My Cardiologist's Nurse!

[Creed3]

Hi Everyone!
Just going to vent here for a quick second and get it out of my system. I had my four year old at the doctor's today. She has strep throat. Her pediatrician told me that I have a 50/50 chance of getting it and that I should call and tell my cardiologist that my daughter definately has strep and see what he wants me to do. The pediatrician said that you can sometime get strep and not really develop any major symptoms. I called and left a message at my cardiologist's office. When the nurse called back, I wasn't home, so my husband talked to her. He said she was so rude. She acted like the call was a waste of time and that she had other things to take care of. She said that she had told me a long time ago that they never give out antibiotics unless you feel sick. When she told me that the circumstances were a little different. The pediatrician is the one who told me I had to call the cardiologist and let them know. The nurse also said that I should contact my PCP and get antibiotics if I start to feel sick. UGH! It's not so much what she said, but the way she talked to my husband. Like the whole thing was a waste of her time.
Oh Well, I just had to get that out of my system.
It's been awhile since I have been able to post, due to computer problems, but it is nice to be back. I am trying to catch up on the posts.

Take Care!
Gail

 

[Mark Wagner]

Treatment by nurses and doctors

Treatment by nurses and doctors

I remember when I first was put in the hospital with what I would find later was a slowly failing heart valve. The cardiologist had the bedside manner, of the 'back end of a donkey'. The result ... I now have an excellent cardiologist, who has a life time 'paycheck' from me
I did find out later, the cardiologist who first saw me, was going through a horrible divorce. We all have bad days. I am learning to give the benifit of the doubt to people. Who knows what happened to them at home or work, an hour before they talked to me. It is an excuse? No, but none of us are perfect. I'll take the hit once, twice, we have a problem. Mark

 

[Creed3]

Hi Mark!

Hi Mark!

I know what you mean. I have worked in healthcare for about 12 years. I have worked with a lot of doctors and nurses. What you say is true. They are just human and you never do know what their day has been like. I too like to give the benefit of the doubt, but I believe my emotions just took over there for a minute. My cardiologist is a very good doctor. I really like him a lot. His nurse has a tendency to be very hyper. She is the one who told me to call them anytime because what I have been through is not the norm. Well, I'll just chalk it up to a bad day. By the way, I wanted to let you know that I read the article about you in the paper. Very impressive. You are definately a good example that proves that life is good after valve replacement. Surgery is a very scarey thing, but in the end, it is the best thing for you and a long, healthy and active life. I'm 4 1/2 months post op. I hope, no, I mean I will be working at getting myself back into the shape, if not better, than what I was in before the whole heart issue. I also have the excess baby weight I gained. Right after I delivered is when I started having the problems, I just didn't know it. I never had a chance to start working on getting back into shape. It has been almost two years since I have been in really good shape. Now that my surgery is over, I need to get back to working out. I do have to admit that I sometimes think that since my surgery, maybe I won't be able to do the things I used to without something possibly happening. I have to get over that fear. I know cardiac rehab would help, but my insurance won't pay for it and my docs don't seem to think it is necessary. Well, I'm going on and on here. Sorry! As you have probably read, I have not been online for a week or so. Computer problems. So I am just like a Chatty Kathy Doll right now. Making up for lost time. Let me also welcome you to this great site.

Take Care!
Gail

 

[Mark Wagner]

re:

re:

Hi Gail,
Thanks for the note. Just take your time coming back, and listen to your body. My surgeon told me I would really notice the difference in how I felt, at about the 1 year mark. He was right on! It was all of the sudden this feeling of so much more energy. I understand the fear factor. When I first started exercising, I started out with a walk/run program. At first each mile of increase, I worried about dropping of heart failure. When I got to the point of around 6-8 miles, I realized their was really nothing to worry about.
I also understand the way you felt with that nurse. I know they see problems like ours on a daily basis, but that gives them no right to treat you outside of the realms of curtousy and professionalism. This is a good place to let off steam! I think we have some pretty big shoulders here.
Nice meeting you Gail. I look forward to talking to you in the future.

 

[Ross]

I could almost write a book on this topic. I sometimes wondered if it were just me that got treated crappy, but I see it's everywhere. I do wish these medical professionals would realize what effects they have on us. GRRRRRRRR.

 

[Granbonny]

Doctors

Doctors

I was just laughing to myself a few minutes ago..looked at my coumadin bottle and it said 95 refills..this was from my surgeon..Don't guess he wants to see me for 8-9 years....I have a wonderful Cardiologist nurse who I call my INR results to..and she always calls me back..on the same day....however, I learned right after I saw him for a 3 week checkup..they do not help you with other problems. (I needed out of jury duty) so I have been blessed with a wonderful PCP..he got me off jury duty, b/p meds..flu shot..ect...Just lucky..Bonnie

 

[Ross]

You got out of Jury Duty? I tried to no avail. I'm just lucky my juror number never came up during my week of service!

 

[joy]

I have a wonderful cardiologist, and his SECRETARY always calls me back! I never had jury duty, probably because I don't live in the same state as my driver's liscense is in!

