I had a diagnostic heart catheterization on 11 April. I have no overt symptoms of heart disease. What prompted this was a poorly executed stress echocardiogram in 2017. My cardiologist, who was not involved in the stress echo thought that a heart cath would be the best way to fully understand what is happening with my heart. Preliminary results are negative for coronary artery blockages. Still waiting for the final report.

For those of you who have not had a heart cath, here’s how mine unfolded. The nurses shaved potential entry sites on my right wrist and lower abdomen. The doctor determined that he would use the wrist as I had a strong pulse there that indicated my artery was pretty straight.

Once in the OR, my wrist was disinfected and I was given a local anasthetic (lidocaine). It was a quick stick and burn — the most discomfort I had. I was also given 5 mcg of fentanyl as a tranquilizer. I was awake and lucid during the whole procedure, which took about 20 minutes.

The catheter is a thin tube maybe 1 mm in diameter. This was inserted through a small canula that had been placed into my wrist to penetrate the arterial wall. I felt a bit of pressure at the entry site, but did not feel the catheter anywhere else. I was able to see part of the monitor when the doc injected dye into the catheter. It was pretty neat to see my ribs rise and fall and to see the dye go through my arteries.

When the cath and canula were withdrawn, a pneumatic compression belt was applied to control post op bleeding. Every 15-20 minutes, the nurse would withdraw 2-3 cc of air as long as I wasn’t bleeding. This took most of two hours. Once the belt was removed, I was sent home. I was able to walk out of the hospital without assistance. Now, three days post op, I have a little bruising above the entry site and it’s a little tender, but not painful at all.

Something to keep in mind if you have kidney involvement: The dye is hard on the kidneys. My cardiologist reviewed my labs with my nephrologist before he ordered the procedure. My creatinine runs just above normal, and has been steady for several years. However, when they did labs upon my arrival at the hospital, my creatinine was 1.7, so the postponed my procedure while I was hydrated (IV saline). My creatinine dropped to 1.4, and then I waited until 2 PM for my procedure.

All in all, the procedure was virtually painless. I was not allowed to drive for 24 hours and told not to lift anything heavier than 5 pounds for five days.