Yesterday In Gallup

Above, Rehoboth McKinley Christian Medical Center in Gallup. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yesterday was spent in Gallup for my cardiologist appointment at the Rehoboth McKinley Christian Medical Center and to pick up my Mustang from the mechanic's shop.

First, about the car. 

I bought it in to have an estimate on replacing parts and/or repairing sections of the exhaust system. It seems it got thrashed driving a few weeks ago in Six Mile Canyon and the rocks it kicked up did some damage. It was akin, I suppose, flying into a meteor shower.

A day before, it was noticed that I was leaking coolant. Yesterday, while in Gallup, I noticed more coolant leaking. I suspected that the water pump went out. Thankfully, it never overheated and the shop I was to get an exhaust system estimate also does radiator and cooling system repairs. Sure enough, it was the water pump. So I had those taken care of there. Sometimes, things work out like this. 

After picking up the car, I was headed to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions when the clutch pedal went out about a mile from the repair shop. It just actually flopped around. I was able to get the car to my regular mechanic and that's where it is now. Thankfully, friends that brought me to Gallup were following me to the pharmacy "just in case." Now, I await for the diagnosis on the clutch pedal problem. Hopefully, it is a minor one. I replaced the clutch a day before moving from California.

I am hoping the Mustang can be done today, because a snowstorm is arriving tonight. It is a pain to have to deal with automotive repairs, but as friend Greg Lucier says, "It's still cheaper than buying a new car." True!

Back to my cardiologist appointment.

I needed a check-up in order for my prescriptions could be updated. I hadn't seen him since before the pandemic began. 

My vitals were checked (my blood pressure was a little up, but not concerningly so) and I had an electrocardiogram done.

What's an electrocardiogram?

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine:

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the simplest and fastest tests used to evaluate the heart. Electrodes (small, plastic patches that stick to the skin) are placed at certain spots on the chest, arms, and legs. The electrodes are connected to an ECG machine by lead wires. The electrical activity of the heart is then measured, interpreted, and printed out. No electricity is sent into the body.

Natural electrical impulses coordinate contractions of the different parts of the heart to keep blood flowing the way it should. An ECG records these impulses to show how fast the heart is beating, the rhythm of the heart beats (steady or irregular), and the strength and timing of the electrical impulses as they move through the different parts of the heart. Changes in an ECG can be a sign of many heart-related conditions.

Well, after my cardiologist reviewed the ECG print-out, he came into the examining room and said, "Well, it looks as good as your boots!" I was wearing my new (as of last January) pair of boots. That was welcome and pleasing news. He then gave me my new prescriptions and I was on my way.  

Following my check-up, we headed to Cracker Barrel for some breakfast. 

My cardiologist and were talking about mask mandates and he feels they're ridiculous. He agreed with me that they are about as useful as trying to keep mosquitoes our your yard with a chain-link fence.