Back from cardiologist!!

[sonya489]

Hey,
Well I went to the cardiologist and basically he looked at me and said he didn't believe the EKG, or the Echo..results so he rushed me to this room with an echo machine and did a 5 minute echo my other one took 20-30 minutes this one took 5 minutes yes 5 miutes!!!! I didn't like his attitude at all ahhhhhh I want to scream and then scream some more. I called primary care and got a referal to a different cardiologist that I can't see until October 9. Now I really don't know what to think..Oh my symptoms are probabaly arthritis in my chest now he spent 5 minutes with me and I had a 5 minute echo. Also don't they listen for murmors on the right side he never listen to my right side at all. What do yall think give me some opinions and tell me I'm not crazy for being mad!

Thanks,
C-YA
Sonya

 

[sonya489]

When I ask him to repeat the EKG he said no! Now if he doesen't believe it then why wouldn't he do it!

C-YA
Sonya

 

[alicia]

Hey Sonya, I've been thinking of your appt today. Im sorry it went so badly. Yes,I would have been upset as well. I've never heard of an echp taking 5 minutes and to only spend 5 mins with you at such a crucial point of your life is ridiculous!!! You were absolutely correct to get a referral to see another cardio. Good luck and maybe he/she will be a good cardiologist and listen to you and give you some much deserved answers. Alicia

 

[ALCapshaw]

Sorry to hear you got such treatment from your cardiologist Sonya.

It seems like my cardio has one of the tech's do an EKG before every appointment. Takes about 5 minutes.

Congratulations on having the presence of mind to get a referal to another cardio!

Hope things go better the next time.

'AL'

 

[sonya489]

I was so mad at this Dr. I mean he had his mine made up the minute he saw me...I ask for another EKG if he doubted that one he said it wasn't necessary ahhh but then let's do a rush echo so we can charge the insurance about 8-900.00 I think I will call the insurance and let them know not to pay it because it was a 5 minute echo...I will also put in a complaint about him.
Oh and the worst part is my dizziness,fatique,& chest pain is arthritis in my chest how dare he blow me off like that what a jerk! Sometimes I just don't know about some of these Dr.'s & I wonder where they get there license from....I'll wait for the other appt. in Ocotber no problem I mean if I have had a heart attack they can't do much now anyway but geez have a little compasion.

Thanks,
C-YA
Sonya

 

[John Cochran]

Sonya,
I understand why you are angry, but may I suggest perhaps another way of looking at what happened regarding your 5 minute echo? You said the doctor didn't believe what he saw from the 30 minute echo; he may simply have been verifying (by looking at a single valve, for example) that the 30 minute echo was really yours, and not mislabeled. Such a verification wouldn't take long. However, the doctor should have explained more clearly the what-and-why of the situation.

Best,
John

 

[NancyMVP]

No your not wrong for being mad.
What did he say about your enlarged left atrium???
And Regurgitation and possible heart attack.
My doctor has looked at videos of my echos. Rather than relying on the report alone. But they don't always seem to explain to us the layterms. Such as when I first found out I had moderate to severe regurgiation. I thought that meant I would need surgery right away.
When I told my doctor I surfed the web and read all this stuff about Mitral Regurgitation. He said; too much information is somethimes no good.

Sounds like the poorest bedside manner I've ever heard.

You go girl, try another doctor.

What happened with your questions???

good luck at the next appointment. Hope you get answers.

 

[sonya489]

Hey,
I didn't even get a chance to ask any questions. He was so rude he looked at the EKG and said I don't believe this,then he looked at the echo report and said I don't believe this I didn't have the video with me but I will for the next appt....The he rushed me in the room and did the 5 min. echo and said he saw mild regurgitation of the mitral valve,no aoric regurg,no enlarged atrium what ever if it's on 1 it's there ya know! He was so in a hurry to be rid of me so he could go to the hospital I mean how does he know if maybe its doesn't regur. as much sometimes as the other I don't know that maybe it could happen I don't trust a 5 min. echo along with a rush Dr. who had his mind made up when he looked at me he was like hmmm. I will not be rushed at another appt. concerning my health I am 41 years old I want to know what is what!
Thanks,
C-YA
Sonya

 

[joy]

you go girl!

you go girl!

Hi Sonya, I am sorry you had a rush job at the cardio office. I guess a lot of doctors don't listen to their patients. It's like that at the naval hosp. and at madigan, but one thing I have learned is if they mistreat you, get a second opinion, and talk to their manager or who ever is in charge of them. I would be upset as well.

 

[hhardt]

Another View

Another View

Sonya, the normal echo takes a long time because they are checking everything. It could be that the doc was only checking those items of concern, which does not necessarily take long at all. He said there was a few things he did not believe and he looked for himself. Most doc's would not do that then and there. Sounds like a thorough job for a busy doc who has people in real trouble at the hospital. It could be , relatively speaking, you were not in nearly as much trouble as the other ones he had at the time, especially time wise. Give him a chance and think about his perception of the visit. Good doc's don't always have good bedside manners.

