Tuesday I had a call from the surgery asking me to book a follow up appointment with my gp, I thought it a bit unusual but went to see him yesterday . I walked in expecting to go over my medication , he said the reason he’d asked to see me was to discuss a letter from the hospital relating to the last time I was sent there by a gp . If anyone on here can remember my post about it , I had to see a very unpleasant dr that told me that the department I’d been sent to was for medical emergencies and mine was not a medical emergency , all tests were ok and told me I should have seen my gp . I was at the sane department a couple of weeks before due to chest pain and feeling more out of breath than normal , thankfully everything was ok but I saw the sane dr who wasn’t very pleasant then either . Anyway getting back to yesterdays gp appointment, this dr from the hospital had written to the gp to say that all tests were ok so could there be a non medical cause due to my symptoms , basically saying it’s all in my head . My gp asked if I could have health anxiety and were there any triggers that caused my symptoms . I was stunned by what I was hearing , it wasn’t what I’d been led to believe the appointment was for . I said that maybe I could have anxiety , I told him that I didn’t wake up every day worrying that something would happen but given what happened after having my pacemaker procedure at times if I get chest pain that I don’t normally have then I do wonder if I should be checked over (quick update on what happened after having a pacemaker , basically I woke up in the early hours with heart attack symptoms , I’d had a lead go through my heart wall , I needed both leads replaced just a week after having my pacemaker then that led to a severe heart infection that had got to a life threatening stage and I ended up on CCU for a week over Christmas and had a long recovery over 6/7 months . ) I also told him how this dr had made me feel when he spoke to me in such an awful way , I then burst into tears as talking about what happened bought it all back . I sat there for quite a few minutes in tears, gp asked if I would consider talking therapy and to think about it . I was too upset to talk and just left , still very upset .. I told the gp that when I’d been walking to the school I’d had a few recent episodes of a much faster heart rate than normal with chest pain that went away when I stopped walking and that I have a CPET next week requested by cardiology and a respiratory consultant , gp then mentioned something about angina . Today I’m still slightly shocked by the reason for the appointment . Sorry I just needed to share my experience as I just wasn’t expecting that when I went . Thanks for reading
Unexpected reason for gp appointment - British Heart Fou...
Unexpected reason for gp appointment
Hi Westie2012
I’m sorry to hear your GP appointment didn’t go as expected and you were left feeling shocked and perhaps, disappointed.
Unfortunately, many of us have been told that we have anxiety at one point or another during our heart journey and that it’s the anxiety causing our symptoms. I’ve definitely had my fair share of doctors telling me this, before and after my heart attack.
With your CPET coming up, please try not to worry too much as this particular test may pick up something if there have been any new developments with your heart to explain your recent symptoms.
Also just to add, I promise I’m not stalking you 🙈. I just seem to always be one of the first ones to respond to you when you post 🤣.
Let us know how the CPET goes.
All the best.
Tos
Thank you so much for your reply ,sorry to hear your symptoms were brushed off as anxiety , If I hadn’t persisted in going back to a&e then I’d never have had the holter monitor that diagnosed a heart problem , I know anxiety can cause symptoms of a cardiac nature bt as we know too well sometimes drs are too quick to try to dismiss our symptoms and concerns . I’m not worried about the test , I’m just relieved it’s finally (hopefully ) taking place unless it’s cancelled again . At least I’ll know either way where I stand .
Just to add I’ve never thought you’re stalking me , I just appreciate your kind advice , thank you
Aw hun I'm sorry to hear. They blame everything on anxiety, ok anxiety can mimic heart symptoms but when it's a someone with heart problems such as yourself your concerns should be taken more seriously. Seriously your cpet can't come soon enough can it cant believe this happened to you 💔. Hope your cardiologist is more understanding! Take care ❤️
Thank you so much for your reply , it’s so kind of you to be so nice to me . Yes my CPET has been needed for many months , my cardiologist said he wanted me to have it done but I was never sent an appointment through until I saw a respiratory consultant who arranged the test within months of my second appt with him , I just hope it won’t be cancelled again . I’ll just be glad to find out if there is a medical reason or not for my symptoms just so I can move on with my life ,ld love to be able to go swimming again , cardiologists said if there’s no problems picked up then he’ll refer me to action heart as he thinks that might help . Your support and kindness means more than you know xx
Aw your welcome I totally understand what your going through and always here if you wanna talk 😁😊😘. It's a nightmare when appointments get cancelled or keep getting rescheduled 😭. I remember I had an emergency appointment in the cardiac clinic and they send a letter saying in the next few months I would have a cpet test and then I was waiting for a year and I had to literally ask for one and I had it the same day 😬😉. Yeah definitely helps for peace of mind 😌. Wish you all the best for your appointment and take care Xx 😊😘❤️
You poor darling!
