Aa
"Would the doctor even tell you if there was a problem going on?"
There is a post here on the forum that has really taken off from legal matters to patients trying to figure out how screwed up the health care system is here and abroad (the UK). One of the topics throughout that post is whether or not a doctor would even tell you if there was a problem; I wanted to keep this going to see if any of you have found this to be the case.
I do want to address Kenkeith as he believes a doctor would never withhold information, even life threatening information, which happened in our case. (we were told our daughter had nothing wrong with her heart at 6 years other than WPW. She had a severe cardiomyopathy (HCM), ended up in heart failure by 13 and had to have a transplant at 22) Doctors do have issues with patients even going as far as to not treat them while they are hospitalized. Here's an example, Ken, I would like to know what you think about this:
My daughter was seen at a major medical center who had a pediatric cardiology department with 2 physicians; one being her doctor. She went into A-Fib (which could have killed her because of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy; this is a very serious problem because of the HCM) The night she was admitted, her own cardiologist was there, but he left for a week the following day. The other cardiologist refused to take care of her for that week; we saw him several times because he had one of his patients on the same floor . He never once came to see our daughter or do anything to help her, not even when she had to be transferred to the CCU (Coronary Care Unit) when she got into trouble one night, The residents on the floor took care of her, even though they didn't really know what they were doing either. ( I can't blame them for that one) What do you think about a doctor like that? (Don't kid yourself, our doctor was absolutely LIVID when he returned the following week. So not only have doctors withheld information from us; they have gone as far as to not treating her! Remember that if a doctor does not tell you something, you don't know about it unless you really understand exactly what is going on to ask the right questions. I knew the questions to ask and all it got me was a doctor and his group of 10-12 Fellows who were obviously TORKED off at my audasity to even question them! We have been all over this country to the best medical facilities this country has to offer from Houston's Medical Centers ,to The National Insitutes of Health; we've seen good doctors and bad, believe me! There are A LOT of doctors out there who withold information from their patients; they judge you on how they think you will react to what they say and if they see any panic, they watch what they say, just the same as when medical records get rewritten saying tests were done on a certain day, even if you have had a blotched up surgery. (My major surgery actually disappeared from my hospital records and was replaced with a cath report that had actually been done 5 years earlier!!) So, as I asked earlier, what do you think about things like these happening? ( I do want to add a note that the doctors who first diagnosed my daughter as being perfectly fine were in the UK, not the US)
Anyone else out there have experiences like this?
I do want to address Kenkeith as he believes a doctor would never withhold information, even life threatening information, which happened in our case. (we were told our daughter had nothing wrong with her heart at 6 years other than WPW. She had a severe cardiomyopathy (HCM), ended up in heart failure by 13 and had to have a transplant at 22) Doctors do have issues with patients even going as far as to not treat them while they are hospitalized. Here's an example, Ken, I would like to know what you think about this:
My daughter was seen at a major medical center who had a pediatric cardiology department with 2 physicians; one being her doctor. She went into A-Fib (which could have killed her because of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy; this is a very serious problem because of the HCM) The night she was admitted, her own cardiologist was there, but he left for a week the following day. The other cardiologist refused to take care of her for that week; we saw him several times because he had one of his patients on the same floor . He never once came to see our daughter or do anything to help her, not even when she had to be transferred to the CCU (Coronary Care Unit) when she got into trouble one night, The residents on the floor took care of her, even though they didn't really know what they were doing either. ( I can't blame them for that one) What do you think about a doctor like that? (Don't kid yourself, our doctor was absolutely LIVID when he returned the following week. So not only have doctors withheld information from us; they have gone as far as to not treating her! Remember that if a doctor does not tell you something, you don't know about it unless you really understand exactly what is going on to ask the right questions. I knew the questions to ask and all it got me was a doctor and his group of 10-12 Fellows who were obviously TORKED off at my audasity to even question them! We have been all over this country to the best medical facilities this country has to offer from Houston's Medical Centers ,to The National Insitutes of Health; we've seen good doctors and bad, believe me! There are A LOT of doctors out there who withold information from their patients; they judge you on how they think you will react to what they say and if they see any panic, they watch what they say, just the same as when medical records get rewritten saying tests were done on a certain day, even if you have had a blotched up surgery. (My major surgery actually disappeared from my hospital records and was replaced with a cath report that had actually been done 5 years earlier!!) So, as I asked earlier, what do you think about things like these happening? ( I do want to add a note that the doctors who first diagnosed my daughter as being perfectly fine were in the UK, not the US)
Anyone else out there have experiences like this?