 

[pegne]

Gail

Gail

All I know is that my cardiologist(s) have told me over and over to always get an antibiotic if I am around anyone with strep. I am lucky enough to live in a small town and know the nurses in his office. Sometimes when you get into the bigger areas they tend to be less sympothetic to you to what is going on in your life because they see so much of it everyday. They have to understand that we are concerned about our lives. They have a job from 9to5 we live this 24/7. I'll never forget when I had my 2nd heart surgery I was a single, working mother, but uninsurable because of my previous heart condition. I found out I needed another surgery, my life depended on it ,and had to go to the State for help. I had my surgery but when I went for my 6wk checkup with the surgeon, he told me that they don't usually take "people like me" who don't have health insurance and I better be very very thankful that they would even consider me as a patient. The way he said it made me and my husband (then my boyfriend) very hurt and angry. That was the first time and only time in my life that I was ashamed of my heart condition. After I got marrried I noticed how much better I was treated just because I have health insurance now. Sometimes I think they need to just learn how to talk to people. By the way Ross I got out of jury duty last year but it was because fo the amount of diuretic I take.

 

[Granbonny]

Pegne

Pegne

I have served many times on Jury duty..Ross, this was when I was 3 weeks..post op..Couldn't remember my own name....but now Pegne, I have to remember this about diuretics...there is an ad on T.V. now playing about the Jury Lady having to leave Bonnie

 

[pegne]

Bonnie

Bonnie

No I really couldn't serve on jury duty. I take 160 mgs of Lasix a day (80x2). I keep imagining a murder case and the verdict coming in and I have to ask to go to the ladies room "Excuse me your Honor I have to pee" Don't think that would go over very well Please call me Peggy

 

[mamsram]

Pegne,

It was quite a while before I could stop chuckling and smiling, since reading your post. I think you would be perfect in that scenario as a followup ad to the ad Bonnie mentioned

 

[Creed3]

PCP

PCP

I just got off the phone with my PCP and he said I should definately be on an antibiotic right now. My husband has caught something and this morning I felt like I might be catching something. He called my pharmacy for an antibiotic. I have to take it for seven days. I just feel like I am being bounced back and forth between pcp and cardio. Some things the pcp doesn't want to handle and then I go to my cardio and they tell me that my pcp should handle it. At least, so far, when one doesn't do something, the other one does.

Take Care & Everyone Stay Healthy!
From what I hear, strep is going around pretty quickly in the schools.

Gail

 

[terry40]

creed

creed

I've been following up, since surgery, with my PCP, and your right, he'll sent me to the cardiac dr if he's not sure, but both my cardio and PCP keep in phone contact.

I'm glad they've taken care of you now. That wonderful strep germ is what caused my problem in the first place (RF & MV), Take care of yourself.

About rehab...My insurance refused to pay for rehab too.
Fortunately, one of the rehabs I contacted had a program with an up front fee that was very reasonable, I am in my 5th week, and I feel a lot more confident about exercising, I'm doing 40 minutes now!

I didn't ask my cardiologist, I told him I wanted to go through rehab.

Take care of yourself, take those antibiotics till they are gone,

Terry40

 

[ccrawford]

Gail - When my family doc ist diagnosed me, he sent me to a cardio in a nearby town. I was totally uninformed, scared to death, suffering from very high BP, etc. I filled out the cardios 4 page questionaire which be the way had questions regarding if I had a will, had I considered being an organ donar, etc. They put me in a very hot room where I waited for 45 minutes because the cardio was late. When he finally got there, he had not read my questionaire, hadn't seen the referral from the family doc, didn't know why I was there, etc. He did the brief exam, got right into the mortality issues, and wanted to do a heart cath the next day despite the fact I had been throwing clots and having brief periods of blindness from the clots. He shuttled me to a video room where I saw the heart cath video, and let the nurse take care of me from that point on. I agreed to do the cath, then changed my mind after I got home, and then decided to fire my cardio. The cardio I have now is super, a very patient guy, very informative, and besides that-he may become my son-in-law. I guess the moral of the story is-Do not be affraid to fire your doc, insist on customer service, realize that some docs are really bad about information sharing, etc.

 

[joy]

Yes, but sometimes you can't fire your doc, if you go to an HMO that is as strict as mine is, you HAVE to go to a particular doc, or they won't pay. I have to fight every year to get to go to my cardiologist because he works at a civilian hospital. But, I will continue to do so because I like my cardio. He is like a father to me...He protects me and I trust his opinion, and I trust the opinions of everyone at the UW. I'm just supposed to go to Naval hospital for stuff. I have to get a referral to go to Dr. Stewart.I usually have no problems getting it.

Joy

 

[ccrawford]

Joy - Didn't think about that. Guess you'll have to stick to your assigned docs and try to reform them. There are a lot of docs with very good communication skills and a lot more with little or none. I have a good friend who is a hand surgeon who used to have pretty bad bedside manner. A couple of years ago he got pretty sick and was a patient for a couple of weeks. Know what ?
His bedside manners have improved a bunch. I bet I could make a living just redesigning forms for doctors, and an even better living helping them improve communication skills. When I went thru my diagnostic blitz, I saw a lot of specialists, and they all made me fill out their d____ questionaire form. Most of these are really ill designed, and to make things worse, the docs seldom use them. After a couple of days, I got to be somewhat of an expert on doctors questionaires. I guess there are some things that are better off left alone. Keep positive. Chris

 

[Creed3]

I know what you mean Chris!

I know what you mean Chris!

When I was first told that I had a heart murmur, I went to about three different cardios until I found one that listened to me and was very thorough. The first couple docs just blew off everything and just assumed that it was something that could wait. Boy, were they wrong. They were not looking at the whole picture. It's a long story, but you can read about it in the personal stories if you want. Needless to say, I agree with you when you say keep trying until you find a doctor you click with and trust. This is your life you are dealing with.

Take Care!
Gail