CRAP!! Called me to sched echo follow up

[kevin21]

Left a message for RN for my cardio last friday, and got a call today from the Dr. office to ome in Friday for a follow up for the echo results.

No word on why? Now I've got a million things spinning around in my head and I'm totally nervous!!!

Thanks a lot Doc!! Nice bedside mannor. I left another message for the RN to call me and let me know some preliminary info, like, what the heck did you find out???

I'm really torn up, I though that since they didn't call last week that everything was looking the same as last time. I always think the worst, I need to be a optimist.

Man, I don't know what to think. How can I concentrate on anything else now. Glad it's only MONDAY!!!

Great freakin Christmas present!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhrrrgggghhhhh!!!!

 

[Ross]

Chill will ya. Just kiddin with you.

It can't be all that bad or he would've wanted to see you ASAP. Like today! Live your life. Don't let these thoughts invade you.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Kevin-

It's plain to see your angst! You'd be crazy not to be worried. Here's how Joe and I deal with things like that, and we've been through more stuff than you could ever imagine. Joe's been close to death a few times.

1.) The doctor is your friend. His job is to keep you safe medically.

2.) It takes a little while to have the echo results read and transcribed. Then the doctor has to review and interpret them. So results can take longer than most people think. There is a ton of highly technical information and measurements that are shown in an echocardiogram and they all have to be evaluated.

3.) They probably won't discuss any of this on the phone with you because there are a lot of technical things that need explanation and a good face to face is the only way to go. Most doctors prefer to do this themselves, rather than let their staff talk to you.

4.) Worrying about this is totally useless. There is nothing you can do about it by worrying. It's a wasted effort. It's hard not to worry, but remember that you cannot have more than one thought at a time in your mind, and you can try to fill your mind with anything else that you can. Get extra busy with your work, read a book, go out to a movie, go to a sports event. Anything that will distract your mind from dwelling on it.

Your doctor is well paid to do your medical worrying for you, so let him do his job.

5.) You don't know the nature of the visit, but, if it's good news, great. If it's something that can be tweaked with medication, great. If it's something that requires that your doctor needs to watch, great, because they found out a condition which could have been dangerous for you. If it requires surgery, then double great, because it's lifesaving surgery, and that means you'll have your life back.

So no matter what the appt. is all about, you'll come out a winner.

Everyone on this board wished that their conditions would just go away. But it just doesn't happen like that. Everyone here has had to face one of the above situations. It's an adjustment in thinking, and if surgery is required, it's a big interruption in life. But compared to a whole lifetime, it's a matter of a couple of months.

There is always the chance that you will not need surgery, and I hoping that this is the case for you. But if it turns out differently, we'll all be there for you, and you know a lot of people who have walked the walk before you.

Take care Kevin. I wish you well,

 

[John Cochran]

Kevin,
Here is what I've learned from my son's surgery and my own: If the doctors don't schedule the followup appointments, they can't charge the insurance company. I've had a few of those "angst-filled nightmares" waiting for a follow-up visit, and they've all turned out to be no big deal.

Like Nancy said, if it is a big deal, they would have wanted to see you immediately.

Might be a bump in your road, but maybe nothing at all.

Let us know!
Best,
John

 

[wweir]

Kevin,

Great advice from Nancy and John. I can understand your frustration with waiting to talk to the Doc, but as Nancy stated if it was that serious they would have called you in or told you to be in the office first thing Monday.

Keep us posted, but don't get all upset yet.


Walter

 

[Les]

Kevin,
I've gone through ( again ) this year exactly what's happening to you now. When they want to follow-up, of course it scares the hell out of you. I think most of us have had the "expect the worst" experience at one time or another. However, just "hope for the best" and like everyone here has stated, if it was really bad, they would have had you come in immediately. All of us hope for great news for you....and that the 'ol BP comes down! Heck, I think this is just one of their "stress management" tests!
Keep us posted and have a wonderful holiday!
_________________
Les
AVR '93 / '95

 

[JimL]

I was fairly stressed a few months ago when my card did something similar to me. I had my one year echo, and asked the technician for the results that I understood: no significant leakage, EF of 69%.
Then the card scheduled a second echo without explaining to me why, with a possible TEE. I learned later that there was one number that was slightly different than he expected, so I went through the second echo, supposedly at his expense.
When it finally came time for me to get the results from the card, he ignored the second echo, because now suddenly the first echo was clear enough, and sent me away with a good report.
There was, in my case, a completely happy ending, but I had four weeks of what still seems to me unnecessary stress.