{"id":6075,"date":"2022-07-16T00:01:39","date_gmt":"2022-07-16T00:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=6075"},"modified":"2023-01-17T04:21:09","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T04:21:09","slug":"this-week-sunshine-blue-skies-and-an-echocardiogram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/this-week-sunshine-blue-skies-and-an-echocardiogram\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week: Sunshine, Blue Skies and an Echocardiogram"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Brian<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It hasn’t been quite four years since a small patch on my tongue’s underside went numb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My wife said I should call our town’s emergency room, so I did. I’d long since learned that she’s got common sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was on a Thursday evening: August 2, 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Friday afternoon, I’d been up close and personal with a CT scanner here in Sauk Centre and the MRI scanner in Saint Cloud, about an hour down the road. And I’d met, at least briefly, maybe a dozen or so folks, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When scan and lab results were done, I had good news. Whatever had happened, it left my brain’s various subsystems working normally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\"An<\/a>Well, as normally as they ever work, and that’s another topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least one of the scans showed that I’ve got an atrial septal aneurysm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Atrial septal aneurysm” is a five-dollar phrase meaning that there’s something odd about my heart’s atrial septum. It’s the membrane separating my heart’s two upper chambers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five-dollar phrase for the numbness I’d experienced is transient ischemic attack, and I talked about that back in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heart’s atrial septum is an important bit of tissue. It keeps blood that’s delivered oxygen and is coming back for a fresh supply from mixing with blood that’s been oxygenated in the lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently what I’ve got is a bulge in my atrial septum. One that hasn’t changed in four years, which is good news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now and then, folks have a hole in that membrane; which is normal for a newborn. But if the hole doesn’t grow closed promptly, well: that’s not good news.1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>My Atrial Septal Aneurysm, Heart Valves and Mostly-Good News<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\"National<\/a>A month or so back, my doctor told me it was time to check on my heart, so I went to the clinic this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The anomaly is still there, but hasn’t changed. And that, like I said before, is good news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happily, the technician \u2014 sonographer, I understand, is the proper term \u2014 had the computer’s screen on the table’s left side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which made it the metaphorical right side from my viewpoint, since that way I could see the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And had both a pleasant and an informative chat about the procedure and the pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I learned that each valve makes a different sound. Maybe someone’s composed music based on the heart-valve sounds, and that’s yet another topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also learned that there’s a little backflow or leakage in one of the valves. Nothing serious, well within normal parameters: just not a textbook-perfect situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, leaky valves can lead to complications ranging from feeling lightheaded to being dead.2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Life, Health, Death and Options<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\"Pieter<\/a>I like being alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if I didn’t, appreciating my life comes with being Catholic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human life \u2014 all human life \u2014 is precious, sacred: a gift from God. So is physical health. Taking care of both, within reason, is a good idea. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2288)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being sick is okay. Being healthy is okay. It’s part of being alive. Getting well, and helping others get well, is a good idea. The same goes for scientific research: about which ethics apply, same as anything else we do. (Catechism, 1410, 1500-1510, 2292-2296)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But staying or getting healthy shouldn’t be my top priority. Putting anything or anyone where God belongs would be idolatry. And a bad idea. (Catechism, 2112-2113)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, no matter how much of a health nut I am, sooner or later I’ll die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Death happens. (Catechism, 1006-1007)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it’s not permanent \u2014 which is good news or bad news, depending on what I’ve done with my life. And whether or not I accept God’s love and mercy at my particular judgment. That last item is a sort of postmortem performance review. (Catechism, 991, 997, 1020-1029, 1033-1037, 1042-1050)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Worried? Me? Apparently<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\"Brian<\/a>I had something other than echocardiograms, heart valves and medical imaging in mind for this week’s topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d been working on that other stuff until early Wednesday afternoon, when it was time for me to get to the clinic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting the echocardiogram was fun, since I got a chance to see how the tech works and talk about it with the sonographer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when I got back home, I realized that what I’d been writing would take several more days to finish: not the two and a fraction left this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That happens, sometimes. But when it does, I generally see how to wrap up what I’ve got and still make my self-imposed deadline. This week, that wasn’t happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I realized that I wasn’t nearly as unconcerned about my echocardiogram as I thought. Somewhere, well behind my mind’s front office, I was worried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I decided that I’d save my notes and what I’d written to date on what I’ll call topic number one, and start writing this thing. Which I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, Thursday afternoon, I got the echocardiogram’s results. Results of an analysis of it, actually. The oddity in my heart hasn’t changed \u2014 I said that before \u2014 and the medications I take will stay the same. Basically, good news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s see. What am I missing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue skies! Right!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week’s blue skies, fleecy clouds and sunshine were punctuated by rain and the occasional thundershower. “Thunderstorm,” as the National Weather Service started calling them some time back now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Sunshine, Lollipops, Rainbows and Me<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

\"Gustave<\/a>This week’s weather and unconscious anxiety, plus my eclectic musical tastes, have had me playing Howard Liebling’s, Marvin Hamlisch’s and Lesley Gore’s 1963 “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not the whole song, just the bit I remembered. “Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, every-something” and repeat.3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s among my favorite mood-lifters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which have been very useful over the decades. And that’s yet again another topic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n