I have waited a year for my 7 day holter as I'm having strange arrhythmias in my atria only according to my EP. For the last year I've spent scared to death, faint and dizzy and very anxious as and scared to go anywhere and waiting for my 3rd ablation.
I got my monitor a few weeks ago and the Secretary rang me last week to say I have an ablation booked on the 22nd of this month. The first thing I thought was what did my results show to have the ablation so quickly, the Secretary wasn't allowed to tell me but promised the EP would ring that afternoon and I heard nothing, fair enough I realise he could be busy so left in until Tues to ring again. I rang the secretary she said to ring the arrythmia nurse which I did and I politely left a message to please ring... no call. So I emailed the arrythmia nurse again no reply. Really stressing now. I emailed again yesterday and still no reply. I'm really very stressed over what these arrhythmias could be.
I'm very symptomatic today and really upset no one is answering me. I'm thinking it could be something really bad and they don't want to tell me over the phone, I've tried 5 times politely to find out my results. My Gp hasnt received any results either.
So should I leave it or ring again?
I don't want to be a pain in the bum but I have had such a bad year I want to know what's wrong with me. I am carrying my phone everywhere since Monday ... (even to the loo 😶) in case they ring!!
Sara xxx
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booboo73
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I’d be the same Booboo, there aren’t many things more worrying than waiting for results. Have you mentioned just how anxious you’re feeling? If so then it’s despicable that no one’s got back to you. If it was me I’d ring again, probably with hysteria in my voice! Failing that, maybe your GP could contact them on your behalf.
You are not a pain in the bum! You are a distressed patient seeking information which should be forthcoming and if not then an explanation as to why not.
Ring again, and again and ring your GP and see if they can get results. My GP was very support when in a similar situation some years ago - I rang in the morning in distress and had hospital ring back that afternoon very apologetic.
Thanks everyone. I'm just so upset. I do have communication issues with the nurse. Admittedly 5 years ago I must have rang every week scared to death and no doubt drove them crazy. Now I strictly limit myself to once a month if I'm desperate and very ill. I even paid private to Sanjay Gupta to get some answers.
I'm lucky if I get hello or goodbye in the reply the last email reply, was 'looks like atrial eptopic shouldn't make you ill. ' that was it. No hello or good bye.
I know how busy they are and do appreciate everything they do, but I'm going crazy here worrying. My other half said they will be busy and my best friend wants to ring the clinic herself and go crazy at the lack of care I've had in the last few years.
Thanks, I will think about it. Xxx ( thank God for my Diazapam)
I feel your frustration, my doc just wanting to give me more and more meds. I said no, I’m done and I was in afib min 12 hours a day. Went to mayo in Jacksonville fl, dr Fred Kumamoto. One of the best in the world. He did cryoablation
Oh Sara its so upsetting for you. Little wonder you feel scared and concerned. However as i have found so many times with my Medics and many other consultants that as good and capable as they are they are less good on the emotional side. Equally we feel extremely vulnerable and dont want to rock the boat by constantly calling for answers.
The most likely scenario is that your medical team has a plan for you, has set it in motion and seeing your ablation is less than two weeks away they will most probably think all is arranged and you will just be pleased its about to happen without giving any thought to your emotional state. Perhaps in their own minds the job is underway so you will be happy with that without the niceties of your state of mind being considered. Its not good enough i know but pressures in the nhs are so great that all the nuances we should expect like good communication and treating the patient as a whole not a sum of their parts is lost along the way.
So many times i have been in your position with the phone glued to me all day and night, waiting for and at the same time dreading it ringing. Yes do ring again as you wont get any peace of mind unless you do. What's betting they would be surprised that it is stressing you out so much and who wouldn't, bet they would if it was them waiting.
In reality non of this means there is anything dire going on, if there was you would have been told before now. Can you ask your gp to call the consultants office. Mine did this for me last autumn and the hospital called me back within the hour after i had been ringing many times to no avail. Lets us know how you get on please. This lack of communication is torture for people and so unfair. Big hug. X
Hi I feel just the same. Had a really bad 36 hours with high pulse then uneven pulse. Was referred to cardiologist 2 days ago but no appointments for at least 34 weeks. So scary.
THANK YOU all so much for giving me the boot up my bum to ring.
So I thought bugger it, I will ring one last time. I got through to a new arrythmia nurse who was so lovely and couldn't apologise enough for no one replying, she didn't get any messages.
Anyway nothing new really to report I think I heard correctly the only different thing on the monitor showed 5000 PACs ( Premature Atrial Conductions) daily. Nothing sinister like my over active brain was imagining. I will get a letter to explain more plus I'm having the ablation week on Monday and he can zap the Pacs if he can find them, but they are harmless so may just have to learn to live with it.
Huge sigh of relief. Plus I have a new nurse who was so lovely.
Thank you again everyone. Time for my Diazapam and a cup of tea and can go to the toilet now without my phone !! Xxxxx
I feel for you but I have a different scenario. I was referred for a cataract op and was getting very anxious because I know I have other sight issues. After a year I was excited to be given an appointment for a pre op. After many tests I saw the consultant who agreed my sight was very bad but then told me the wait would be 18 months or more. I was so shocked I think I just gave a tiny whimper and left. A few weeks later I had a cheery call to come in for my op a few days later. I assumed it was a cancellation especially as someone else’s name was on my discharge form (or maybe a massive booboo - sorry, couldn’t resist). I had been told that hospitals are struggling to fill slots for elective procedures because people are too scared to go in so maybe someone chickened out and you got lucky! Think of it this way, whatever the reason for the quick appointment it’s great you are having it so soon. I wish you the very very best of luck 🍀🍀🍀
That's really not on! Does your EP do private work (they all usually do) - I wonder if you Google their name to see if you can get more deets for them - sometimes you can get a direct number or email the that person. Surely these people know that anxiety isn't going to do your heart any good!If still no joy, keep badgering your GP as they will have more clout in getting through. Good luck with it xx
That's so stressful for you - I absolutely empathise. Call each day and be polite but firm. Get your GP to put pressure on them saying it's causing severe anxiety. Think of the daily call as a task to do, then do something that gives you pleasure - sit down with a tea and biscuit - two squares of good chocolate - listen to a favourite track of music - go for a short slow walk. 🤞 You find out soon
Ask to speak to the practice manager I have done this twice and they were on the phone immediately, I didnt like doing it but they sorted the problem very quickly and couldnt have been nicer!
