Does this sound right?

[slym]

I just had a visit with the cardiologist that I was referred to - he wasn't the same one I'd seen before - and I'm a little disappointed and confused.  I was referred for a major arrythmia episode - the first of it's kind for me that lasted 3 hours.  I don't feel that he really listened and was thinking I was being bothered by the palpitations and PVCs that I've had for a long time.  I am used to those and they don't really bother me.  But what happened last Friday really did.  This was not just a minor palpitation - I was extremely fatigued, short of breath, heart pounding away erratically.  Never had those symptoms before.

Anyway, the first thing he mentioned was putting me on Metoprolol - without any sort of exam.  I asked him if we should find out what kind of arrythmia it was before medication, then he started talking about an event monitor.  So he's scheduled me for that - they are sending it in the mail ????  Okay, I guess that's how it's done.  He never did any sort of exam except to listen to my heart.  I did bring the ekg from the family doctor with me though - which was essentially normal except for IRBBB.  And I have had a stress test done early in the year, according to the chart.  

I didn't get to ask questions very much - then he left.  The nurse came back and I asked her if this thing happened again, should I go to the ER.  She went to ask the Dr. and came back and said to just take the Metoprolol.  I'm feeling like that is just masking the symptoms instead of trying to figure out what is going on.  I know the event monitor should catch it if it happens again, but what about if it doesn't happen until after I wear that?

To top it off - he never did give me the prescription or ask where to call it in.  
Am I really off base here?

[slym]

Thank you for the info.  That's what I was wondering about.  

[tia77]

Hi my cardiologist told me to hold of on the toprol (metroprol) until I was off the monitor.  I was on for a month.  I asked if the medicine just made me feel the bad rythm less or helped actually take them away.  She said they help lessen them.  That is why she wanted me to wait till after the monitor to take them.  If that was my doctor and they treated me that way I would dump him or her.  Good luck.  

[slym]

BobRBob - maybe you're right about a lot being on his mind.  I don't know.. but you know how you can tell when someone is just not really listening.  Another thing he said as he was looking over my records was that there was no sense in doing a stress test as I'd just had one last January.  But I just double checked MY records, and that test was the previous January.  

Then he indicated on the paperwork that I was to have a follow-up with someone to go over the results of the monitor - in 1 year.  Like I'm really going to wait a year to find out those results.  I know that was a mistake, but still....

itdood - thanks for your story, it sounds very similar.  The thing that bothers me most is that neither I, nor he, knows whether this is serious or not, since he doesn't know what kind of arrythmia I experienced.  

But I did call my GP's office that referred me and talked to them about it.  Basically told them that if this requires follow-up, I do not want to see this guy again.

What I'm really hoping is that this arrythmia was an isolated episode that will never happen again!  Barring that, I just want answers, not just have pills pushed on me to control palpitations that don't really bother me.

One question I have for anyone that may know - would that medication just mask the symptoms so that they would not be able to diagnose it if it occurred again, like while I was on the monitor?

Thanks again - maybe I just needed to vent!  :)

[itdood]

I had a similar experience with a cardiologist and felt blown off so I went to a different one.  THe 2nd one was much better.  But when I spoke to him, I started to get the same sense that I was about to be pushed off so towards the end of me telling him my "chief concern"  (PVCs and strong family history), I flat out told him I'm not sleeping and this is seriously impacting me, my family, and my job.  If I don't get this under control it's not going to be good.   I told him "I know it looks benign, and I know i won't die from it because I've already come to those terms and have asked to die in my worst of moments".  My cardiologist then got very involved and spent the time with me.

The feeling I get overall is that they have a pretty large work load of people with serious issues.  SO when someone walks in who is bothered by benign arrhythmias or premature contractions, they really have to ration their time and triage to the sicker people.    Unless you tell them how it's impacting your life they will take the path of least resistance.

After all this I ended up on the same path you are now on.  The first thing we did was was the event monitor they mail to you, I forget the name.  It's fairly new.  I liked it a lot and it caught some of the bigger concerns.

Next I had a nuke stress + echo one day.  + a repeat echo last week after more incidents.  The follow-up echo showed no change from the one I had 6 months ago which was reassuring.

Those have all turned out normal so far and I'm having a cardiac MRI next week.

Hope you start feeling better soon, I know these are rough.

[BobRBob]

Sounds like your doc may have too much on his mind.

Maybe seek a second opinion?