Delayed cardiac MRI results worries - British Heart Fou...

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Delayed cardiac MRI results worries

Becky-88 profile image
34 Replies

Hi again guys,

I’m just wondering how long you waited for your cardiac MRI results and what the outcome was?

I had my MRI in June and was told 1-2 weeks for my results. It’s been over 4 weeks now and I’ve heard nothing. I’ve been chasing and chasing and all I keep being told is “I’ll send the report to the consultant again and let him know you’re chasing it”. I’m not getting any indication of the results nor any idea what exactly is the cause of the delay.

Whole thing is making me anxious, especially given I’ve got ongoing daily symptoms of chest pain, palpitations, and completely obliterating exhaustion.

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Becky-88 profile image
Becky-88
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34 Replies
10gingercats profile image
10gingercats

Are you speaking to the person who will have the information of your result.You may have to write to the consultant who requested the MRI. or go to the dept. if the hospital is close enough. I haven't done this for a result but I have done it for cancelled appointments and to ask as to why emails have persistently gone unanswered

Becky-88 profile image
Becky-88 in reply to 10gingercats

You can’t get through to the consultant via the phone. Writing is a good idea but working in radiology myself I’m aware that letters don’t go directly to the consultant, they’re picked up by their secretaries so I’m not sure it’ll speed up the process any, likewise with visiting, they’ll just say they don’t know and wait for the consultant. It’s frustrating. Might be worth a shot though if I don’t hear by next week.

Simes11 profile image
Simes11 in reply to Becky-88

You can ask for the direct number and call the Cardiologist’s Secretary directly. ❤️

Becky-88 profile image
Becky-88 in reply to Simes11

I wasn’t aware of this. Thank you, I’ll give it a try tomorrow.

Simes11 profile image
Simes11 in reply to Becky-88

Good luck, Becky.. I’ve always found them to be a fantastic help & will also chase up/track down things on your behalf. Donna x

ChoochSiesta profile image
ChoochSiesta

My latest MRI was July 2021. I had to wait 3 months for the next consultation. I was then informed that I needed an angiogram.

Becky-88 profile image
Becky-88 in reply to ChoochSiesta

Yikes, that’s a long wait, especially to be told you needed a further procedure. I’m sorry you had to wait that long.

This is exactly my fear, that I’ll be kept waiting for months and then be told I need a procedure. People keep telling me “no news is good news” but working in health care myself I’m acutely aware that’s not necessarily the case.

ChoochSiesta profile image
ChoochSiesta in reply to Becky-88

It got even worse when the angiogram confirmed that I needed a bypass 🙄

Becky-88 profile image
Becky-88 in reply to ChoochSiesta

Wow! What a kick in the teeth that must have been. You always assume that if they find something significant they’ll tell you quickly. Guess not.

Hope you’re doing better now.

ChoochSiesta profile image
ChoochSiesta in reply to Becky-88

Yes thanks! 5 Months post triple bypass and feeling normal again. Strangely, the only tangible difference from just before the operation is that I can now cycle hard without needing to stop every few minutes! Otherwise, I don't feel any different.

HeartyJames profile image
HeartyJames

I had the heart attack with severe EF in April last year. MRI in May and took 6-8 weeks for results. Was very frustrating at the time as I did not know what to do or what was going on.

Becky-88 profile image
Becky-88 in reply to HeartyJames

Sorry to hear about your health, hope you’re on the mend now.

This is exactly the situation I’m in, not having a clue what’s going on. I just want to know why I’m being kept waiting. Even if it’s just a delay because of the NHS being overloaded I’d understand, but the not knowing why it’s taking so long makes me worry. It shouldn’t take this long to deliver an “everything’s fine” result, you know? So makes me worry there’s something.

Doesn’t help I’m waiting on both a filling and to get my antidepressants changed and I can’t get either until I know what’s up with me because no one will touch me with an undiagnosed heart condition in case of contraindications. So I’ve got a tooth threatening to start hurting any second and my mental health has fallen off a cliff because they took me off medication until I get a diagnosis. Very frustrating indeed.

HeartyJames profile image
HeartyJames in reply to Becky-88

Not so good. Was put onto waiting list for CRT-P implant months ago and they say late October despite being urgent. I think if something is wrong you find out faster.

Simes11 profile image
Simes11 in reply to Becky-88

Do you mean a dental filling? 🦷 If so, why can’t you go ahead with having this procedure done?

Becky-88 profile image
Becky-88 in reply to Simes11

Yes. They won’t allow me to have anaesthetic injections as they say it can have contraindications with certain heart conditions.

It’s a deep filling and one that’s recurring (it’s on my front tooth due to an injury. I need a crown but can’t afford it) so I know from last experience it will hurt without anaesthetic and I’m terrified of the dentist as is.

Try the consultant’s secretary - not saying cardiologist will respond but they are in my experience helpful to at least chase up with cardiologist. But your right no or little chance of getting to the cardiologist directly imo.

Damon1969 profile image
Damon1969

Hi Becky.

I had to wait 2 months to get mine back from St Thomas's. My diagnosis was afib, and also dilated cardiomyopathy.

Not really what I wanted to hear, or my cardiologist either. I had to chase the hospital for my results.

Silvertail profile image
Silvertail

Usually, if it is bad news they call you back straight away, but if it is not bad they take their time. Hopefully that is the case with you.

Lizy76 profile image
Lizy76

Hi BeckyI was told 3 weeks but ended up waiting 4. Then I was sent a letter via email with the results which I didn't understand and so ended up having to call my cardiac nurse for an explanation!

