Wendell saw the GI specialist today.. all is good. No problems. The GI upset over the weekend was likely just the milk he drank that he said was lumpy, but didn't smell bad..so.. he drank it.
No comment here. Better to be mute on that issue.
I also saw my doctor today for a check up on the asthma.. he says I still have some wheezes, but not like before- I'm progressing in a right direction. I'll be on the inhalers till the snow flies, then wean off for the winter and start up again next March likely. HOORAY!
We discussed the results of my echocardiogram also that I had done this month. It was super.
No problems.. my ejection fraction is 70%... fabulous for my age. Most 40 yr olds can't have that good a reading. HAH! Well, I do have a minute amount of aortic stenosing but that is to be expected for me, and it's minimal and won't need watched for a few more years. He mentioned that I still have my murmur, but it's stable. The murmur was the reason I had the echo done in the first place. My dentist suggested that I check with my PCP to see if he still wanted antibiotics prior to any treatments, that the latest information is that SBE prophylaxis is not necessary. Well, let's see.. I take 2Grams of Amoxicillin once every 6 months to get my teeth cleaned.. versus the possibility of endocarditis which either will kill me or leave my heart majorly weak after months of the 'big gun' antibiotics.. I'll opt for the Amoxicillin. That's what the doctor said too.
Huh?? What's an ejection fraction?
Well, it's really quite simple..You have 2 systems in your heart. The top of the heart has 2 chambers called atrium that receive blood and the 2 lower chambers called ventricles pump blood out of the heart.
The left ventricle pushes oxygenated blood into arteries and from there it goes to your body.
Blood is received into the right atrium and pushes it into the right ventricle that pumps blood to the lungs where it picks up oxygen. It comes back to the left atrium and is then deposited in the left ventricle and the process continues over again. Valves in the heart prevent blood from backing up.. (regurgitation). When the left ventricle forces the blood out into the body, it is called ejection. It's a big pump, but not all the blood gets pumped out. There is always a little bit left behind for the next heart beat. The amount that is pumped out is called the ejection fraction and is expressed in a percentage.
Now don't you feel smart? Class dismissed.
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