Testing

Today has been another one of those days that I would call 'Interesting'.

The least interesting part of my day was the actual training bit. Not that the training wasn't good, it just was the most normal part of my day. The more interesting parts of day were the hour or so I spent inside the tube of an MRI machine and then the time I spent getting hooked up with a Holter Monitor.

So, the training bit first. The ride this morning was another in my latest series of sessions that have felt good. A good couple of hours on the bike, reasonable power outputs, manageable heart rates. It was one of those sessions that ticked a lot of boxes. The bits that didn't tick the boxes were the rain showers I got caught in (hello Summer?) and the howling winds. Those bits weren't as fun. Still, all up the ride was a good one. A session to be happy with.

The more interesting parts of my day started not to long after the ride finished. First up was the MRI. For those that haven't had an MRI before, it is a lot like what you see in the movies. You lie in a rather small tube while the machine makes very loud noises. As I found out today, sometimes the process can take quiet a while.

I have had an MRI before, so I thought I had a reasonable idea of what to expect. However, the last MRI I had was a tiddler compared to today's experience. Today I was in the MRI machine for over an hour, breathing in, breathing out, holding my breathe, over and over. The process is apparently supposed to take about 40 minutes, however, it is set up to take pictures of a heart that is beating in a regular rhythm, my wonky heart rhythm made it a bit harder, requiring a few bits to be re-done. We got there in the end though, and hopefully the final product will make the time spent worth it.

If everything goes to plan the MRI will be very boring and show absolutely nothing wrong. Fingers crossed.

Part 2 of today's medical adventures was to get a Holter Monitor fitted. For those unfamiliar a Holter Monitor is like a small ECG machine, the one I am wearing is a 5 lead version. You wear the monitor for 24 or 48 hours (mine is for 24 hours) and it records you heart rhythms during that period. The idea of the monitor is it gives a good indication of what your heart is doing during an entire day. If your heart is doing anything unusual, the monitor shows just what it is doing and when it is doing it. Once again I have had one of these before, however, last time I wore a Holter Monitor it didn't show up anything out of the ordinary, I suspect this time around  the results may be different.

Fair to say that the time spent on tests today was a little annoying. However, whilst the time it took might have been annoying, overall I found the process very interesting. More importantly than that though, I am just so glad that the testing process has started. Now that the tests have begun I am one step closer to having this heart issue diagnosed, which is another step closer to potentially having it solved.