QUOTE: "I do want to address Kenkeith as he believes a doctor would never withhold information, even life threatening information, which happened in our case. (we were told our daughter had nothing wrong with her heart at 6 years other than WPW. She had a severe cardiomyopathy (HCM), ended up in heart failure by 13 and had to have a transplant at 22) Doctors do have issues with patients even going as far as to not treat them while they are hospitalized. Here's an example, Ken, I would like to know what you think about this:
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"Would never" knowingly withhold vital, life-threatening information is not exactly what I said. I try to never say everything or something is all inclusive as the word never implies. To put a good doctor's practice into proper perspective one would need to weed out incompetence, drug dependancy, greed, understaffed leading to negligence, etc.
As an example, there is rationing for heart transplants in the USA, and the information that one does not qualify when aged greater than 70 years is not withheld from patients. No need to lie and say one has a heart sufficient enough not to be a problem, and no transplant is needed!....there is no rioting in the streets as has been said. When there is a shortage there is rationing...not the doctor's fault.
I had that experience with my first doctor who staked out the emergency calls and ICU and caught me at a weak moment. He stated after reading reports, I needed heart transplant. At the time the doctor either lied to me or he is incompetent and greedy ....because I don't/didn't need a heart transplant, I can conclude either the cardiologist had lied, is incompetent and greedy. The doctor didn't speak English very well (that could be an issue...only understands when convenient, and didn't answer questions) , and he wanted to do a stent in my 72% circumflex after he had implanted an RCA stent about a 2 month's prior ...couldn't answer my question why it was not done at the the time of RCA implant...gaining knowledge of my condition from health forums, etc) and before I could smack him around he left the state a week after wanting to do the implant...sent me a bill for the consultation!:)
I now have a cardiologist that explains, shows an interest, etc. He would have no reason to lie or withhold information...he has informed me I need a mitral valve, but we agree to wait as I have no symptoms....its my call.
Change doctors if there is incompatibility. I have encouraged posters to learn as much as possible about the medical condition that is a problem so as to ask the correct questions when talking to a doctor. No one should expect a doctor to give answers that are not asked and what is considered medically insignificant. You did it right, but many do not know what to ask.
I've had a lifetime of experience, and I would not mislead anyone and tell them to put their entire trust in a professional evaluation, etc. for the reasons I have stated.
What do you believe is the underlying cause for your daughter"s mistreatment for good medical care? Shortage of qualified doctors and health care? Personal? Monetary?
___________________________________________
"Would never" knowingly withhold vital, life-threatening information is not exactly what I said. I try to never say everything or something is all inclusive as the word never implies. To put a good doctor's practice into proper perspective one would need to weed out incompetence, drug dependancy, greed, understaffed leading to negligence, etc.
As an example, there is rationing for heart transplants in the USA, and the information that one does not qualify when aged greater than 70 years is not withheld from patients. No need to lie and say one has a heart sufficient enough not to be a problem, and no transplant is needed!....there is no rioting in the streets as has been said. When there is a shortage there is rationing...not the doctor's fault.
I had that experience with my first doctor who staked out the emergency calls and ICU and caught me at a weak moment. He stated after reading reports, I needed heart transplant. At the time the doctor either lied to me or he is incompetent and greedy ....because I don't/didn't need a heart transplant, I can conclude either the cardiologist had lied, is incompetent and greedy. The doctor didn't speak English very well (that could be an issue...only understands when convenient, and didn't answer questions) , and he wanted to do a stent in my 72% circumflex after he had implanted an RCA stent about a 2 month's prior ...couldn't answer my question why it was not done at the the time of RCA implant...gaining knowledge of my condition from health forums, etc) and before I could smack him around he left the state a week after wanting to do the implant...sent me a bill for the consultation!:)
I now have a cardiologist that explains, shows an interest, etc. He would have no reason to lie or withhold information...he has informed me I need a mitral valve, but we agree to wait as I have no symptoms....its my call.