I know it's the latest buzz word but it would be a miracle if you weren't suffering to some extent from PTSD as a result of what you've been through, and a course of talking therapy would probably be very helpful.
I'm not saying "it's all in your head" but there's no way, as a sensible person who has gone through an extreme trauma, that it won't have affected how you view life and think about things so I suggest it would be good to take up the offer. It's good to hear that your GP is prepared to try. (It's harder than drawing hens teeth here! 🤪)
Good luck!
PS is your pacemaker one that reports back to the hospital what it/your heart is doing? I've got just a recorder, rather than a pacemaker, but it's g to know the cardiology team are able to look at what it is doing. Can your team help that way?
Thank you so much for your kind reply , the first few weeks after I was discharged from hospital when I was in at Christmas were scary , I was frightened to leave the safety net of the CCU, as I was leaving the nurse said if I had any symptoms come back like I had before I was admitted I must go straight to hospital , it was scary walking out of the doors , knowing that at home I hadn’t got a call button to press to get immediate help should I feel unwell , I knew it would take months to recover and my stay on CCU was traumatic , a few people on the ward needed the crash team , I remember hearing them running past my bed and working to save the person , it was so frightening listening to everything as it was in the very early hours of the morning so very quiet . When I was home I had quite a few nights where I felt as if I was back in hospital and the events were on replay in my mind , I spoke to my gp about it and he did say it sounded like I could have PTSD, he said to self refer for talking therapy back then but after an assessment for ut the person I spoke to said I didn’t need therapy . As time has gone on those feelings have stopped.
My pacemaker does record everything , I remember when I was on cardiac assessment after a really bad episode of a racing pounding heart , the pacing team came round and looked at the time of my symptoms and saw how fast my hr was , the mentioned SVT. U did think of calling the pacing team but as the test is so close I thought it best to wait and see what happens . Thank you again x
Dear You,
Yet again I am so sorry that you have and are going though all this.
Without a doubt anxiety can manifest it self in all sorts of physical ways, but it can't damage leads, it can't give you infections and it can't cause the symptoms you have, just by taking your children to school.
I don't care if anyone says that I am not qualified to make these statements , you don't have to be to understand the appalling treatment you have had.
I wonder if your Dr would have accused me of it all being in my head, I very much doubt it.
Lets hope that your upcoming tests puts this idea to bed once and for all then, after the physical is sorted, you can decide if you need therapy for the mental anguish you are/have suffered.
Take care, you are always in my thoughts
Thank you so much for your reply , it really means so much reading your words and makes me feel cared for when I’m feeling let down by medical professionals , I know I’ve been sent to hospital quite a few times and the tests have been normal ,by the time I’d been seen my symptoms had lessened , I just want answers for my symptoms , my cardiologist said depending on the results from the test then he feels going to action heart might help . It’s been a long bumpy road I’ve had to travel since the start of my cardiac symptoms , I’ll get there soon I hope . Thank you again , I hope you know how much your kindness means to me
Hi Westie
It sounds like you had an awful experience with your health journey which you have managed to bravely fight through & overcome, and it is not surprising that you still get concerned when things don't seem right.
I'm so glad that you have a Heart Consultant visit booked and I very much hope that this will put your mind at ease about whether or not things are ok with your heart, or that it will find the issue if there is one, and put it right.
It is fairly likely & probably unsurprisingly that your health journey todate has left you with some emotional scars & delayed shock reactions & possibly anexity too.
I'm NOT suggesting that these issues are responsible in any way for your recent heart feelings & concerns, but i do think that we can often forget that our mental "mind & soul" health is one that we very often over look and ignor, and forget that it is has just as much potential for getting ill as our bodies do, and that it "can need it's own form of rest or healing" at times when it's had a bit too much stress and / or trauma.
So please do think about the talking therapy that the GP has offered & even explore other different therapies for overcoming trauma; and look into techniques for reducing anexity & calming down too.
Plesse don't see these as another brush-off of your concerns BUT instead understand that these are just tools (like medicens & bandages) to use in a time where you need to once again be very kind to yourself on a journey of healing - only this time it's to concentrate on taking care of your "mind & soul" health, as it just needs a little assistance & rest to keep working correctly & to re-equip it's resiliance to cope with everything - including "awful bedside manners" & "rudeness".
