In case you missed it, there’s already a 55-part(!) story about trying to give a kidney at a different hospital.
You can read it in all its glory here. Or you can get the recap here. Or you can just read on since this is the beginning of a new story at a new hospital. (Yay!)
I faxed over the initial forms to UCLA. They called me saying they’d be happy to start the process – if I could first get them a letter from my cardiologist.
Thankfully, I knew this wouldn’t be a problem.
Back when I was getting my tests done at OSU, and there was that extremely mild EKG scare (in which it maybe didn’t look 100% normal); I called my awesome, amazing, wonderful, fabulous electrocardiologist in Boston to ask if he’d look at my EKG.
He was happy to, ’cause he’s such a nice guy (and a spectacular doctor). But he also suggested it was finally time to get a California cardiologist (and he was right, considering I’d been living here on and off for about 2 years at the time).
So, he referred me to Dr. Doshi (whom he’d known since medical school). Sweetest of all he said, “He’s the person to whom I’d refer my own family – and at this point, I feel like that’s basically what you are.” (Awwww.)
Dr. Doshi did not disappoint. He’s amazing. When he reviewed my EKG with me during the OSU testing time, he said my heart looked completely fine – and he’d even write a letter to that effect if need be. Since he’d offered about a year earlier, I figured he’d do it for me now. (Spoiler alert: he did.)
Since it had been over a year, he wanted to see me before he wrote the letter (a very reasonable request).
The visit was lovely. He started by telling me he’d just talked to Dr. Milan that morning, and that Dr. Milan had been saying such nice things such as, “Isn’t she an exceptional girl?” (Awwww.)
[Not to be super bitter or anything, but take that, haters from OSU. The doctor who went through all the heart stuff with me thinks I’m exceptional – not lame for being a free spirit, but awesome for being unique and different and special. Ba-bam!]
Dr. Doshi happily read the EKG taken that day. My resting heart rate was still below 60 (which is where the normal range starts – and like most things in life, I always want to stay out of the range of normal ;)).
My heart looked wonderful as far as Dr. Doshi was concerned. He was ready to write the letter… as long as I got an echocardiogram first – just to be completely sure.
And this is where we’ll pick up next time.