 

[NancyMVP]

Good doctor or not, I feel you right on the money get another opinion. If this doctor does an echo and says mild regurgitation and not an enlarge left atrium I wouldn't complain. good luck

 

[sonya489]

Well it's like this I don't know what to believe that I have any of this but:
I have a EKG that says I have had a heart attack I have an echo that shows enlarge left atrium,mitral regurg,aortic regurg. an now I have what he says in 5 min. I don't want all this crud for sure but how do you deny a heart attack on a EKG COME ON!
C-YA
Sonya

 

[Don]

Second Opinion

Second Opinion

I concur that you were treated poorly and that you have a right to be treated with respect and have your fears confirmed or clearly eliminated.
His interpersonal skills suck.
But look at the bright side: Maybe he is right. Sounds like that would be a better situation than surgery.
I would follow through with a different cardilogist, but hope that this guy is technically astute.
Best wishes,
Don
AVR; 4/02; CCF; Cosgrove; Bovine

 

[sonya489]

I just noticed this on the report it says:

Structurally normal mitral valve with thickened anterior leaflet & mild regurgitation.
Strucaturally normal tricuspid valve with mild tricuspid regurgitation
Strucurally normal pulmonic valve with trace pulmonic regurgitation.

Ok now what is a thickened anterior leaflet is that the flap and what does that mean & how did it get thick.. What about the other 2 those weren't on the other report....HELP!!!!!
What is weird is on the ekg it said anterior infarction does that have something to do with the anterior leaflet? I'm so confused!

C-YA
Sonya

 

[John Cochran]

clarifying terminology

clarifying terminology

Sonya,
I'll help with the terminology, but I really think when you find another cardiologist, you should make a new list of questions, and don't leave until they are answered.

The report you quoted indicated the valves were structurally normal, with mild to trace (very mild) regurgitation. Those don't sound like anything to be alarmed about, but you certainly do want a cardiologist's interpretation of the data.

You mentioned an anterior infarction, and wondered if that was related to the valve. The answer is no. An anterior infarction is a specific kind of myocardial infarction, or heart attack. An anterior myocardial infarction is normally caused by an occlusion (blockage) of the anterior decending branch of the left coronary artery (LAD), and is independent of any valve issues. Now, the way they decide that you had that is the analysis of your EKG. The presence or absence of certain waves associated with each of the leads that were attached to your chest points to that evaluation. It is important to note that not all doctors would interpret that data exactly the same way.

I hope you have better luck with another doctor, and put your foot down about getting answers to your questions! Remember, they work for you!

Wishing you well,
--John

 

[hensylee]

You did good, John. Bet this has helped Sonja immensely - much more than her RUDE and UNKIND doctor did. Nobody should brush off a patient like that - and if they do, they should be fired on the spot. Sonya, you are the employer here - too many drs forget this part!

 

[sonya489]

Hey,
Well I never could find any relation to the anterior leaflet and the anterior infarction but now I do know they aren't connected.
I also saw that the anterior infarction was part of coronary artery disease which I thought was caused by high cholesterol an I don't have and have never had high cholesterol. All my blood work is done 3 times a year due to thyroid disease (hashi's) cholesterol,diabetes,thyroid,cbc,wbc are always checked. Is there some forms of CAD's that is hereditary my grandmother had this. My mother is going thru some heart test at this time she has high blood pressure and high cholesterol it was her mother that had the CAD'S. Her dad also had something with the arteries in his legs where they had to scrape them I think it might have been related also. This Dr. did ask about family history diagnosed before 50 and no one was diagnosed before 50. He was only interested in my paren'ts, and my children. I did tell him about my grandparen'ts. My grandmother is also who I got the thyroid disease from it's hereditary and I have had it for almost 16 years.
Although both my paren'ts have it I was diagnosed with it first and they were several years later I think they have had it for about 10 years. I also know that thyroid disease is an automimune disorder and it can cause some problems with the heart as well as any other organ.
Thanks,
C-YA
Sonya

 

[cindy19335]

exactly the same

exactly the same

I'm still trying to figure it out sonya.


I think that this must be a way for a cardiologist to not see you. That or else there is absolutely nothing they can do for you, the damage is done.

I did the same thing, took copies of records but the new cardiologist had optained my copies....so he said.

Prior to going back for his interpretation of my echo (done in his office) I stopped and got a copy of the report. I had my questions ready, I shouldn't have had them. This doctor, likened my heart and regurgitation to choo choo trains. Said all persons have regurgitation and are born with it. Would not let me get a question in, nor would let me say that I couldn't have been born with it as I had had pervious echo, and cardiac cath.

By chance do you have any neuro problems, or back problems?

 

[sonya489]

Why do they do this I don't understand I mean we are worried about our situation & they just blow us off. I have the 2nd. one on Oct. 9 maybe I will approach it differently this time. I do now have a copy of the echo where as before I just had the report. So I guess it 's a wait & see thing.....I mean it's like do you tell them all of the symptoms or do you leave out some so they don't think that you are completly crazy!!
Thanks,
C-YA
Sonya

 

[cindy19335]

look

look

Sonya,

Put your echo in your VCR and look at it yourself. At the end of the echo is a page with your figures. You can see if an error has been made, you can see if they rounded off figures......which my cardiologist did.

Its quite interesting. In fact I was quite surprized to see some figures changed and not others.

Sonya, I once saw on TV that only 15% of heart attack are caused by blocked vessels, high blood pressure. So if you look at it in those terms, the rest is untreatable.