After discovering I had a very high calcium score of 1425 — which usually means I’m a sitting duck for a heart attack — I was keen to book in for a cardiac stress echo test. Unfortunately, I was having trouble finding a clinic that could fit me in. Thankfully, my former work colleague, Dr. Allison Main, who lives in Cairns, had a friend who happens to be a cardiologist there.
I called and dropped Alison’s name. The receptionist, Lisa, went above and
beyond to try to find a spot for me. She mentioned that one person hadn’t yet
confirmed for the following day, so we were hoping and praying that I might get
their place. But the next morning, Lisa called to say they had confirmed — darn!
An hour or so later, however, she called again with great
news: they would fit me in during the lunch break. The only catch was that the
cardiologist required a referral from my GP (as well as a formal request for
the stress echo).
I contacted my GP for an appointment, and she called back
while we were driving down the Gillies Highway. With only a few minutes to
spare, she sent through the referral — just in time!
On our way to the clinic, we stopped to buy a couple of
boxes of chocolates to thank both Lisa and Dr. Sean Nguyen for
their kindness in fitting me in at short notice.
I was relieved and grateful to hear that the stress echo
showed no abnormalities, even after pushing hard on the treadmill. And to top
it off, I was pleasantly surprised to learn at the end of the appointment that
there was no charge, as it was fully covered by Medicare. This was
especially appreciated, since I had previously been quoted several hundred
dollars at other clinics.
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