I am disappointed in the Consultants attitude towards you on your visits to A&E, and a little surprised at his letter to the GP but feel perhaps he was really just trying to flag to the GP that you need other sources of assistance for your overall care at the current time.
I wish you all the best.
Thank you so much for your supportive and understanding reply , I’ve had a very difficult time of things since having my pacemaker , so much for the ‘’everyday very routine no complications procedure ‘’I was told about , I know I’ve been unlucky but it’s been very tough at times. I really appreciate your kind words . Thank you again
Aww Westie - that's an awful story to read, you've been through so much. I have to agree with everything that Blue1958 has already said especially in terms of what you've been through - it wasn't 'anxiety' that caused all those actual physical problems! I'm sure we'll all be thinking about you and hopefully you'll have a better time, and some proper answers, when you meet with the Heart Consultant. Sending you all the best.... Carol
Thank you so much ,before finally getting the tests that showed there was a problem with my heart I was told so many times it’s just anxiety , oh well I got there eventually . It will be a relief to know either way if anything is causing my symptoms , if not then great , I’ll know I safely be able to not worry over any symptoms . Roll on Friday to hopefully have the test done then just wait to hear back .
What a horrible experience for you. Words absolutely fail me. I wonder what that hospital doctor would make of it if you wrote a letter of complaint about his attitude, pointing out that you were just being sensible in checking out new, unexplained symptoms.
I did contact pals regarding the attitude of the dr, I just said how awful it made me feel , how I’d be very reluctant to go to hospital again incase I had to see him again and that I hoped my contacting pals would prevent any other patients being spoken to how I was .
Well done. After an experience like yours it's a hard thing to do.
That was very brave of you Westie to raise the issue with PALS. Well done.
Hi, sorry to hear your story, I had a mitral valve replacement 2 years ago and my recovery has been awful. Basically the heart is fine but I have 4 weeks where I feel well and walk miles followed by 4 weeks of chest infection/lung problems which still hasn’t been resolved and this repeats virtually every 8 weeks. I’ve now put my foot down and insisted on getting diagnosed and having further scans to find the problem.
About 10 months ago I started therapy with nhs to come to terms with the lifestyle and future I’ve basically lost as I’ll never be totally well again. It’s been fantastic and has really helped me.. maybe it can help you not physically but certainly mentally
So sorry to hear about your story , I hope you are doing ok . I too took quite a long time to get over all the changes in my lifestyle . I was very limited for quite a few months in what I could or couldn’t do , I’d gone from being able to work at a job I loved , walk our dogs , take my child to and from school , go out shopping alone , keep the house tidy and go swimming ,and train to have a new career ,all without issues . I lost my job due to the store closing , I wasn’t well enough to start my new course to become a teaching assistant , I had to let my family do everything at home and I just had to stay in bed for a couple of weeks and it took another few weeks before I was strong enough to start just little things at home . I found that very difficult , I still miss my old lifestyle so I understand how you feel . I hope you get the tests you need to get a diagnosis and then get the help and treatment to enable you to have a better quality of life . Take care and good luck with your tests
You are still very young, have four children to bring up and a pacemaker, and have suffered a serious heart infection. I would find it surprising if you didn't suffer from some anxiety about your physical health. Personally, I believe it is the most responsible attitude to seek emergency medical advice and/ or treatment in the event of serious chest pains etc, and would advise anyone in the same position to do the same. Visiting the GP is no longer a fast fix, we have to spend ages on the phone to the be told the earliest appointment is within two to three weeks. Hope fully you will get some helpful answers when you see your heart consultant. Best wishes.
Without making light of your symptoms which are definitely real and need investigating, after what you went through with the pacemaker I would guess you have ptsd which would definitely be helped by talking therapy. I suffered from ptsd for years after a very uncaring doctor bluntly told me that a breast lump could be cancer. ( ptsd didn't have a name back then)I was just 17. Even though I Immediately saw another G P that I knew personally who assured me it was highly unlikely and was probably a cyst, the damage was done and I ended up years later with a breakdown and now health anxiety as soon as something new occurs. People like that hospital doctor can cause untold damage. I would suggest you take up the offer of counselling just to help with the way you cope with your health but at the same time, make sure your GP understands that while you accept it, that does NOT mean your symptoms aren't very real and worrying and must be investigated. I would also make a polite complaint about that hospital doctor's attitude in assuming it's just anxiety. NO doctor should assume anything. My GP "assumed" that my worsening breathlessness was caused by my spinal problems- until I had a heart attack. I was lucky it was mild but it taught my GP a valuable lesson. He no longer assumes anything or blames anxiety. I can't count how often I've been told my constant 30 years of chronic spinal pain is all in my head.
