Evening everyone and apologies for any incorrect terminology - this is all new
I have a lovely son in law who at 29 has had a few episodes of feeling faint and then when he was low with food poisoning was very unwell, fainting, eyes rolling back and a horrible colour. We ended up calling an ambulance and he was taken into A&E. Blood tests were run and then he was sent home.
A few days later he really wasn't feeling better with heart palpitations and I persuaded (ok nagged) him to go to the doctors and they sent him via ambulance to A&E again where they did the bloods and monitored him and booked him for a future heart echo and overnight ECG. He then told me that he had felt 'odd' and with heart rushes for years and just thought it was something that happened.
The ECG showed no irregularities but he had his Echo scan last week and was told that he had 2 chords in one valve and they were restricting blood movement which might be leading him to the feeling faint etc. He was told he would need an MRI.
Today, he had a call from his doctor asking him to go in where he was told that as there is a 6 month to year waiting list for MRI, he probably wouldnt be seen for sometime, that the scan showed some abnormality in the heart muscle and he should just get on with life, not worry and 'its not likely you will have a fatal cardiac episode'.
Hes normally a fit active healthy chap, exercises, eats well but he is definitely not right, he is overly tired. I know a lot of this might be that he is worrying about not feeling right but im not sure if I should be persuading him to ask someone else, go back to the person who did the scan or just be patient (unlike me) and wait for the MRI to eventually come along. He had an uncle die in his early 30s from a heart attack.
Your thoughts would be very much appreciated
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TruroBecky
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I was the same age as your son-in-law when I had a heart attack. I too would go back and forth from A&E with different symptoms, angina mostly, and be sent back home with all tests coming back ok.
With the echo showing that he might possibly have an abnormality, and him being symptomatic, having a family history of heart issues, and being quite young in age, I would suggest that if you can, adopt the private route and have his MRI done this way. If he has private health insurance, or can have access to this through family, they may cover him.
Personally, if I was as symptomatic as your son-in-law is and there was a 6 month to a year wait for a test, I would take the private route. The earlier he can get some medical intervention, the better it might be for him to avoid any fainting spells in the future and to treat the underlying cause.
I would like to say how lucky he is to have a Mother in law that cares so much
Others will be able to answer your post better than I can but as I was reading it and saw how long he might have to wait for the MRI scan which is how things are at the moment I wondered if you all had considered maybe him getting the scan done private and then whatever the results if he needs treatment he can go back to the NHS to get it
Was just a thought and I hope others will come and share their experiences with you x
hello he’s entitled as all patients are to a (NHS) second opinion and his doctor shouldn’t have a problem with that. That might be something to consider while he waits for NHS MRI (or considers private as others suggested). It can be at same hospital and / or another hospital especially if there is a hospital more known for its cardiology expertise in your area or near by.
In meantime he could keep a record of when symptomatic and what might have triggered it, if triggers possible to identify. Frequency and pattern of symptoms is good to record. Useful for when either go back to original doctor or when seeking a second opinion.
Good luck cos now you’ve got to nag him some more!
Your son in law could contact the Patient Advisory Liaison Service PALS of the hospital to ask for a second opinion.
Another option is to for your son in law to ask to be put on the cancellation list, so that if an MRI appointment becomes available your son in law can take it up.
An important consideration about going private is the cost. A cardiac MRI can cost over £2000.
It might be worth contacting the BHF helpline and speaking with one of the cardiac nurses for further advice.
Never mess around with a heart issue. If you can afford to pay then get a private MRI asap. Alternatively hassle your hospital until they do something as a priority. You would have years of regret if something were to happen to him and you hadnt pushed. Best wishes.
Hi, what a worry for you all . Im not surprised you are concerned I would be the same. A few thoughts would be this but obviously I haven’t got full info. I’m wondering if the two chords you mention in a heart valve are what maybe called bicuspid aortic valve. A 6-12 month wait for cardiac mri sadly is not a new thing even years ago they were like gold dust to get.