Change doctors if there is incompatibility. I have encouraged posters to learn as much as possible about the medical condition that is a problem so as to ask the correct questions when talking to a doctor. No one should expect a doctor to give answers that are not asked and what is considered medically insignificant. You did it right, but many do not know what to ask.
I've had a lifetime of experience, and I would not mislead anyone and tell them to put their entire trust in a professional evaluation, etc. for the reasons I have stated.
What do you believe is the underlying cause for your daughter"s mistreatment for good medical care? Shortage of qualified doctors and health care? Personal? Monetary?
Frequent persistent pvc's [bigeminy & trigeminy] can cause sob if frequent enough or that's how my EP explained it to me. They can lead to cardiomyopathy (which I developed) and the CP may have been due to the over 54,000 pvc's I kept having; Sinus bradycardia (51 was my average on ekg's); Short QT intervals <360 ms [330-350]; short RR's and wide QRS'. That pcp signed off on ekg's and never said a word to me about anything other than an occassional UTI for 2 years under his care.
Meanwhile, he put me on Phentermine [amphetimines] for 6 full months for weight loss, which my EP thinks did valve damage. I was dx after surgery with malignant pvc's and had to have a pacemaker/icd implanted due to long runs of polymorphic vt's and v'fib episodes.
Meanwhile, he put me on Phentermine [amphetimines] for 6 full months for weight loss, which my EP thinks did valve damage. I was dx after surgery with malignant pvc's and had to have a pacemaker/icd implanted due to long runs of polymorphic vt's and v'fib episodes.
My cardiologist probably thinking a non English background patient wouldn't have any knowledge of HEART. He hide my wpw for 20 years. He told me the wpw has fixed. I can feel my chest is not right since 2005. I tell him everytime when I see him. He told me it is nothing wrong. My heart is perfect. It is anxiety...... I went for a holter monitor without his permission. It came out "Pause" 3.2 second during the day time. Plus a lot of discovering. I showed him the holter report and he threw it away. He said "didn't make sense.
I finally got a chance to see a second opinion cardiologist. He looked at my ecg. He told me my wpw is clearly showed on the ecg. Of course, I told him it has been fixed a long time ago according to my EP said. He also questioning about the "pause" with the pacemaker which is not right. The echo also mentioned I have "severe hypokenises", MI etc. Because the second opinion cardio don't want to take me due to my case is complex. He sent me back to the EP. The EP told me it is anxiety, nothing wrong with my heart. He said, they (second opinion doctor group) don't know how to read my ecg. They read it wrong!
I haven't seen my EP for a year. I think anxiety should see the psychiatrist not an EP though.
I finally got a chance to see a second opinion cardiologist. He looked at my ecg. He told me my wpw is clearly showed on the ecg. Of course, I told him it has been fixed a long time ago according to my EP said. He also questioning about the "pause" with the pacemaker which is not right. The echo also mentioned I have "severe hypokenises", MI etc. Because the second opinion cardio don't want to take me due to my case is complex. He sent me back to the EP. The EP told me it is anxiety, nothing wrong with my heart. He said, they (second opinion doctor group) don't know how to read my ecg. They read it wrong!
I haven't seen my EP for a year. I think anxiety should see the psychiatrist not an EP though.
COMMUNITY LEADER
"He put down in his notes I was having no symptoms on those particular days [even with bigeminy & trigeminy each time; rbbb; some other things on the ekg's] "
Just curious, what were the "others" mentioned on your EKG? The issues listed would not cause symptoms of chest pain or SOB which may be why the two were never connected, hard to say.
I know that my EKG shows an RBBB and I was never told as well, I only found out when I saw a different doctor in the office as mine was out. When I asked my original doctor why he never told me he responded that after reviewing the results of my echo and stress tests, there was no prognostic significance to the RBBB, which is backed up by what I have read since. My cardiologist also saw the RBBB on my EKG and did not tell me for the same reason. I think I can live with that, they know my heart better than I do.
Jon
Just curious, what were the "others" mentioned on your EKG? The issues listed would not cause symptoms of chest pain or SOB which may be why the two were never connected, hard to say.
