ER Problems

Hi Everyone,
I am loving my pacemaker. No more fainting or near fainting spells in the supermarket or on bouts with my daughter. But I am frustrated with the fact that recently when I go to the regular doctor gp or the cardiologist, they have all sent me to the ER. Everything has always checked out fine. One time I had swelling on my ankles and very painful feet from working retail. They ended up sending me to the ER for high blood pressure, which went down after laying in the ER for two hours. Another time, my gp wouldn't see me but asked me to go to the ER. Is the pacer scaring them?

5 Comments

Problems

by Bill-2 - 2009-12-27 05:12:54

Sounds like the pacer scaring them may be the problem to me. Both doctors probably know zilch about pacemakers and think they wouldn't know if it was or was not responsible for your symptoms. Or, they are just lazy and don't want to fool with you and your problems.

Can you possibly change doctors? If you can I think you are past due for that.

yep

by Tracey_E - 2009-12-27 06:12:35

If they're not a cardiologist, they don't know diddly about pacemakers. Even a lot of cardiologists don't know more than the basics. And if you're under 75 yrs old, they've probably never had another patient like you. So, yeah, you're probably scaring them and they'd rather send you to the ER when it's nothing than miss something serious. I found it helps if I have a thorough understanding of my condition, more than once I've found myself explaining it to a doctor in a different field.

Wow

by Pookie - 2009-12-27 07:12:00

I don't like the sound of that...your regular doctor and/or cardiologist sending you to the ER??? I've been to our ER approximately once every 2 months for the past 5 yrs because (emphasis on because) I thought I had something terribly wrong and that I could or might die. (I had died twice before so that is why I don't fool around when it comes to my heart!) That is what the ER is for (for emergencies!!!!) according to them and all my doctors and specialsts. (at least at my hospital).

So.....in MY opinion, if your doctor and/or cardiologist is sending you to the ER it's probably exactly what Tracey said: they don't know how to deal with your problem or simply don't want to admit they don't know how. Bill is also probably correct..they know zilch about your pacer.

Something doesn't sound right.....I think it's time to go find yourself a new family doctor AND a new cardiologist.

If this happens again...I'd be bold enough to ask WHY are you sending me to the ER???????

Good luck...it's your body and your health, and only you know when there is something wrong. I just can't picture being sent to the ER, waiting for perhaps hours, and then only to be sent home??????? I don't get it.

But I am glad to hear that you are loving your pacer!!

Another thing I just thought of (because I have encountered this numerous times) is I think that some doctors see a female walking in their door and all they see is a woman in their mind with stress and don't want to have to deal with us. It's happened to me!!!!!!!!

Get yourself a new doctor and cardiologist if you can, is my opinion.

Happy New Year.
Pookie

It's not the pacemaker

by lenora - 2009-12-29 09:12:02

I disagree that most cardiologists don't know more than the basics of pacemakers. That's not a fair statement. The problems you describe Dbryan are not pacemaker-related anyway, and I don't think fear of a pacemaker has anything to do with it. It may have more to do with WHEN you are asking to be seen. If you call with problems and the doctor already has an office full of patients waiting to be seen he can't rearrange his whole day, so he is correct in sending you to the ED. He wouldn't be able to actually treat your hypertension in the office anyway. If you don't think your problem is serious enough to warrant an ED visit, just make an appointment with the doctor for later. You don't have to go the emergency room if you don't want to.




Response

by dbryan - 2010-01-04 11:01:56

Thanks for all of the comments. I am happy with my doctors, except for them sending me to ER. I have wonderful and brilliant doctors. As far as them not being able to treat hypertension, I disagree, since they prescribe my Bistolic for this. I do agree with the fact that they may have to work me in later, because I am willing to wait to be seen if it will mean solutions to my health problems.

I have another question that maybe you can help me with. I work retail and we have those front door anti-theft devices. We also have anti-theft deactivators on the counters by the registers. The other night my manager asked me to take the Christmas deco out of the window of the front of the store. After a while of doing that I felt dizzy and disoriented. I told my manager that I am not supposed to work around these devises. He understands, but he doesn't really understand. Do you know what I mean?

You know you're wired when...

You run like the bionic man.

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