I really hope all goes well with your next ablation and you will be able to relax soon - good luck.
Ring the hospital’s “PALS” and explain the situation to them. They should be able to resolve things quickly. I doubt that they are not contacting you because the situation is dire- it sounds much more like poor organisation.
No you’re not a pain.!!! It’s disgraceful that you’re been left to worry like that. I’m sure if it was anything really nasty they would have told you ASAP. Hang in there and give them another call.
You’re definitely not a pain in the bum. You’re having a really annoying, frustrating time, and that will not help you one bit. I think, though, that if there was something really wrong, you would’ve been told, so try to calm yourself. Easy to say, I know. It’s disgusting that no one has come back to you, that’s not on. Please let us know what happens and try not to worry. Take care.
Sara, I recognise in your words a predisposition towards anxiety, which has been addressed to some degree as you seem to be habitually using Diazepam to control it. From experience with my wife's condition, I'd advise seeing your GP about a long term strategy to treat your anxiety. It is a terrible, relentless condition which causes illnesses of several types. To list a few: gastric upsets, migraine, sleep deprivation, lack of energy, tinnitus, nausea, vertigo..... and arrythmias.My wife was eventually diagnosed with GAD - generalised anxiety disorder, and after being prescribed a variety of drugs that were wrong for her as an individual, we saw a very good doctor who said Citalopram would have her feeling better quickly. A fortnight later she was a changed person and I had my wife of a few years ago back.
Her wide range of horrendous symptoms have largely disappeared.
The wretched trick that anxiety plays is that you are absolutely sure your symptoms are causing your anxiety, when in reality the anxiety is largely causing the symptoms.
I really feel from reading your post that you could benefit greatly from looking at your general well-being from this angle.
Achieving peace of mind and calmness would greatly benefit your future health in all sorts of ways, including the behaviour of your heart.
I used to take Citalopram, I was feeling great on this, however my EP doesn't want me on anti - depressants as they can have a major contraindications with anti-arrithmia drugs and he says they can cause palpitations
Yes, it's important to stress that treatment for heart conditions, anxiety and most other health disorders should be tailored to the individual. Citalopram is, as I said, right for my wife, and some drugs, for example Fluoxetine, were terrible for her - and brilliant for others. I'm not advocating that particular drug for anyone but her. I'm the AF sufferer, which is what brings me here, not her. In booboo's post she described behaviours and mindsets that resonate strongly with our experience with my wife's anxiety disorder. Even if she has symptoms that are not caused by anxiety, I'm very confident that encouraging booboo to find relief for it is sound advice. Whatever her exact set of symptoms is they will, at the very least, be made worse by it.
Drugs might not be the solution at all. Self-help in the form of exercise, Yoga, mindfulness and breathing exercises can help greatly, and most local NHS authorities have various courses and counselling sessions available.
I've seen the devastating physical effect anxiety can have on a person who would otherwise be very healthy. I've also seen how massive the improvement can be when it's properly managed. That's my motivation to try to help.
You poor thing. Stress will make it worse, so try to relax- easy to say I know. I'm in a similar situation. A&E lost the paperwork, so my referral never reached Cardiology. The emergency doctor wanted me to have a 24-hour ECG. So I had to get my GP to refer me, but his referral has been 'rejected', which surprised me. So now my care is down to me and the internet, which is a bit scary and not ideal.
I guess that for the moment if you don't have COVID you don't get seen, simple as that.
Hopefully things might improve by summer and we just have to try and make it through until then.
A kardia will give you a snap shot of what is happening albeit not like an ECG but at least it is something you could forward to your medics so that they could see that you are not fussing unnecessarily
Yes keep ringing them. Have you got your consultants secretary's e mail? You may be able to find out by looking at your health authority's web page. So ring, e mail and text if you can! Keep pestering them.
First of all. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly...... do it again....... halter monitors take ekgs of your heart continually...... then the doctor can see exactly what your heart is doing while in AF and if there is any other arrhythmias going on. If there were very bad things going on they would have contacted you immediately. I doubt the ablation schedule was a direct result of the halter monitor..... probably just another test to check all the boxes prior to scheduling.....Stress is a trigger and sometimes a cause of AFib
No you are never being a pain in the butt when you are trying to get answers. In fact, after 7 tries I would probably call daily to ask for the results, thus encouraging the Drs admin to assist you and encourage the doctor to call you back. But then I am a pain in the butt😂😂
I hope all goes well.I find thatmy EP is really accessible....I text him with any probs and within good time I have an answer.Try to keep calm....breathe....
Hi x I've read all on your replies several times and I'm going to try and get a plan of action with my EP next week and ask him if I could possibly email his secretary with any major concerns. I've always had communication issues with the nurse and I've been in tears plenty of times not knowing what to do when they don't reply especially with the last two ablations I ended up in A&e , I need a plan !! So again thanks all for giving me the boot up the bum to ring again on Friday I've had a much calmer weekend thanks to you xxx
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