Today was my appointment 13:30 at the Ambulatory Care Unit. As usual it is as far away as it can be! Get to the desk and give my name and was told to sit in a room and wait. All sorts of people in there with all sorts of ailments for them to look at and deal with. The room was warm but stuffy but the chairs for the patient were okay. Nurse pops over and asks my name and who referred me? GP Or Hospital? Once I told them A&E a smile came up and said great they have the notes and off she trots. Along comes another nurse with the BP machine and squeezes the life blood out my arm 130 BPM high BP and O2 90% ? "What you done to get that BP?" asks the nurse. "Changed my heart tablets?"
I was called into another room and told to lie on the bed and they will do a ECG? My Wife sat down with me as they left and a voice pipes up "Where's the ECG machines and leads?" "It was over there?" after 20 minutes the ECG was found and I was wired up. The nurse asked "had one of these before?" Just a few? 
Once the chart was starting to roll off the machine in walks a doctor. He explains that he was Cardiology but is general now in the hospital. Confirmed the Tachycardia and AF poking it's ugly head in the chart to help things along! I went though the old tablet regime and the new which has bought on all of this maybe? He then wanted my treatment history so I explained the 3 ablations cancelled Pace and Ablate and INR with the rare Angina pain. Not forgetting the PH, RLD, Asthma, and Paralysed Diaphragm. I told him I did not feel as bad on the Sotalol? His reply was "Maybe a good idea to go back on them maybe take 3 a day?" Sorry cannot do 3 my fingers and lips went blue when I did that last time. Okay 2 Sotalol looks like the best way forward. In pops a sister and asks what to do? He tells her to give me 250mg Digoxin on top of the 125mg I took this morning to get the tachycardia down. A Blood test. Also take regular BP and pulse by hand over a full minute. Then he hit me with if it is not 110 BPM or below by 17:00 I want him booked in a ward for observations? 
I noticed my Lung doc pop in the office where the previous doctor was still and the door shut and then the advanced technician was called in? It was some time later and lung doc leaves and then the A T comes over and tells me that it was a heated discussion and the Lung Doc won. I have now had my Dilitiazem Hydyrochloride doubled and if that does not bring me to some sort of normality they will double it again? He then told me that he will be bringing me another tablet to double today's Dilitiazem Hydyrochloride!
It may mean I will also have to double my Digoxin from 125 mg to 250 mg?
By this time nature called and I had to pop to the loo on route I was intercepted by the first Doc who asked "If the Digoxin had kicked in yet?" I said "Not yet fingers crossed?" He then told me he has asked the cardiology unit to look at me and I will get an appointment soon. (Not given up on me)
After 4.5 hours The AT took my pulse and told me it was 112 you need to see us on Friday week but if it is not better or you feel unwell you can come to us at any time!
So fingers crossed It improves from what I am feeling today!
Be Well
x
After years of being careful... 
Change of prescription 
End Game. Advice on Palliative Care. 
Changed my consultant
A sobering experience- and an update to an earlier post
