He's a Cutie, see?... What QTc?

Baseline EKG

As part of the protocol to take Tasigna, Mando had to have a baseline EKG BEFORE starting this chemo drug.

Mando also had to have an EKG at 2 weeks after starting Tasigna. He had that yesterday.

Mando will have to have EKG's every 3 months while he is on this drug. Mando hopes to be on the drug indefinitely.

The reason for the EKG is to look at the QTc...to watch out for a prolonged QT interval.

Yeah, that's that Cardiac lingo I was talking about...It's all Greek to me. ( Can I still say that? I apologize if that's offensive. )

Yesterday during Mando's appointment we discussed Mando's baseline EKG.

His QTc was ALREADY prolonged.

WHAT THE HELL? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME? What NEXT?

2 week follow up EKG

I have not heard back about yesterdays EKG yet.

We'll go for an echocardiogram in two weeks. They will take a look inside Mando's heart.

 I am certain they will see a heart of gold.  My Father had an enlarged heart. They said it was because he was an athlete. I knew better. I expect  Mando's to be equally huge.

Matters of the HEART

 I AM A NURSE.

Not just any kind of nurse, I am a psychiatric nurse...to the core. I take pride in that. I never planned on becoming a nurse. It is by far NOT my first career. I have no idea if will be my last Life is strange like that.

When I was beginning nursing school the instructor asked for the students to raise their hands for which field they should wish to follow, Critical Care, Labor and Delivery, Operating Room, Pediatrics, and so on and so forth.  The hands went up. When Psychiatric was mentioned I shot my hand up right quick and my rear end lifted a little out of my seat, as if I wouldn't get noticed out of all the others. I noticed a strange hush. I thought I heard one person giggle, so I looked around, my class.
No one else raised their hands.

I was alarmed. I let out a gasp and said "REALLY PEOPLE?!! JUST ME??? I THOUGHT EVERYONE WANTED TO BE A PSYCH NURSE??? Well, I'll be damned." They laughed, and so it was. I graduated and was employed right off the get go as a Psychiatric nurse and remains so to this day. It is my passion.

The field that bewilders me most, that remains beyond my comprehension is Cardiac. I am in awe of the cardiac nurse. I simply can't grasp it, never could. To me, a broken heart is, well the loss of one's love or purpose or pet. That sort of thing. A longing, an emptiness, a feeling of despair or regret or hopelessness about the fracture in one heart of hearts.

To the Cardiac nurse, it has something to do with atriums and ventricles, sa nodes and QRS complexes... oy vey. I mean I get it, but I don't GET IT  get it. It's difficult.

I have an abundance of admiration for the Cardiac nurse.

In my personal life, the heart is a spiritual vessel. It takes a beating...and keeps beating. sometimes it needs a great deal of healing. I keep rose quartz near my heart chakra at all times. Some people would think that qualifies me for needing a psychiatric nurse more than being one. My personal beliefs have nothing to do with clinical practice.

Often when I meet Mando's new doctors. They quickly come around to the part where they say "So I hear you're a nurse."

I always answer the same "I AM A MOTHER FIRST, nurse second. The mother part is the part you need to worry about."

What does this post really have to do with Mando?

HIS EKG...to be continued