Worried a bit about cardiologist appt

[guynfl2chat]

I went to a new primary internist over the past few months. She has been very thorough with me. I had my labs done with my previous doctor but I still was having issues with BP. We played a little around with dosage and I think we are almost there for a good BP. In the meantime she had me go for a echocardiogram and ran EKG when I was in her office. Echo was basically good she told me. She did another EKG and she didnt like the additional beats. She recommended I go see a cardiologist. I made the appt and it took a few months and I see her on Tuesday. I guess if it was REALLY serious the testing center that did the ECHO would have said something AND my new doctor would have insisted I see a cardiologist right away (she just told me to make an appt when I could). I have decided to try and go in with an open mind and hope that is preventative and I learn something. I have a VERY stressful job and I know that doesnt help. I have anxiety and sometimes its can be tough. My new doctor renewed my xanax prescription. That was actually a relief. She acknowledges it has some value.

My BP has been really good since we I started with her, but she wants it lower. I get like 120/68 or 129/76 .. some more or less. Its the best I have had in Years! I even had a 110/60 the other day.

Any advice?

[Hidden]

The blood pressure looks good even if some of the numbers wander over 120/80. I'm not a doctor, but that's pretty good. Even 129 isn't horribly worrisome. I'm assuming she's just considering your anxiety, stress, and so on and being thorough. Like you said, if something was obviously wrong and needed to be addressed, she would have sent you to a hospital immediately. The additional beats could be something that won't have an immediate impact and just needs some fine tuning from a specialist. There's no way she sends you home knowing a specialist takes a month or two to see if you were in any sort of danger soon. While I can tell you not to worry, I know that's not easy. Just keep doing good for your heart, know that whatever this "could" be isn't serious enough to warrant immediate hospitalization, and try to lower any risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Try lowering the stress with mental relaxation, exercise (if you're cleared to do so), and so on. Between all of that, I think it's the best you can do and while it's okay to naturally worry, try to focus on the here and now more than that future appointment. I hope all is found clear and good in that appointment...and this might just be the case of a doctor doing her job thoroughly and well....keeping you as healthy as they can. Best of luck and try not to let these eat at you. I once had a nurse call me that I needed to see the doctor soon after blood labs. Petrified, I asked if I was in serious peril....even though a doctor has to deliver any such news. It turned out I had a bit of fatty liver and needed to make some dietary changes to reverse it. Just wanted to do an ultrasound of my liver. All of that worry and it turned out to be for something fairly common and easy to fix. Wishing you the best!

[guynfl2chat in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. It really is true what you said. It just something in life that we have to take care of and as we get older there will be more things that come up. Unfortunately when we have anxiety we just worry much more.

[Hidden in reply to guynfl2chat]

Exactly, I'm almost 36 and now things seem so much more serious (cholesterol, liver enzymes, and all that fun stuff). Add in some anxiety and it's a horrible cocktail. But I hope your doctor sent you home assured for the mean time. They know us anxious folk worry endlessly. It's hard to hold confident when something could be wrong, but she sounds like a great doctor that wouldn't let you leave if something was profoundly worrisome. That dang anxiety will tell us otherwise, but trust the doctor over that bugger in our head that tries to make something out of everything.

[guynfl2chat in reply to Hidden]

Well I went to the cardiologist and I am fine. She explained some minor extra beats can be controlled with Meds. She just wants me to do a 1 day heart monitor to make sure I am ok. I admitted I was nervous and my bp showed it. I brought in some readings from the last few weeks to show her I was monitoring it and it was ok. I will feel much better after I get over the heart monitor, but basically she said I was ok.

[Agora1 in reply to guynfl2chat]

Good to hear my friend xx