On my first visit to the cardiac unit, a notice on the wall tickled my funny bone and interfered with any anxiety I had about my coming appointment. I had been referred after my primary care physician became nervous with my report of chest discomfort after exercise accompanied by my father’s heart attack heritage.
The notice read, “DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF PATIENTS TODAY, PLEASE EXPECT A LONGER THAN USUAL WAIT TIME.” It wasn’t that the forewarning was amusing, but the paper curled at the bottom in a way that indicated it had been on the wall for some time. “Today,” indeed.
I saw the cardiologist within five minutes of my appointed time so the warning was unnecessary. Chest pain and my father’s heart attack brought a similar set of the first doctor’s nerves to the cardiologist who scheduled me for a catheterization with the possibility of stents if needed. He gave me assurance that he knew how to do this with some large number in the thousands that he had done.
The surgery came and went (3 stents) with caring professional medical staff all the way. I returned to the cardiac unit for my follow-up check a couple of weeks later. Wouldn’t you know the sign warning of a long wait “today” remained in place with its curled edges still in place.
I confess that I’m not all that thankful for the heart history Daddy passed along to me, but in all this, I have been very grateful that he also passed along the habit of seeing the humor in whatever situation he found himself in.