Not to be alarmist but see if he can get definitive cause of death of uncle. A heart attack of or was it sudden cardiac death caused by an arrhythmia. Either way 30 is young and that would raise a red flag to me with your son in laws symptoms. Make sure he tells this to whoever he sees.
My advice (I used to work as a cardiac specialist nurse) would be to…..
Request copy of echo and ECG report you can do this through access to patient records or ask GP
I would keep a symptom diary
Does he have an Apple Watch or anything to record rhythm on as that would be helpful to show Drs esp if palpitations are infrequent
Has he actually yet been reviewed by a cardiologist or just A&E Drs ? He needs to be under cardiology team. Could he be seen privately by cardiologist ? Take ecg and echo report and symptom diary and tell them about uncle and any other family members with collapses or sudden death.
The MRI privately will cost thousands but it’s also the reporting and plan after as important as the scan.
Hope some of these thoughts / ideas help. If it was really concerning then the echo team would have probably kept him in the department and grabbed a dr so the fact that he has been sent home is reassuring. It’s trying to fit all pieces of a jigsaw together.
Right to be concerned. It sounds like you will be a great support your daughter and son-in-law as there is so much to learn and a whole new language. Anything you don't understand ask here and look at the information the the British Heart Foundation website, you will save them from having to do it. Make sure your son-in-law takes someone with him to every appointment along with a note book. Write down everything! and have a list of questions to ask before the appointment. As someone says crucial for your son-in-law to write a diary and to write down anything he notices anywhere in his body. I didn't know that swollen ankles meant likely heart failure!
If family could club together for a cardiac mri then that's what I'd go for. Just make sure the hospital will accept the results if you use a 3rd party. I have a relative who had a private scan, not heart related, but the nhs hospital still wanted to do their own scan before treatment! Perhaps use the private facilities within the hospital he's already attending. Good luck. X
Hi, he's lucky to have you looking out for him. I'd go privately for the MRI and a private cardiologist if at all possible. His ongoing symptoms and family history are definitely red flags.
In addition to the good advice given by others, if a private MRI is not feasible, your son in law could advise the NHS unit doing the MRI that he is available for short notice cancellations in addition to just waiting his turn in the queue.
If he can afford it I would have a private MRI done. I don't understand with his family history he isn't on a priority list. When my cardiologist decided I needed a MRI on my heart after the echo and bubble echo showed a hole. I had it within 2 weeks . I live in the north west of England. And had the results via letter month later . Then I saw him a few weeks later. I am lucky my hole is small and on the side of my heart . The connections between the chambers of my heart are intact and have strong heart function.
I do really think it is a post code lottery what health care you get. If I hadn't moved here still wouldn't know what the 2 things are I was born with . And my life changed for the better because finally I got help that I had needed for decades.
You love your son in law and it's only right you worry about him. It's a wonder the A&E doctor didn't put in an urgent request for the MRI . If he has to go too A&E it's worth whoever is with him to ask. Plus if he writes down everything he feels tired and his heart does something etc.
Does he take his BP everyday if not suggest he buys a machine and does it and record it. The more information he can write down the better.
It may be better to find a recommended consultant and make a private appointment to get a second opinion. This will cost about £200 - £300, before rushing into pay for an MRI. I have had a lot more help doing this than relying solely on the NHS.
I agree; that would be my suggestion. Get a copy of ECGs and the re ort that says what's wrong and see a cardiologist privately. Given your son in law's family history, the cardio may be able to pull strings. Also get on the cancellation list.
l think you are quite right to be concerned here. I would not leave this situation as it is. As others have advised, you can go privately for consultation which shouldn’t be costly and then transferred back to nhs. He will get the MRI done much quicker through a private referral. I recently had a ct angiogram at hospital. My GP asked for an emergency appointment and l was contacted within a fortnight, so it must be possible to jump the queue. My point here is, he could be referred as urgent, if the GP did this for you. I would put my case to him, as you have here, and keep pushing, one way or the other. Good luck.
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