Saw my new cardiologist

twinmaker · Apr 29, 2006

yesterday. He is so young. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I've never had a cardiologist this young. He also has a specialty in electrophysiology. I think he's on top of things from just seeing me for the first time though. He was going through copies of my record from my last cardio and was looking at some EKG strips and questioned why I had a defibrillator implanted. When I explained the cardio finding V-tach on interrogation of my pacemaker, he explained why I shouldn't have had one implanted. It also had something to do with my A-V node being ablated and how the EKG strip looked. So I'm sitting there wondering if my last electrophysiologist just experimented on me when the new doc suddenly realized that two of the EKG strips didn't even belong to me. They had another name on top. They were put into my records by mistake. What a relief! I mean I've had a pacemaker implanted, then explanted, a defibrillator implanted, then explanted when it was recalled last year, then a new defibrillator implanted. Glad that it was all not for naught. I told him that I check my own Coumadin and dosed myself. He didn't even bat an eye.

Just asked which machine I used. I have an echo scheduled in a couple of weeks. In the last couple of echo's my aortic valve showed mild stenosis. I hate to think about having to have a replacement on that valve. But this doctor said that it's not unusal when you have Rheumatic Fever for both the mitral and the aortic valves to be damaged. Obviously, my mitral was damaged far worse than my aortic. Anybody with Rheumatic Fever have both valves damaged? I'll be more relieved after the Echo. And I have to get over this doctor being just a little older than my kids!!

LINDA

Karlynn · Apr 29, 2006

Sounds like a great first visit. Congratulations!

Kathleen · Apr 29, 2006

Mitral/Aortic

Mitral/Aortic

I have both valves and both damaged by rheumatic fever. They were both done 21 years ago. ST Judes. Certainly double clicking. I also had a pacer then the vfib/vtach and had to have it explanted and the pacer defib implanted. I have the Medtronic InSync Maximo. I bet your aortic valve will do fine. The mitral valve went first and they cleaned it out and gave me 5 years off coumadin since the aortic was stenotic but not enought to warrant replacement at the time. Then they went in tandem and really quickly the symptoms progressed so quickly I had a one week window from cardio appt to surgery. Your new cardiologist sounds very bright. They certainly are young these days. I always think all my kids are older than my EP doctor.
Kathleen

Phyllis · Apr 29, 2006

Good luck on the upcoming echo, Linda- I hope things stay status quo for you. You really get to feeling old when everyone seems young, your doctors, your rabbi or priest and on and on. What really gets to me is when I go back to Boston where I attended college and all of the old haunts are gone(even my school, Chamberlain School of Retailing)

Praline · Apr 29, 2006

After you get a certain age, everyone looks young.

my cardiologist not only is young but he looks like a hippy from the 60's. He has long wavy shoulder length hair. He wears a regular t-shirt. When I first met him, I was taken aback. But I have learned that he really knows what he is talking about. Everything he said when he saw me that first time and made a diagnosis after an echo proved to be right. He takes the time to really explain what he is talking about and draws you a diagram. He probably saved my life.
He is easy to talk to and really listens.He was all for me getting a second opinion after he made his diagnosis. He said he recommended a second opinion any time a serious situation came up.
The last time I was there ,I had Atrial flutter. He tried to bring my heart rate down( 140 at rest) but whatever he gave me in an IV did not work. He just said he was going to consult with someone else..."one of those electricity people " like he calls the electrophysiology cardiologist.

. Then he came back with a prescription for digoxin and made me an appointment with the "electricity doctor".

I am very satisfied with the care I have got from him.

Mb · Apr 30, 2006

Quick note:

My husband has rheumatic fever when he was 19. Both valves replaced 4.5 years ago...St. Jude's. Get therm fixed before you have persistent a-fib. - Marybeth

twinmaker · Apr 30, 2006

Another thing that I wonder about is if I have to get my aortic valve replaced sometime in the future, will the surgeon suggest replacing my St. Jude mitral while he's in there? I mean that valve is coming up on 25 years old. I'm going to be 54 in August. I'd rather have two new valves at this point than have to have aortic valve replacement in the next few years and then the mitral valve having to be replaced when I'm in my 70's. I know I'm jumping the gun here. Just thinking. It's only been in the last couple of years that the docs have started talking about my aortic valve showing some stenosis. I guess since I have one of the oldest St. Jude valves, I wonder how long things can keep going smoothly with it. I shouldn't borrow trouble, right? LINDA

Nancy · Apr 30, 2006

Joe had rheumatic fever and has two valve replacements, aortic and mitral, plus his tricuspid is leaking, but he is not a candidate for surgery on that one.