A Cardiophile Goes to the Cardiologist

I recently saw a cardiologist for the first time in about 35 years. Needless to say, as a cardiophile, I was a bit nervous. OK, I was really nervous. I had mixed feelings of excitement and dread. If you need proof that I’m a cardiophile, I offer my Apple watch heart rate data:

Waiting room: 90 bpm (normal for me is high 40s to low 60s)

Exam room (sitting on the exam table in silence, waiting for the doctor): 99 bpm (hey, at least I kept it in the double digits!)

Check out (immediately after exiting the exam room): 61 bpm

It began with the nurse calling me back to an exam room. She wheeled in a portable EKG machine, then took my blood pressure (which was pretty high, for me). Next, she had me lie on the exam table and pull my shirt up to my neck, so she could place the 12 leads of the EKG. I was pretty relaxed at that point, since my HR went back down to 73 bpm. The EKG was fine (normal sinus rhythm). After she unhooked me, I was left alone sitting on the exam table, waiting for the dreaded knock at the door. My HR shot back up to 99 bpm!

After 5-10 minutes, I heard the telltale noise of a chart being pulled from its holder outside the door (always the sound of impending doom 8-)), and then a knock. The doctor walked in, and I shook his hand. He was friendly and older than me, probably 65-70. As he was walking to his chair, I immediately began looking for his stethoscope. It was in his left pocket, and I could see it was probably some form of Littmann by the look of the black tube. After several minutes of questions and answers (with me continually glancing at the stethoscope in his pocket), he said “Let me listen.” He pulled out his stethoscope and rolled his chair over, next to the exam table. At this point, I could see his stethoscope was an older model (probably a Littmann Cardiology II or III). He auscultated me while sitting in his chair, reaching up since he was lower than me. I’ve never been examined that way before. He listened over my shirt, which surprised (and disappointed) me. I purposefully wore a thin shirt, just in case that happened. He spent a normal amount of time at the aortic, pulmonic, and Erb’s point. When he got to the tricuspid area, he pressed the diaphragm in really hard, and lingered for a long time (comparatively). It always makes me more nervous when they linger on a spot! He moved to the apex, and did the same thing. I’ve never had someone push that hard with a chest piece. He then listened to multiple areas around the apex (I’m not familiar with any auscultatory sites in that area other than the apex itself). He only listened while I was sitting, and said he didn’t hear any murmurs.

The fun continues this Thursday when I’ll receive a 3-4 hour nuclear stress test, which I’ve never experienced before. I’m also scheduled for an echocardiogram in May. I actually enjoy those!

Jelly. asf. you can't get drs to do anything for you really where I live right now so walking in and actually get a referral to a specialist and all is like a major flex. I would both love and hate seeing a cardiologist I feel like...love it for the obvious reason but hate it at the same time because I have to act like it's not obvious (which it isn't, my vitals actually drop at the drs office now) that it's a dream come true for me XDDD

With my insurance, I’m allowed to see a specialist without a referral so this was on my own initiative. I had a valid medical reason, so this wasn’t cardiophilic thrill seeking. If that had been the case, I would have held out for an attractive female cardiologist. I did search for one, just because, but those in my area were booked. It was freaky making this appointment as a lifelong cardiophile.

As soon as I parked in front of the building named “Cardiovascular Center,” the adrenaline started flowing (involuntary flight or fight response). I didn’t flee, and the fight was with my brain (over my unexplainable interest in hearts and stethoscopes).

As people have said, exams are more benign these days. During the cardiology exam I had 35 years ago, I was shirtless and auscultated by two cardiologists using different stethoscopes in every position. It took a LONG time and I felt like a research subject. I still remember it vividly!

I had a CABG x 6 twenty eight years ago. I had to have a stress test before entering rehab. Twenty two years later my new PCP sent me to a cardiologist when she discovered a had not been since. He had me get all kinds of tests before our first visit. When he came into the room where I was waiting his first statement was "You should be dead. Most people who had what you had come back for more after 10 years and they don't make it to 20". With an intro like that I knew right away I had the right guy. Last year he said he wanted to discus repairing/replacing a valve because my ejection fraction is only 35%. That's what it's always been since the CABG so he's going to have a hard time convincing me to get sawed up the middle again. I have had several doctors remark about the fact that my test results are the same as they were when I had the first stress test to enter rehab.

I saw a cardiologist for the first time at age 19! I got referred by my PCP because I was having tons of PVCs and PACs. Had a holter monitor, echocardiogram, and several in-office EKGs. It was super exciting to have all of the tests run, can’t even lie, haha! Ended up having most of those tests repeated last year under my PCP’s care, too!