This thread meandered over to reminding me of a medical test demanded many years ago. Heart stress test. Easy peasy, run hard on a treadmill and record the results.
I figured the heavy hiking boots mattered not, I would get tired faster, a good thing.
First they shot me up with some juice straight to the vein, for access a a pigtail about six inches long was taped firmly to my forearm, hanging towards the elbow.
Many minutes of running later the doctor announced we were at target and the nurse inserted an abnormally large syringe into the access tube while I was running at close to full speed with a four pound boot on each foot.
A smooth run being impossible the nurse began running in place, pacing me while attempting to inject the solution without tugging the tube or pulsing the plunger, trying for a smoother delivery.
Five minutes at 90% output had those boots occasionally dragging the treads lightly between steps. A hand in the small of the back would apply gentle forward pressure and the nurse would admonish the loss of momentum.
Finally a machine imaged where the chemically radioactive markers had lodged in my heart during continued maximum output.
My copay was $7,000.00 on that test alone. The total rose to $26,000.00 the second year.
Then my collections, my extra vehicles, the toys, the tools, the last vehicle, the house.
The past year and a half in a dry cabin inside a dark zone without a phone. Now there is a connection but a phone costs too much compared to an old desktop. A couple grams a month from the pot shop and the cheapest, slowest internet connection available are my vices. Life sure does change.
I am a bitter old man and this is an anecdote, applying only to this single event. I am sure others have had better luck with our system.
Wish it did not depend on luck.
I figured the heavy hiking boots mattered not, I would get tired faster, a good thing.
First they shot me up with some juice straight to the vein, for access a a pigtail about six inches long was taped firmly to my forearm, hanging towards the elbow.
Many minutes of running later the doctor announced we were at target and the nurse inserted an abnormally large syringe into the access tube while I was running at close to full speed with a four pound boot on each foot.
A smooth run being impossible the nurse began running in place, pacing me while attempting to inject the solution without tugging the tube or pulsing the plunger, trying for a smoother delivery.
Five minutes at 90% output had those boots occasionally dragging the treads lightly between steps. A hand in the small of the back would apply gentle forward pressure and the nurse would admonish the loss of momentum.
Finally a machine imaged where the chemically radioactive markers had lodged in my heart during continued maximum output.
My copay was $7,000.00 on that test alone. The total rose to $26,000.00 the second year.
Then my collections, my extra vehicles, the toys, the tools, the last vehicle, the house.
The past year and a half in a dry cabin inside a dark zone without a phone. Now there is a connection but a phone costs too much compared to an old desktop. A couple grams a month from the pot shop and the cheapest, slowest internet connection available are my vices. Life sure does change.
I am a bitter old man and this is an anecdote, applying only to this single event. I am sure others have had better luck with our system.
Wish it did not depend on luck.
