least some of the distance with him...

And I don't need a Bex, a cup of tea or a good lie-down either!