cardiolagist to busy

[moggdog]

went to see cardiologist yesterday .was a pain in the ass and a waste of time . the poor bloke was ran off his feet..he was running two and a half hours late .felt like i was in the way. while he was talking to me he was taking phone calls .he was telling me i needed another ablation one minute . then the next i didnt . im not blaming the guy.but theres obviously something very wrong with his work load

[jeanjeannie50]

I know how that feels. When I first went to see a cardiologist about my heart. I'd just sat down, when a friend of his put his head around the door and asked 'Are you ready'.

It was suggested I have an ablation and when I wanted to ask about what it entails etc. I was told 'Sorry but it's only, 10 minutes per patient'.

[jennydog in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I went to Glan Clwyd Hospital at Rhyl last week and saw Dr Shah. He was so kind and helpful. I was breathless and a sweaty mess. They did an ECG which showed classic E/F. I was amazed as I could not feel my heart at all. He says I need to be on warfarin and he recommends ablation at Liverpool. I am having to wait 2weeks to see my GP. I have had E /F for 5 years. The attacks are now much longer though less severe. It 's a weary condition which controls/restricts my life!

[Mamamarilyn in reply to jennydog]

Hi Jennydog, I think we are the lucky ones here. I had excellent treatment in hospital last week and the consultant was really helpful and supportive. Mind you, they couldn't persuade my heart to cooperate but 2 days after getting home guess what....back in NSR! yippee! As you say, it's a pesky condition, isn't it, I never know how I'm going to be from one day to the next!

[jennydog in reply to Mamamarilyn]

Wow, an instant response. I am so glad to hear that you are well. I am told that there are 5 or 6 e/cardiologists at Liverpool doing ablations and it 's a centre of exellence. The Welsh NHS won't fund any alternatives to warfarin. Their aspirin nearly caused a stomach ulcer and it's useless ! I have found this forum to be so helpful - thank you all.

[Hidden in reply to jennydog]

Yes, they're fond of touting aspirin and warfarin is the only other option in Wales, but as you say Ysbyty Glan Clwyd is absolutely excellent. I didn't have Mr Shah but another guy (I'm so good with names) and he spent ages with me. I felt very reassured in the end. I get angry when I hear of rushed cardiologists doing a poor job for their patients. How can a person get their attention politely when they seem not to be interested? Short of using explosives?

[jennydog in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your response. I have also heard from Beth. It seems we are all pleased with the attention that we have had at Glan Clwyd. I was so relieved that they were taking it seriously and not just dismissing it as 'palpitations.' I feel so rotten sometimes and never know what I'll feel like so I'm loathe to make arrangements.

[Mamamarilyn in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Not a good experience Jean. Hope you've had better treatment since then! We need to be clear about what's happening to our bodies.

[Mamamarilyn]

Oh Moggdogg, that must have been frustrating! Thing is when we are patients we are always vulnerable and need one-to-one attention from our professional, we need to feel listened to, don't we? Maybe you could ring the department and ask for another appointment, explaining why.

[moggdog in reply to Mamamarilyn]

the doc i had my consult with was the same one that did my ablation. think with the size of our waiting lists he shouldnt be doin both . the b r i in bristol

[MammaCass]

Hi Moggdog, I have my appointment with an EP at the Bristol Heart soon, I shall be taking my son with me I think... He's a paramedic, so they'll be able to talk the same "language" and hopefully I won't get the run around!!!

[Dadog]

Sadly, this is the way much of our NHS is going. Some hospitals are superb - others a disgrace. All we can do, when they rush us through or don't have time to explain things, is to complain. Nobody likes to - but what else can we do? Maybe complain is the wrong word. Perhaps we should explain, at the time, that we are worried and confused and need to know what is going to happen and how....etc. I am waiting for a cardioversion and have been for nearly a year. I rang the cardio dept and was told that due to cut-backs, they had gone from weekly to at least 3 weekly .........and counting! I can only wait!

[ruthalem]

I think it`s the same country wide in all hospital departments not just cardiology. I was due to see a cardiologist at the end of August, I received a letter last week with a new appointment for June 2014.