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Personal Reflection/Anecdote

for a day of substitute teaching, the ache did not go away. When I arrived at school, the arm cramp was
still there, and I could sense my blood pressure was above normal. The first person I encountered was
the security officer. He took one look at me and said, “We need to take your blood pressure.” Of course,
I refused. In the classroom, I sat and drank some water, and the pain went away. Later in the day, another
teacher at school urged me to see my primary doctor. I was still not comprehending that there was anything
wrong with me.

Doctors
I’ve had my share of doctor visits over the
years, so going to my primary physician was no big
deal. The physician’s assistant told me my blood
pressure was up, but everything else was OK. Dr.
Nguyen came into the room, and I told him about
my “episodes” over the past few months. He looked
at me with concern and started to lecture me about
the symptoms of a heart attack. He prescribed
nitroglycerin to be carried with me at all times. I
thought, “Wait a minute! This is the same medicine
that was prescribed to my father when he had heart
issues. I have heart issues?” That question kept
spinning through my mind the reminder of the day.
“No way. I’m fine,” I told myself. Dr. Nguyen also
wanted me to make an appointment with a cardiologist. “What? A cardiologist? For heartburn?” I asked
myself. I still didn’t want to admit that I might have heart issues.
Finally, I told my husband about the pain I’d been going through the last few months. He was not
happy with me but gave me the name of his cardiologist. Bill had suffered a stroke in 2018.
Allow me to pause in this story and tell you things I should have done. One, Google the symptoms I
was feeling. Two, tell my husband sooner what was going on. Three, see a doctor sooner. Four, remember
that my father suffered from congestive heart failure.
I did none of these things because there wasn’t
anything wrong with me. Yes, I’m stubborn.
Later, when I met with the cardiologist, Dr. Patel
said, “We’re going to schedule you for a stress test.”
“Okay, fine with me. When?”
He gave me a date.
“No, I can’t do it then. I have a DKG convention
to attend. Can I do it when I return?” The doctor, the
nurse, and I went round and round trying to find a
date to fit everyone’s schedule. We finally agreed on
a date just after the convention.
At that DKG convention, we had to walk from
the hotel to the convention center. The distance was
about the length of a football field. The convention
was in McAllen in June, and, yes, it was hot. Walking
became a problem. I became lightheaded and short of
breath. Luckily, I had DKG colleagues to assist me.
My problems didn’t stop. After the banquet Friday

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