I’m so sorry to hear about your health struggles and problems over the years , I don’t think these drs really think or care about the impact their attitude can have on the people they see . I hope you’re keeping well , thank you so much for your kind words
I hope you get some answers. Hard as it is, try to stay polite but VERY persistent. It took me 10 years to get a diagnosis of what was wrong with my spine. Don't give up or accept being fobbed off.
wow , ten years is such a long time , glad that your persistence paid off eventually , thanks again x
just sending a hug
thank you so much , I was in need of a hug even if it’s a virtual one x
I'm actually raging for you , this happens to me regularly unfortunately, I'm now on week 10 of a severe headache & was sent to a&e 3 times by my gp only to be brushed off with health anxiety, I was then sent home from an ambulatory care unit I sat in for 2 days ,barely spoke to by a Dr & was given zero help with pain while everyone around me with similar issues got very different treatment. I don't know how Dr's get away with being so unkind ,so sorry this has happened xxx
So sorry to hear you’re not well at the moment, hopefully by now you’re starting to feel better . Sounds like you’ve had awful treatment at hospital , it’s shocking that you were just left to sit there and ignored by the sound of it, I’m angry for you too . Take care and hope you are ok , thank you for your reply xx
Remember it is your body your health. Not theirs. The nhs needs to change and improve. How I don't know but there needs to be more empathy from doctors and nurse's. You Are always told if you get chest pains and don't feel right phone 111 or go to A and E. I had an issue a few months back. I did not know what to, stick or twist. So I phoned 111 he asked me a few questions and then said I will phone my gp surgery. Within 5 minute my gp phoned back and said due to your issue I want you to go to A and E. Which I did. I carnt fault the A and E team. They done what was asked ecg and bloods. The only down side was there was only 1 doctor on in the department I went to which was not A and E. A and e was stacked out. But as I could walk., talk and looked normal. It was just the waiting. Possibly I might have waisted time but you don't know what is happening inside and neither do they unless you have tests. Which you carnt do only they can do these. I think this is where the nhs is failing. The pressure they are under is too great and something needs to be done. I hope you get on OK with the cpet.
Thank you so much for your reply , I agree that drs need to be more empathetic , most of the nurses I’ve seen have been very kind and understanding . It’s difficult when you can’t see what’s going on , if it’s a visible problem like a broken ankle or something it’s much easier to know that you need to be checked over , as you say only tests fine in hospital will show if there’s a problem or not . I remember one very kind dr I saw in a&e before I had my pacemaker was so understanding , I’d had chest pains again and went to get checked over xx , everything was ok , I said I was sorry for going as i feet as if I’d wasted their time , he was so nice about it and said he’d rather people go to checked over then be sent home with the all clear rather than not going , sadly they don’t all have that way of thinking . Hope you’re keeping well and thank you again
hi , like everyone everyone else, I am appalled by your treatment by both the hospital doctor and your gp. I know that they are busy but it is inexcusable to treat patients this way. I was nearly fobbed off by a paramedic who tried to dissuade me from going to A&E because he said I might catch THE virus and that I seemed ok although I didn’t feel it. fortunately my daughter was with me and insisted that I needed to go. It turned out that I had sepsis but if I had listened to that paramedic I might not have been here to tell the tale. You need to trust your own judgement and if you don’t feel well then don’t allow yourself to be fobbed off. Make a fuss or get someone to advocate for you. I wish you luck. X
Thank you so much, I’m sorry to hear about your bad experience and I hope you’re keeping well now. Our own instinct really does let us know when something is wrong . I really appreciate your support , thanks again x
just had to say I like the typos of ‘sane’ dr. and Dept… I have a number of chronic ailments and get enraged that some of the GPs at my surgery want too offer treatment for mental health problems( depression, anxiety etc) rather than treating symptoms of the real diagnosed diseases. Drs. ‘Insane’!
Waiting forever for Heart MRI
Aortic Stenosis I’m so confused!
Tachycardia without a reason
Broken NHS!
Should my GP have asked for an appointment to be arranged?
