 Glenn is back for his 2nd stay on Heartbeat! |
One requirement of my two week adventure up the Hudson and out the Erie is that I submit a Blog post. I've read many of Heather's posts and I do not intend to compete with her on style or content, she wins, but I can however turn this into a health advice blog.
I left Portland on a red eye Friday night, arrived NYC Saturday morning, found Heartbeat within a few hours using only DR (dead reckoning) and notes, no Smartphone with GPS or Uber. By Saturday afternoon Heartbeat was headed North on the Hudson, that evening we had dinner on the boat. I had a couple of beers and went to bed. The next morning as we were nearing West Point I involuntarily dropped to the cabin floor, recovering in about 15 seconds wondering why I was lying on the deck with Penny standing over me. Once I got back on my feet I felt fine, but nurse Heather thought we needed a more professional opinion, so we opted for Urgent Care in Poughkeepsie. (Heather here – it was very scary for both Kent and me. Glenn is a very healthy and fit and to see him collapse with no warning shook us. He also hit his head on his way down to the floor so better to be sure this was a random occurrence rather than something more serious).
The doctor at Urgent Care assigned my examination quickly determined I had a heart murmur and there was nothing she could do for me, I needed to be transported to the hospital by ambulance at once, the Vassar Brothers Hospital was out the backdoor less than a hundred yards away. The fact that we had walked up hill for about a 1/2 mile made no impression on her but she did settle for letting us take an Uber to the hospital, which we quickly learned was a very short ride.
I was checked into the Emergency Room for some quick tests by a doctor and a tech. The doctor could find nothing wrong, but thought I should be admitted for a series of more detailed tests, when asked she found no indication of a heart murmur. Once I was admitted for observation, Matt the Tech performed a couple of tests and told me there was nothing wrong with me that a little water wouldn't cure. Over the next 24 hrs I had an EKG, MRI, X-rays and a test to discover any blockage of arteries in my neck. Each test was followed by a consultation with a specialist who interpreted the results. The results were inconclusive, so they could only speculate that I was dehydrated. During my stay at Vassar Brothers Hospital I got what 10 years prior would have been my Annual Physical and an overnight stay at a third rate hotel with poor room service.
If you want to know what happened on Heartbeat's trip up the Hudson River and Erie Canal read Heather's post. I'll remind you to drink your water. I will forward an update once I get my bill from BlueCross/BlueShield of Oregon, I'm just guessing that Vassar Brothers in New York in not in network. 😉
 Follow Glenn’s advice! |