CBS2's Cindy Hsu, Elise Finch take us along to have their hearts tested
NEW YORK -- Getting your heart checked out can be scary for some people, including CBS2's own Cindy Hsu.
That changed a few weeks ago after she interviewed Dr. Roxana Mehran, an interventional cardiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital.
"Listen to your body as a woman. When you know you have the risk factors, if you're not feeling right, call your doctor, make sure you get checked out," Dr. Mehran said.
"We talked about this -- I'm going to come to you, I want to get checked out, because this is so important," Hsu replied.
So she did it, along with CBS2's Elise Finch. They scheduled heart check-ups with Dr. Mehran at the Women's Heart and Vascular Center at Mount Sinai Heart.
Neither had they hearts tested for years, so they both felt a little uneasy.
"Nervous, nervous. I'm about to get a blood draw, and they're also going to put an IV in. So I'm kind of needle-phobic, but I hope she's gentle," Hsu said.
"Are you gentle?" she asked the staff.
"Yes, very," the woman replied. "But again, it's still a needle."
She said it wasn't too bad. They then took five vials of blood for testing.
Next came the echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart to look at the heart muscle and valves. She laid on her side, while they took pictures of her heart, similar to ultrasounds pregnant women get.
It only took about 20 minutes and didn't hurt at all, and you get to hear your heart.
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Dr. Mehran spent a lot of time asking questions about lifestyle and medical history. She checked Elise's neck arteries and her heart, and surprised them both when she checked their legs.
"You have very good arteries," Dr. Mehran said.
"How can you tell from just?" Elise asked.
"They're pounding pulses... Your heart is pumping well into your legs," the doctor replied.
Dr. Mehran said disease in the legs is often under diagnosed.
So, how did they feel once they finished?
"Good, really good. First of all, it was easier than I thought it was going to be," Elise said.
"Well I'm excited, because I just feel revved up. Every year I make a -- what do you call that in the New Year? A resolution -- to get my health under control, and I just haven't," Cindy added.
"I haven't either," Elise said.
"So I feel like we're on our journey to do this. We're coming back next week, we're going to go through numbers," Cindy added. "What I love what she said is that we can turn everything around."
"So we're in it together. Get your heart tested," said Cindy.
"Get tested, it was painless," added Elise.