Anyway I hope you get your results soon and that it's good news. Take care 🙂

Horse6 profile image
Horse6

HI, I waited 4 weeks then emailed the cardiologist secretary who did send the results which I didn’t understand so then emailed again and asked what the results meant !!! Which she did I’m now having a face to face consultation on the 15th August. My results they said were fine but I’ve probably got ventricular tachycardia which I’m not sure about. Hope you get your results soon .

STUBAX profile image
STUBAX

When I had a Purfusion scan I was waiting for results, kept phoning consultants secretary who kept saying waiting for consultant. When I eventually saw consultant he said he reviewed the scan results next day and was very surprised that I hadn't been notified!

Leonardo1 profile image
Leonardo1

Hi - my results took over 8/9 weeks to come through with chasing . I then received a letter which frankly was of no help - lots of medical jargon but with no actual information - ie this course of action - recommend this action. ? Keep on the meds - no further action. ? I asked a medical friend to decipher and although quite helpful he said speak to the GP ? So it still remains a big question mark as to what next ? Will I see a consultant to discuss findings ? is it all ok and I need no further treatments ? As in no news is good news - I simply don’t know ? And a trip to GP to discuss a letter seem a poor use of time . I’ll try a phone call ?

My rational says if it was super bad news they would have actioned it ?

Any how it’s seems results take a while to come and when they come they arnt very clear . Sorry I can help further good luck !!

CH

lesog9 profile image
lesog9

Hi I had a similar issue. The secretaries never got back to me. I contacted my GP who had the results , and was able to tell me instantly what they were.

RailRover profile image
RailRover

I waited a couple of months although there was no particular imperative to get them earlier. In your position I would be banging on desks, I'm afraid. It's not acceptable, and no news definitely is not necessarily good news as you said. It's often the admin has broken down and you've fallen down a hole. There are a lot of holes in the system.

Becky-88 profile image
Becky-88 in reply to RailRover

Yeah I think I might have to start expressing my frustration a little. I’ve been very polite and patient so far as I hate feeling like I’m making a fuss and find it quite difficult to advocate for myself sometimes but I think I might have to make a bit more noise now.

I suspect I’ve fallen down an admin-hole as well as every time I’ve spoken to the department I just keep getting the same response; “I’ll send it to the consultant again”. So either they’re not sending it, or he’s not picking it up.

Tink35 profile image
Tink35

I had mine back on May 6th but still not heard anything. I work in the hospital so I emailed the secretary and she said she'd chase it up for me but still waiting 😁

3MSF profile image
3MSF

Hi Becky,The ‘not knowing what or when’ really doesn’t help, does it? After a heart attack and echocardiogram I had to wait 6 weeks for an MRI to check something the team had raised as a potential issue. When the MRI finally came around, I then had to wait another 6 weeks for the report to be written and for a multi-discipline team to determine what outcome was necessary in my best interest. Turns out I had a bicuspid aortic valve with severe stenosis (narrowing) which I have now had replaced through open-heart surgery. There was really no other choice and I’m healing well and have just joined the post-op and very supportive Cardiac Rehabilitation programme.

So the ‘not knowing what and when’ was difficult for me, and you wonder just what people are doing in relation to your condition, or have they even forgotten about you?! We’ll, it seems that all the time it took to get back to me was really all the function of a necessary process and that you really do matter to many people that you’ve never even met. So have faith, tie-in with your GP during the wait for advice, pain relief, other, and know that someone WILL be in touch, albeit maybe not as soon as you might wish, but they’ll get back to you in what they consider good time based on their collective knowledge and experience with a plan to help you overcome your current issue or condition. Influencing progress is usually beyond our sphere of influence or control, so it’s probably pointless worrying unnecessarily about something you can’t influence so don’t waste your emotional energy which might lead to further unwanted anxiety, just know that people will be ‘working on it’ and will get back to you ‘in good time’.

Again, have faith Becky, and good luck! 🙂👍🙏

I have got my mri in the morning. So a bit apprehensive. Fortunately I see the specialist in middle of August so hopefully they may have the results. But waiting for test result is mentally draining and horrendous. I for one, am not very good with my stress and anxiety. But if I do want to chase anything up I contact my cardiac nurses who are very good. However the other way is to contact the specialists secretary.

Becky-88 profile image
Becky-88 in reply to

Good luck with your MRI tomorrow. I know it doesn’t help (heard it all before myself) but it genuinely isn’t that bad. I actually found my MRI so relaxing I would have fallen asleep if not for the instructions telling me to hold my breath. Would happily do it all again. You’ll be fine!

Fingers crossed you get your results quickly and it’s good news.

in reply to Becky-88

Thanks for that it has helped my anxiety a bit. It is all very scary and it plays on my mind every day.

All done was not too bad. So I was lucky enough to have my consultant there watching. So we had a chat. But she is happy that she has all the test results and she can work out the best way forward. Still a bit of journey though. Thanks

Becky-88 profile image
Becky-88 in reply to

Glad to hear it went well. Hopefully nothing sinister was picked up. I imagine you’ll get your results quite quickly as your consultant was present so fingers crossed there’ll be no long wait for you.

in reply to Becky-88

Well the only sinister thing is my epstein anomoly which I have had from birth. But it is a bit of a pain as iam currently on medication. Only found out about it in February. But now she has alot more data to go on. I just hope medication can control it.

Mumof4love profile image
Mumof4love

Hi, I know this is an old thread but I am in a similar situation and was wondering whether you could tell me the outcome of your results? It’s been 3 months of waiting, so I’m hoping this means it’s good news! Many thanks!

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