EKGS are not enough

[mussygal]

I am an older lady with heart arryhmia, hbp, and sometimes have SVT's but not for a long time. I have come close though. I had appointment at the doctor a few days ago, not regarding the heart. I had been taking a few vicodin the day before that for pain. I didn't feel like going to the doctor, but someone did drive me. As soon as I sat down I noticed my heart was not beating right. It seemed like it was pulsating, or palpatating, not normal quiet as it should have been. Before arriving at the doctors office, I told my driver to turn in at ER that my heart wasn't right.
I was hooked up to an ekg machine and not a 12 lead one either. My bp was 188/122, pulse 80, and normal sinus rhythm said the doctor. I told him my pulse has to be in the 50's for MY heart, and it has to be quiet.I have lived with this heart as he does not, and I am not a hypochondriac.

He said he knew I was worried, but that it was normal and he wasn't going to do anything. I told him I had metoprolol in my purse and would it be ok to take it..he said yes..that he had released me. I also take flecainide for the rhythm problem and a bit of diazepam each day. I also told him that men come in and get admitted and get everything under the sun checked for a few days or so and a woman is sent home. He said ''not true'' and walked away. The girls came in and gave me a paper that said to go to my doctor right away. I was very late for appt. though and didn't even think to call. This was just a block away. The girls wouldn't even let me put my bra on. I think he wanted me out of there Now because I spoke my mind. I could tell the Metoprolol had started to work as chest felt better.

So going the block away to the doctors office, I walked in and was crying. The girl at the desk said I was late and he could not see me. I told her I didn't get taken care of at the er. She said I should have called them..but told me to sit down. I waited at least 25 minutes and was taken back in the room for bp and some questions. BP was 159/?..I waited a good while and finally the snippy girl came and told me the doctor was not going to see me that day. He was swamped and he was running 45 minutes late, because of me. I said how can he run that late when he would have taken 10 minutes with me..NO answer. So out to the window I went and she sat behind it. I asked her why she let me sit in the office so long to tell me he couldn't see me and she says he didn't know I was back there. Of course he knew. So in my anger, I slid the window open and told her I knew her name. She slid it shut. I opened it again and told her she was in Trouble! She shut it again and was laughing as we walked away. There is a small area you can see behind the windows.I feel like she was out of line and kindness is what matters in an office where sick people come for help. This is her problem anyway. She is young with attitude. I would like to report her and don't know who to talk to, enough though I'm sure she will not even be warned about it. .
I'm just upset that doctors in general do not listen enough to what a patient tells them, especially females, and I do know that ekgs cannot always be normal.

[MichelleP_3811]

Your BP on meds was pretty high.  188 is nearing the danger zone and may be why you felt poorly.  Your heart rate likely increased in response.  Considering you tend towards a low pulse 80 very well could make you feel bad as well.  I think, though this wasn't normal for you, the doctor may have meant that the heart beat had a normal look to it as opposed to it being skewed in one way or another indicating afib or some sort of heart event.  Essentially your bp and heart rate were elevate but beating in a normal fashion so your ill feeling was simply due to the rise in your bp/heart rate and extra meds would likely resolve the issue with a little time.  Now a days they really do not keep you or admit you into the hospital unless there is a clear indication that your life may be in danger.  You did not present in a way that indicated you were in immediate danger.  That said, you could have been dealt with a little more compassion by the ER and your doctor's office.  Your situation could have been explained to you a little better so you understood exactly what was going on but unfortunately in this hurried society that doesn't happen often.  It then becomes important for us to speak up and ask questions.  I think if I were in your shoes I would ask for copies of my tests from the ER and bring them to your cardiologist to look over.  Describe what you were feeling and ask him why and for what reason you were feeling the way you were.  That said, if the doctor you went to see was a cardiologist you may want to find a new office.  Quite frankly, I would think missing your appointment would mean the guy was early not late seeing as he saw one less patient in the day.  That said, doctors offices do tend to overbook and I always feel rushed when I am in them so it is important to go in armed with all the questions you want answered and if you forget don't feel bad about calling them the next day.  And though you may feel like you have no voice I suggest writing a letter to the doctors office anyways.  What happens may be out of your control but at least you will have said your peace and spoken your mind.  Though we all need to find a little patience with the state of the medical community these days we also as patients deserve to be treated with kindness and respect.  I do hope that you are able to find that in your future doctors visits.  Take care and feel better soon.

[Jerry_NJ]

Sorry you had such a rough day, it was enough to raise anyone's heart rate and blood pressure.  Yes, I'm a guy, but an old guy - so I understand what the young I think don't/can't about the problems of aging.  I suppose some do understand, but I think even among doctors it is a rare trait.

Now, I'm not a doctor and maybe that's better, I don't see anything alarming in the symptoms you describe, especially given what I understand to be your history.  You didn't give your age, but I'll still say a short run of a HR up to 130 shouldn't be a problem... using the general guidelines that take age into account this would not be a dangerous HR for someone in their 70s, such as me.

Don't know the best way forward, I'd try to just "forget about it" if I liked the doctor, if not I'd seek a new doctor.

As far as problems getting immediate attention from the medical field, don't expect it to get better given the ongoing implementation of government involvement/management of the delivery of health care.  I fully expect to see the day when my doctors (yes, more than one) tells me they no longer accept Medicare - we have already run in that. This doesn't invalidate Medicare it just means you pay the market price and file with Medicare for whatever it pays, an ever decreasing amount.

On you profile you are listed as a "male".. not a show stopper but you may want to correct your profile.

I hope 2013 finds you in better health and with a supportive relationship with your medical needs.

Hope my typos are not overwhelming, you for your is one of them, so that correction may be all that is needed.