Heart Condition III
5/20/12
The centrifuge began to alarm indicating that the lid was ready to be opened and the specimen taken out and processed on the individual instrument. I sat there for a few moments and wondered it I even wanted to know what the results would be but that option was taken away from me when the lab tech came back in the lab and silenced the alarm and opened the lid before I could realize what was going on. She took out my specimen and handed it to me and immediately replaced the empty spaces with the ER specimens that she had drawn, closed the lid and pushed the run button to begin her own process. A look of “well” was on Bonnie’s face which indicated to me to get up and get the specimen in the appropriate spot. I walked over to the instrument and manually programmed the specimen tube into position and ordered the troponin test. I placed the sample into the rack and placed the rack on the carousel and pressed the start button and in exactly twelve minutes I would know a definitive answer.
The troponin test was designed to indicate muscle damage specific to the heart muscle. There are a few other lab tests that can detect heart muscle damage but these can be affected by other musculoskeletal conditions which can prove to be a false positive result. The troponin test is specific to the heart muscle and only elevates when damage to the heart muscle occurs, while there are other medical conditions which place the heart muscle in distress and will cause the heart muscle to release enzymes that reflect damage, the troponin is mainly used to indicate heart attacks in progress or recent cardiac events. It is a great test to see what is going on with the heart.
Once the specimen had been placed on the rack and sampled Bonnie asked me again if I was feeling ok and I could still honestly say yes and that I had no pain in my body at that time, and I looked at the clock and realized it had been over an hour since my last pain occurrence. In my eyes this was a good sign and that I had been over exaggerating things. The lab tech came over and looked at the specimen incubation well and then went on with her business by placing another specimen onto the instrument. The time was ticking down till the answer of my sample would e printing off. I walked over to the front of the laboratory to get a better look at the clock on the wall and to pray that my result would be normal. Small talk abounded with everyone in the lab at the time and a lighthearted tone was being kept until my results would print out. A simple calculation of the time on the clock said it about ready for the moment of truth to be revealed so I took the scenic route to the instrument and anxiously awaited for the printout.
I could physically look at the seconds tick down on the monitor until the final measurement would take place. A few seconds of calculations would then ensue and a numerical answer would then be displayed on the monitor screen before the information was transferred to the printer. The moment had arrived and the final measurement was being completed and then a few seconds later a number popped on the screen. Bonnie was standing right next to me as was the lab tech, she did not want this moment to pass without someone official looking at the result so there could be no mistake in the answer, I have no idea why they would not have trusted me with the result.
As I looked at the number I sigh of relief overcame my body and a chill ran up and down my spine. I gave a hard “HA” to everyone around and then waited for the printout to be completed. It was a high normal result. Yes, a high normal result which means that it was within normal limits but it was on the high end of that range and could have meant I was having problems, or going to have problems or I had already had problems but we were not going to dwell on the details of that issue then, I was just happy that the result was within the normal limits. But everyone around the instrument knew that I was not in the clear but really could not be sure since I had never had a previous troponin level tested before, so this result could actually be a normal result for me, but deep down inside I knew something was not right.
I took my printout and told the tech thanks for letting me run the tests and that I would se her on Monday afternoon. All of my entourage began to say goodbye and head for the back door of the lab. Bonnie did not say too much to me but I could hear her voice ringing through my head that this is not over and that she was determined to find out what really was going on inside my chest. We walked down the hallway and Bonnie asked me again how I was feeling. I told her that I was relieved that the test was normal and that I felt like a weight had been lifted from my mind but I knew that I did not feel the best. The girls were ready to get home so we did not dwell in the hospital very much longer; however, one of the girls had to go to the bathroom so we stopped at the bathrooms next to the emergency room waiting area. A few more minutes of standing around the bathrooms did not provide any new exciting pains in my body so I thought maybe things were going to settle down for a while. After all was said and done we had spent about forty five minutes in the hospital and even I was ready to get home and get to bed.
We all moved towards the emergency room glass door which would lead us to the automatic glass doors to the outside of the hospital. I opened the door and let the girls and Bonnie lead the way and after they went through I proceeded to go out of the hospital. The cool night air met my lungs and a slight tug hit my chest but it was nothing to write home about and quickly went away. I knew that other physical conditions could cause a high normal troponin level and I was beginning to run through those conditions in my mind while I was walking towards the van. Bonnie could see that I was thinking about something and asked me what was going on in my head, I told her about the list of things in my head which really did not comfort her in the least and to be honest me either since all of the conditions on the list usually followed some type of heart malfunction conditions.
One thing about working in the medical profession for an extended amount of time is that you get to learn a lot about the human body and which tests are more definitive than others. A troponin is only elevated when there are definitely reasons for its elevation. I knew this and since I wanted Bonnie to be involved in my profession I explained many tests to her and what they meant if they were elevated or lowered in the human body. So, there was no escaping my predicament and it was only a matter of time before she demanded that I go in and see the doctor. The medical profession rewards had served me greatly up until this point and I could not abandon the words that I had spoken to many others in the past concerning similar conditions, including my mother which I convinced to come in the hospital when she was having chest pains but that is another story for future divulgence.
As I approached the back of the van the girls had already raced to see who got to the van first so I used the electronic unlocking key thingy and unlocked the van, went around to the passenger side to help the girls into their seats and close both passenger side doors. I walked around to the driver’s side I reached the driver’s side and stood at the door for a moment and gave a big sigh. I could feel my stress level lower a bit more but underneath it all I knew I was not out of the woods, and my body continued to remind me of this since its completely relaxed state was nowhere to be found. I opened the door and climbed into the seat, I was really surprised that Bonnie let me drive but I did not question the issue and began to start the engine. I turned the key and put my seat belt in its proper place. I put the van in reverse and started the procession of driving home.
The short drive home was uneventful with only small talk from the adults and the normal joyful jabbering from the girls in the back seats. Not many people were out on the streets which was not an unusual scene for this time of night. Earlier when we had arrived back in Delta the streets were a bit more active with cars and pedestrians. In fact the only major building that had occupants was the local theatre which was showing the late movie still. We turned onto the street in which we lived and eventually pulled into the driveway. I put the gear into park and turned off the engine. The girls were already unfastened and ready for the sliding door to be opened. As I opened my door the words I dreaded the most came from Bonnie’s mouth which went something like this, as soon as the girls are in bed we need to have a talk about what we are going to do next and my reply to her really did not set well with her even though I meant it as a joke. My response was something like this, about what? The fight was on.
DLB
Part IV to follow….
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