Palpitations and waiting for a 7 day heart tape.

[Rose568]

Hi everyone, I've been having palpitations on and off for the last 12 days. I've been to A & E twice. The ECG on both occasions were fine. So I'm now waiting for a 7 day tape of my heart. This will take at least 6 months on the NHS. So I'm thinking of trying to find a private consultant. Could someone give me an idea of how much this would cost and any advice please. Thanks in advance.

[CDreamer]

Hi Rose, were you able to obtain copies of the ECG? If they were sent digitally to your GP they may also be able to provide you with a copy.

Palpitations don’t always mean anything sinister but often when they come and go it can be very difficult to pin down what is going on and that happens a lot with AF as you need to take the ECG when you feel the palpitations - therefore a wearable device or a mobile ECG which can be purchased for around £100 - £500 can be very useful. Many of us have them and the most popular are iWatch or Kardia.

I’m a bit out of the loop these days but I used to pay something like between £180-£250 per consultation? This didn’t of course include tests, which are usually the most expensive bit - 30 sec ECG they will charge £100+. I had a 7day tape through my GP and the tech has improved so much these days I know a lot of the private consults use more sophisticated devices such as the Zio patch which is a stick on device. Try looking on the York Cardiology website to give you an idea. Also know many specialists now tend to use remote consults - telephone or video.

The problem is that actually 6 months may sound a lot but you may wait nearly as long to see one privately. My husband has been trying for 3 months to get a private consult here in Sussex, has all the insurance OK for it and we can’t find anyone taking on new patients - so not just the NHS have waiting times. We have just moved so we experience the same problems although we both have diagnosis, treatment plans and pacemakers.

In your shoes, I would invest in a device such as the Kardia and take your own traces and then book a private appointment with a Electrophysiologist Cardiologist and take your reading along. Most doctors will accept a history from wearable tech as well in the first instance and then decide which tests are required and you then have the option to change back to NHS - but you will still need to wait in line but at least you will be on a doctor’s list and that is the initial battle.

I know it is frustrating and worrying to have to wait for so long but unfortunately this is nothing new. The wait for an appointment back when I was diagnosed 2007 was something like 13 months. I went for a private consult and it was the best thing I did as the time spent with the doctor discussing diagnosis, treatment options etc did more to settle me than all the tests and results could possibly have done.

I found a good place to find a doctor in your area was to use BUPA listings, they used to be freely available but not sure about that now as there are quite a few private consults search such as privatehealth.co.uk/doctors...

You will need a referral from your GP before they will offer you an appointment but all you do is go to your GP first, ask for a referral, find a specialist, book an appointment and they should then do all the rest and contact your GP to check. If a GP has to write a letter though the practice will also charge you.

Healthcare nowadays is becoming precious, time consuming and very expensive is my observation.

Hope that helps.

[Rose568 in reply to CDreamer]

Hi CDreamer, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all of this. It's given me lots to think about. Thank you.

[CDreamer]

PS - 5-top.co.uk/atrial-fibrilla...

I noted that my local NHS health app link with Withings devices, but not iWatch or Kardia - which I find strange but there you go.

[Ppiman]

You can find private ECGs easily on the Internet and even, I believe, have a Zio patch fitted for two weeks. If I recall, the cost is under a £1000.

An alternative would be to buy an Apple Watch and iPhone and enjoy their wonderful technology! Alternatively, there is the KardiaMobile 6L. Both of these will pick up several arrhythmias that a doctor can examine, if it lasts for a long enough for you to record it. I see, on Amazon, that there is also a 24-hour home ECG by Wellue. I have both the Watch and the Kardia and would consider the 24-hour version had it been around at the time.

Steve

[Rose568 in reply to Ppiman]

Hi Steve, thank you. This information is much appreciated. I'm still processing everything at the moment.

[Griffin9]

It will be cheaper to buy a Kardiamobile 6L. I wore a seven day monitor on two occasions and my heart behaved perfectly. I was able to get my first recording of my AF with a Kardiamobile, which led to my ablation being booked some months later.

[Rose568 in reply to Griffin9]

Thanks Griffin9, much appreciated.

[Gowers]

I would suggest asking your gp who if in your shoes they would advise seeing. Or, as been suggested looking up a private hospital near you & look up the cardiologist & their reviews. That is how I found mine. Quite a few do NHS work as well as private. Like someone else has said it is money well spent. You can ring the private hospital who will have a pricing dept so you will have an idea of costs

[Rose568 in reply to Gowers]

Thank you so much for your advice. I'll give that a try.

[Gowers in reply to Rose568]

Do let us know how you get on