Is there a point in telling the doctor?
Posted , 11 users are following.
A couple of days ago I told the nurse that I suspect I had a heart attack last summer. I don't go to the docs often, and this was the first time in years, and I went due to not having been well for months.
My reason for going wasn't the suspected heart attack last year, but that I've been "knackered" for months, with loads of fevers (and a few infections), and I was worried I had a more serious infection that just a bad tooth or eye.
But due to suspecting a heart attack last year, I thought it would be important to mention as I have also started to get head aches again, and feeling queasy.
I had headaches and felt queasy for 3 weeks straight before my suspected attack.
However, when I said I believed I had a heart attack last year, the nurse laughed and said "what makes you think that at your age?".
When I told her what had happened (I will list it on the end), she dismissed the whole notion by saying "if you'd had a heart attack you would have called emergency services".
Truth to the told, I did not suspect a heart attack as it was happening, I though I was going to die, and the only thing on my mind was that I wasn't going to die outside Lidl!
After testing my blood pressure, which she said was high (I didn't spot the top number, but the bottom one was 96), she agreed to blood tests (this was why I'd gone in).
I called today, and the receptionist said blood work was normal.
Now, I have an appointment on Tuesday with a doctor. Is there any point at all in trying to portray my worries about my heart at all? Or will it be the same belittling treatment that I got from the nurse? Or should I just leave it be, which to be truthful is very tempting indeed after the nurses visit?
I'm not too worried at the moment if I compare how I feel now to last summer, headaches and queasiness is nowhere near what I felt like then, but my heart does occasionally beat to some funky music I clearly cannot hear. 
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And incase anyone wonders, this is what happened last year, and what I was trying to tell the nurse, as she cut me off, claiming anyone that has a heart attack will immediately call for an ambulance. *sigh*
I'd been feeling unwell for about 3 weeks, headaches and feeling queasy.
One the day of my suspected attack I was clammy, cold sweating and feeling worse than ever.
I had just finished work, and my other half was driving us home when we stopped to get some fresh bread.
The second the car had stopped, I got terrible pain in my lower left lung and left shoulder. The pain was so severe I could only take tiny little shallow breaths.
Told other half I wasn't able to go in with him, and as he shopped, all I could keep thinking was "I am NOT gonna die outside Lidl".
We then drove home, I told other half he would have to take everything in (as I wouldn't have been able to deal with anything).
Staggered though the door, took some Anadin, and just sat on the sofa.
The intense pain only lasted about 20 minutes. After that I still felt unwell, but able to breathe fine.
Next day I had a horrible tension between my shoulderblades and down the back. Like someone had taken out a piece of my body, shrunk it and stuck it back in.
Although feeling weak for weeks after, the headaches and queasiness was gone, and overall I felt much better.
I did google it afterwards, and that was when I suspected it might have been a heart attack. It was especially the sense of doom some get prior to a heart attacks that caught my eye, as the night before I had felt completely suicidal (no worries, no intention of doing it, just the urge to, as everything felt so incredily awful... I feared someone close to me had died, and barely dared to check my phone).
As I now have started to get headaches again, and feeling queasy, I do find it a little worrying, although at the moment my main worry was the constant fevers and feeling lethargic.
1 like, 37 replies
Scotgal cathy97551
Posted
attack, it depends on how many millimeters it was. I had ST depression with a
heart attack I had many years ago. Its strange how when you ask for a copy of
a report or a finding, drs really don't want to part with it because they don't want
you to find out as much as they already know. I was lucky enough to have a really compassionate nurse who told me the truth. I always suspected a heart
attack because while I was in the hospital for five days, I had a fever every one of
those days, and thats indicative of muscle damage or I should say heart damage.
When lab work is done they usually do a test called a LDH, which will be elevated if there has been any damage to the heart muscle, but the test has to be
done at the time you're having said attack or shortly thereafter, because the LDH
doesn't stay elevated for very long. These days they do a Troponine level which
is superior to the LDH. When I had my attack eighteen years ago Troponine tests
hadn't been developed yet. Its good they're following up with an Echo, hopefully
you'll get some answers. Here in the U.S they follow up pretty much the same
way. Take care.
you've had a heart attack.
cathy97551 Scotgal
Posted
Yes, I don't get the secrecy, nor the omitting of telling the truth. Years ago I had a brilliant doctor here in the UK. She was a no-bull straight talking lady. Each time she filled in something, she would show me. If she was talking a test, she would explain why and how. She was so good that when I moved (and thus was supposed to register at a new health centre nearby), I asked to stay on with them. She was happy to do so (she knew I'm an aspie and cannot stand change), so I stayed on with her for 3 more years... and might have seen her once in those three years.
I'm not from the UK originally, although having lived here for nearly 20 years (also lived in the US at some point, but never needed the doc). Where I come from as soon as you see a doctor, doesn't matter if it's a broken toe, they will listen to your chest, take blood tests and urine tests... and I'm still surprised at how they beat around the bush here, and are so adverse to touching patients.
derek76 cathy97551
Posted
Guest derek76
Posted
derek76 Guest
Posted
When my wife passed bllod from her rectum.. he said piles.
