Right, so I've been a bit under the weather since March and yesterday I heard the results of some testing done since (finally) getting myself into the GP to (ahem, yes, I know, my very bad) register at the new surgery.

Hmm. My 'stoopid little heart thingie' reared its pointed little head after round one of root canal treatment in early March. Long story short, it looks as though (according to the cardiologist) it is coincidental that I apparently suffered yet another bout of pericarditis about five days after the root canal treatment, so no order for prophylactic antibiotics despite the echo also showing some 'trivial' (according to the cardiologist, his word, that 'trivial') scarring on my aortic valve (rheumatic heart back in childhood). yea.

The fluid in my pericardium is so minimal he's 'going to watch it' rather than 'go in after it' (oh thank-God because really, pericardiocentisis is a wretched procedure to go through). No constriction, and no sign of endocarditis so all in, a reasonably good result and I've been given his permission to formulate and implement my own fitness programme. 'See you in the autumn', he said as he showed me to the door.

I am not going to complain about the service rendered by NHS Scotland, all things considered they reacted to my presenting that day to the GP surgery with unusual rapidity according to just about every lab tech and nurse I encountered. I will say, however, had I been whisked that day to an echocardiogram they would have seen what I know was pericardial constriction - it was nearly a month after that first visit that I was having the echo and by then I was so much better I told the tech I felt a bit guilty taking up her time.

So I now start a self-managed fitness regime hoping to have some real results to show-off when I see the cardiologist in the autumn.