I know that my EKG shows an RBBB and I was never told as well, I only found out when I saw a different doctor in the office as mine was out. When I asked my original doctor why he never told me he responded that after reviewing the results of my echo and stress tests, there was no prognostic significance to the RBBB, which is backed up by what I have read since. My cardiologist also saw the RBBB on my EKG and did not tell me for the same reason. I think I can live with that, they know my heart better than I do.
Jon
This is just from personal experience with me and family members. Doctors DO with hold information from patients. I think its part of what you hit on Grendslori and part because we as patients want someone to blame for what is causing our problems and sometimes doctors don't have the answers and or they do and don't want to admit it.
If I had seen my EKG from my dr in 2005-2007 there is no way I would have waited to see a cardiologist.He put down in his notes I was having no symptoms on those particular days [even with bigeminy & trigeminy each time; rbbb; some other things on the ekg's] 4 doctors I have seen now said there was no way he should have "missed" or overlooked those ekg's and signed off on them. I had complained of chest pain & sob previously in his office 3 separate times, and he had it in his files on the same page as the ekg results.
I want to blame someone - find the cause of the problem which we may never know. I want someone to tell me when this happened to me, why it happened and know if I could have saved myself some pain if this dr would have told me and not kept me in the dark.
If I had seen my EKG from my dr in 2005-2007 there is no way I would have waited to see a cardiologist.He put down in his notes I was having no symptoms on those particular days [even with bigeminy & trigeminy each time; rbbb; some other things on the ekg's] 4 doctors I have seen now said there was no way he should have "missed" or overlooked those ekg's and signed off on them. I had complained of chest pain & sob previously in his office 3 separate times, and he had it in his files on the same page as the ekg results.
I want to blame someone - find the cause of the problem which we may never know. I want someone to tell me when this happened to me, why it happened and know if I could have saved myself some pain if this dr would have told me and not kept me in the dark.
In Feb 07, I had my heart attacks and received emergency Angioplasty. A stent was put into my Obtuse Marginal and the attacks stopped. I thought it was all over. The cardiologist informed me that my left artery was 80% blocked near the top and it would be a simple matter of cleaning it out. For the next year, waiting for the procedure, I felt very comfortable, knowing I could be back to normal. When I arrived at the hospital, a different cardiologist had looked at my angio images and disagreed with the treatment. He said the blockage was 100%, not 80% and I would require a triple bypass. I got the other cardiologist on the phone and demanded he came to see me before anything was done. He basically said "well, 80% or 100% it looks like its too difficult to use angioplasty and you need a bypass". In a whole year I was looking forward to a simple procedure to put me right, now I was facing having my chest opened up.
The bypass failed after 3 months.
Ive been told by one cardiologist i need a transplant, another has said this is rubbish. Ive been told a redo-bypass is best, others have said it will never work. I was told by many cardiologists at three major heart hospitals it would not be possible to stent the blockage in my left artery. Yet, I now have an open left artery with 5 stents.
Cardiologists must all be taught different things because they all seem to have their own opinions and go with them, but they may not be the right one. I bet every single case would receive 5 different opinions from 5 different cardiologists.
In hospital last year, a junior cardiologist told me that the tiny vessels in my heart were blocked, there is no cure and if I didnt agree to transplantation I would die. Later the consultant apologised saying the junior had been reading someone elses notes, not mine.
I strongly believe we have to understand our own case, learn everything we can and keep asking them WHY. If I hadn't have done this, my LAD would still be blocked and I would be on a transplant list.
The bypass failed after 3 months.
Ive been told by one cardiologist i need a transplant, another has said this is rubbish. Ive been told a redo-bypass is best, others have said it will never work. I was told by many cardiologists at three major heart hospitals it would not be possible to stent the blockage in my left artery. Yet, I now have an open left artery with 5 stents.
Cardiologists must all be taught different things because they all seem to have their own opinions and go with them, but they may not be the right one. I bet every single case would receive 5 different opinions from 5 different cardiologists.
In hospital last year, a junior cardiologist told me that the tiny vessels in my heart were blocked, there is no cure and if I didnt agree to transplantation I would die. Later the consultant apologised saying the junior had been reading someone elses notes, not mine.
I strongly believe we have to understand our own case, learn everything we can and keep asking them WHY. If I hadn't have done this, my LAD would still be blocked and I would be on a transplant list.
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