She asked him to check as we both have a family history of colon cancer.
You want to put my finger up?
He did and said piles.
derek76 Guest
Posted
cathy97551 Guest
Posted
I can't stand people touching me (including handshakes, and also why I chop at my hair at home instead of going to the hairdresser)... but when I go to the doctors I'm expecting quite a bit of touching all over... from poking their hands up my top to listen to my chest, to poking stuff in my ears to have a good looksie.
Only twice have I been taken aback a little. Once was when I had pnemonia, (not in this country, I was visiting my parents... came down with what I thought was a cold, two days later I wsn't even able to get dressed... so went in PJs to the doc). Doc felt my neck, under my arms, and next thing I know is he's got his hands in my knickers! I utters something that was probably more like a uack then a complaint and he laughed and said he's just checking for swollen lymphs. The guy was doing his job, but I think I would have prefer a little warning to say "I'm now gonna check your groin".
Second time was during an internal scan of my ovaries (this was, apart from the unplesant doctor extremely interesting to me, I marvelled at my ovaries on a screen - they looked awesome!) - the geezer used a metal spectulum! Like a blooming ice lolly got stuffed up there! Hahahahaha! Again, I probably quacked or something similar... I then asked why he didn't use a plastic one as everyone else... and he said "Guess I'm just old-fashioned like that" - I wanted to stick a freezing cold spectulum where the sun don't shine on him, to see how much he'd like it.
cathy97551
Posted
Got good days and bad days, yesterday was bad... Completely knackered, with the worst headaches yet. Also ended up puking... this is something I generally wish for when the queasiness is at it's worst... but it didn't help, felt just as rubbish afterwards. :D
New thing now is eye floaters. Don't know if it's connected in any way, but it's not appreciated. Hahahaha. One week of constant floaters in the right eye. So, I keep pulling a woolly hat halfway over that eye so they won't keep bugging me.
Today however is a good day (although arthritis has flared up), headaches dull and giving me a break quite often, and hardly quesy at all, and I've actually managed to plant some seeds in the garden. Enjoy the sunshine!
cathy97551
Posted
Had echo today. Tech wouldn't tell me anything after the scan, I asked, she apologies and said they weren't allowed to inform patients of anything. (Although in the beginning she was saying one of my heart valves weren't leaking, but after that she didn't say a word)
So, now I have to wait until next Wednesday and then call the doc.
derek76 cathy97551
Posted
cathy97551 derek76
Posted
I liked the sounds though, I thought that was pretty cool. I asked for a printout of my heart (to prove to those that call me a heart-less b.... that I have one!), but they won't give me one then. Tech said I could possibly get one from requesting (formally in writing) it though... might do that before Valentines. Hahahahaha.
cathy97551
Posted
I then asked if they had to give them to me by law, if I requested them.
Receptionist then said she had to speak to the doc.
Called me back an hour later, had spoken to doc, I am assuming this is Dr X, as she said Dr X wanted to see me when he was back from holiday.
Aaaaaaaand - she had printed out the results of the echo, for me to pick up.
It looks quite good!
Nothing really bad popping out at me, but of course I got no idea what I'm looking at. Hahahahaha.
There's some regurgitation in mitral valve and tricuspid valve.
The rest I got no idea what it means... there's only one thing I find worrying, which is thin mid IAS (intact atrial spetum???)... as I cannot for the life of me figure out what it means, I've been googling, but none the wiser.
And it has in bold that my "right" heart is "normal"... what is that supposed to mean - my left heart isn't? They can't be bothered to say anything special about my left?
Today I couldn't care less - apart from a headache from hell and the annoying eye floaters I'm feeling great! Yesterday was so bad, so I intend to enjoy every second of today.
Scotgal cathy97551
Posted
I have moderate mitral and tricuspid regurgitation myself, and I was
diagnosed with an atrial septal defect some years back. It is a con-
genital ( meaning there from birth) defect and they're relatively easy
to diagnose. Small ones cause little to no symptoms throughout life,
however, moderate or severe ones can wreak havoc on one's life.
I've never heard of "thin mid IAS", thats a new one on me. I hope you
get some answers, it does you no good to worry though.
cathy97551 Scotgal
Posted
I'm not worried, but I do worry not getting any answers. As I said, today's a good day. :D
But I want to be fixed. Something's not right (yesterday truly was awful, my arthritis was flaring up like crazy, and any little movement left me completely out of breath, loads of palpitations, mix that with migrane headaches, and the cocktail didn't taste nice at all), and I want what-ever isn't right to be right.
I'm still none the wiser regarding the IAS/shunt thing, but a little surprise was that both the regurgitations can be caused by rheumatic fever... which (although living in the UK, and not the third world! Nor having had any throat infections) captured my interest, considering how I think I aquired arthritis (see post further up regarding my teeth).
It's quite a while until I get to see Dr X, so I'll just have to have my fingers crossed for more days like today until then.
Guest cathy97551
Posted