...and your buns in the bed...

I the Heart Failure consult yesterday in SLC at IHC. It was very illuminating. I saw a Nurse Practitioner whom I have seen before. After examination she called in a cardiologist who had just read my file along with the Echo CG.
Her examination involved looking and listening (stethoscope). Once again, she did that thing where I put up my chin with my head slightly turned so that she could watch one of the arteries in my neck. She allowed that that observation was one of the great tools in her toolbox. I knew that it told her about how much water I was carrying (not much). But there was more. She then positioned me in repose on the gurney lying on my back with the bed slightly elevated under my head. She repeated her listening (and looking) with the stethoscope added for several elevations more toward the vertical. Then she said, I want to get a cardiologist in here. Uh oh.
Within 10 minutes a young dude came into the room. We went through my family history, particularly my closest relatives. Both my brothers are gone as well as my mother and father. Dad was only 64 when he died but was a chronic asthmatic for 30 years so a heart attack seemed reasonable. My youngest brother died at 56 but he was morbidly obese and a long time pot smoker. Notwithstanding that, I think heart failure was the cause. My middle brother died at 78 from multiple causes it seemed. But Jan reminded me he was fitted with a heart valve long before that. My mother lived to 97.
The cardiologist launched an explanation into the aortic valve. Some of us have an aortic valve that is tri-folded, others one that is bi-folded. There is also an intermediate one that is sort of a tri-fold. Given western ways (esp diet) the aortic valve can calcify with ageing. I think they said that this was particularly the case for one type of valve (bi-folded?) over the other. Apparently this is highly heritable, ergo, inform our daughter. They suspect that I am a candidate for a new aortic valve. (My brother's valve was an aortic replacement.)
There is apparently one more definitive test. The heart is stressed. I asked via treadmill? No, they do it on the table.
So, I am being referred to their heart structure team. These guys do nothing but valves and stents, I guess. The cardio doc said that they are very impatient, ie, get ready to go!
The procedure is essentialy out-patient. (COVID saw to this.) It is an up-the-groin (femoral) artery)-into-the-heart procedure of which I have had several now. They inject ink and check it all. And then do their thing. If all goes well, the procedure is probably a morning process and one escapes late in the day. I related that all my arteries and veins passed close examination during my 2015 heart failure. The cardio guy said, time passes. 
So, I wait. I should hear pretty quickly, but they didn't shoot off a prescription they were supposed to yesterday and I had to remind them this morning, so it may take a bit of time for them to catch up. Also the NP wants to review the file to see if we have missed any blood tests at this end.
Meanwhile, the nurse practitioner says, don't lift any weights.