Private cardiologist appointment

[Maisiemay13]

After not feeling great last weekend I am off to see a cardiologist privately for a one off consultation and hope he takes me on as an NHS patient as I do not have insurance any advice on this would be welcome

[Bagrat]

I assume you've seen your GP about this. Have you already got an NHS appt in the pipeline via your GP?

I hope cardiologist can reassure you that it's fine to wait as each additional investigation will add to your bill. In order to reach a diagnosis he might need ecg, blood tests, x rays and specialist heart investigations like an echo too. Your GP can order some of these if they think them necessary so consultant has something to go on from your GPs letter.

As you found out your diagnosis in June I assume you have had a lot of the above done anyway. Good luck , hope the consultation proves useful.

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Bagrat]

I have had echo and 24hour and yes have nhs appt in December but only provisional as it will be triaged to confirm that I need appointment I am just looking for reassurance really

[Bagrat in reply to Maisiemay13]

In that case I would say money well spent. Make a list of questions to take with you. I did the same when I'd been discharged from cardiologist for some years and just felt I was paddling my own canoe and it was a great help.

[Hidden in reply to Maisiemay13]

The AF website has a couple of good suggested lists of questions. I think they are listed under resources.

Pat x

[Maisiemay13]

I do want to make a list but have gone blank other than what happens next !

[Bagrat in reply to Maisiemay13]

When to seek medical help, when to sit it out.

Present medication ok?

Any symptoms worrying you ( I realise something is) what can be done by you or doctors to help

[sandoval22]

I went private last year (£250) and it turned out he was best friends with my cardiologist who I couldn't get to see on NHS and he just agreed with his proposals. Very difficult getting a second opinion as NHS & private are same doctors and I doubt they would say anything contradictory about the other imo.

[Dodie117]

Make sure the person you see is an electrophysiologist

[Maisiemay13]

I have not yet seen a cardiologist just want to know what is going on and not wanting to wait until NHS appt,have to say does not feel right for me to be doing this as the NHS does its best under dire circumstances

[Hidden]

Give this a try - it's free and works for me and others that have tried it:

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After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer. If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt??

Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer

[patience12 in reply to Hidden]

V-e-e-e-r-y interesting. As I have diabetes (type II). So excess sugars in blood may effect it. There are some research papers on it: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

''Glucose and insulin disturbance can directly affect the myocardium in atrium and ventricle, leading to AF.''

So, if you don't tolerate sugars well, (a given for me at any rate) then it might well impact it. Another reason to get good diabetic control!

[Hidden in reply to patience12]

Yes - but I don't have diabetes. Been tested several times. Still might be a connection between my sugar tolerance and a diabetic's. You would think some doctor would know that. Very complex things going on inside our bodies I guess.

Happy New Year!

- Rick Hyer.

[secondtry]

Hi Maisie, very sensible move. You need to build information with questions and the extra 10 or 15 minutes while not much, one or two words can be enough & very valuable. I still see my cardiologist privately (the NHS one I wasn't happy with) down to once a year now and the continuity and extra commitment I find re-assuring. He knows I am not insured and any urgent tests, apart from an ECG, in the early days will have to be referred by my GP into the NHS system; this dual aspect is more common these days I believe. Good luck and incidentally I also found going private to a high profile experienced Naturopath very worthwhile.

[patience12 in reply to secondtry]

Hi - mind me asking how you sourced a reputable Naturopath? What was the main benefit please? (am newly diagnosed and looking to help as much as possible). thanks

[Maisiemay13]

Hi he was not happy with the ecg I took with me cannot rule in or our AF but some oddities so have a two week Heart monitor on which is a cost but know my local hospital only does one week and it is small not loads of wires,also he is not happy with weight lost so going to ask GP to do thyroid test

[AllyAF]

After having AF and being in hospital for 6 days, then on lots of meds, the AF came back. With a lack of success getting a referral back to heart consultant I paid £250 for a private consult with the doctor who had originally looked after me in hospital. Paid an extra £30 for test and prescription but the best money I have ever spent. AF put on hold with flecanide and referred directly to his colleague for an ablation which happened over 3 years ago and has been great. Hope all goes well for you.

[Maisiemay13]

Hi cardiologist referred me to EP had appt in December was put on Flecanide which did not agree with me so now back on Bisoprlol have another appt in June with EP who did offer me an Ablation which I declined but might have to rethink !

Great to hear you have been good since

[AllyAF]

Do consider an ablation. I haven't had so much as a single flutter since I had it. I had the cryoablation with just a bit of sedation so no general anathestic and a quick recovery. Good luck and have a good 2020 ☺☺

[Maisiemay13 in reply to AllyAF]

Thank you I will think on it.

Happy 2020 to you as well