In a Different World with a Smartphone (LN) - Volume 25 - Chapter SS2

Thorough Physical

I had a physical examination recently. I’d been in for a few in the past, but since I’d moved, it was my first time getting a physical at the new place. The reason I needed it was because I suddenly started having chest pains. It was an intense, dull pain that felt like an elephant was leaning against my ribcage, and it lasted hours at a time.

Initially, I thought something was up with my lungs or my heart, but when I went to a respiratory and cardiovascular specialist, they couldn’t detect any issues on that front. For whatever reason, gulping down bread seemed to calm the pain, so I went to a gastroenterologist and had a gastroscopy. However, he said other than a little bit of bile reflux, my stomach was basically fine.

I didn’t want to leave the mystery pain unsolved, and it’d already been two years since my last physical, so I decided to book myself in. I wanted it to be thorough, so I chose a two-day structure and elected to have various other tests done at the same time. The examination started at noon with height and weight measurements, then they tested my eyes and my blood. Those tests went on from noon to 4pm, at which point I hailed a cab and went to the nearby hotel I was staying at.

I was told that on the second day I wasn’t allowed to eat anything outside of what they gave me because they wanted to do a gastroscopy, but I’d already had a gastroscopy with another specialist, so I hadn’t even opted in for that test. I thought that was kind of annoying, but I did as I was told anyway. Thankfully, it wasn’t the second day yet, so I could enjoy a good meal the night before.

The meal at the hotel restaurant was a multi-course dining experience. For starters, there was white asparagus and foie gras salad, followed by mussels. After that came minestrone soup, focaccia, pork, angelica sprouts, onions, and fried potatoes. It was a well-balanced meal. I had a matcha chiffon cake for dessert and washed that down with some green tea.

I finished my meal at around 6 p.m., and from that moment I wasn’t allowed to eat a thing until after lunchtime the following day. That wasn’t because of the gastroscopy rules or anything—it was just because I needed to have my further blood tests done on an empty stomach. I went to bed shortly afterward, but I don’t sleep very well in new environments, so I kept waking up several times throughout the night.

The following morning, I headed back into the hospital and had an echocardiogram, as well as an MRI scan of my whole body, head included. Then, I got a general rundown from the doctor about what the results meant.

Just as I’d braced myself for, the parts that I thought weren’t good were indeed not good, but there weren’t any unexpected issues or complications, so that was nice. As for the chest pain, the whole reason I’d done all that in the first place...

It was inconclusive. I was extremely disappointed, but there wasn’t exactly anything I could do.

That test was back in June 2021, and at the time of writing, it’s currently October 2021. I’m happy to say that the pain is much less severe than it was back then. The medication that the gastroenterologist gave me for my bile reflux is probably the main factor. Even if I don’t know the exact cause, I’ve been feeling a bit better since I started taking it.

I want to take care of my health as much as possible going forward, but it’s tough sometimes! The world is full of unhealthy temptations!