Matters of the Heart

Chapter 41

8 weeks later - April 2021

Jesse and Abbey arrived at Rush University Medical Center and arrived on the Cardiac floor for their appointment with Dr Tenney. Jesse was 12 weeks post op and 8 weeks post discharge. They were directed to a patient exam room where Jesse was instructed to sit on an exam table, Abbey sat in a chair in the corner of the room across from Jesse where the nurse checked his pulse and blood pressure. She then placed a pulse ox meter on Jesse's finger to monitor his o2 sats.  Once satisfied with the readings, he was then further instructed to take his shirt off and to lay back on an exam table, where the nurse placed electrodes on his chest around his heart and the set him up for an EKG. Once she printed out the EKG and placed it in his file, she removed the electrodes from his chest and told Jesse he could sit up.

"Dr Tenney will be with you in a few minutes once he looks over your EKG."

Jesse nodded at the nurse, sitting up.

"Keep your shirt off though, he's going to want to listen to your chest and take a look at your incision. "

Jesse nodded once again and Abbey smiled at the nurse. "Thank you" she told the nurse and the nurse nodded at them, quietly leaving the room.

Jesse looked over at Abbey, one of her hands resting over her stomach on top of her baby bump. She was now 21 weeks pregnant and halfway into her pregnancy and other than the normal morning sickness early in her pregnancy and the usual fatique, everything was going to plan and she had been complication free during the duration of her pregnancy so far.

"How are you feeling? Sorry I had to drag you out so early." Jesse asked her.

"I'm fine. We're good. And it's fine."

"You didn't sleep good last night"

Abbey lightly chuckled. "Yeah well you're daughter already has her days and nights mixed up"

Jesse shot her one of his irrestible smiles. Just then the door opened and in walked Dr. Ryan Tenney.

"Well good morning Soffers. How are we feeling today, Jesse?" Ryan greeted them as he shook Jesse's hand and bent down to hug Abbey.

"I'm doing pretty good" Jesse responded.

"Well your EKG and your vitals agrees with you. EKG looks great and totally normal rythym, vitals are steady."

"What were his vitals?" Abbey asked him.

"Heartrate was 58, BP 105/80, pulse ox was 99. But I'm sure you've been keeping a check on them"

Abbey smiled guiltily as Jesse shot her a look. "Yeah occasionaly"

"Ok Jesse standard set of questions for you. How's the pain?"

"Pretty manageable now. I'm off the pain pills now. I only feel it once in a while if I move the wrong way and its only for a second or two"

"Ok that's pretty normal. So other than the occasional pain, any chest pain?"

"No none"

"Shortness of breath?"

"No"

"Any palpitations, accelerated heartrate?"

"No, not since before my surgery"

"Good, that's great. Well let's take a listen"

Ryan put on his stethoscope and pressed it to Jesse's chest.

"Take a deep breath for me"

Jesse did as he was instructed, and again several times as Ryan listened to his breathing front and back until he returned to the left side of his chest.