Pookie's Junctional Rhythm

• by Pookie
• 2010-01-09 10:01:03
• General Posting
• 1066 views
• 5 comments

Hi everyone.

My gawd my life is complicated sometimes.

Last week I wrote a post saying how difficult it is for me to get in to see my EP after he made some adjustments to my pacemaker on December 14 (because he did diagnosed me with Junctional Rhythm in September ).

I was never seen by an EP until September of this year, while I received my pacemaker back in November of 2004. 5 years it took me to get to see an EP. And, Yes, it took from September to December for me to get into the PM Clinic with him to change some settings!!!!!!!!

Then I landed in the ER on December 19 & 20, the ER then set me up with an appointment in the Pacemaker Clinic on the 21st but the cardiologist on duty that day wouldn't change any settings because the EP had left notes on my chart for NO ONE to touch them. (My EP was on vacation until the new year.)

I called his office and faxed a letter to my EP the first week in January telling him that I needed to see him in the pacer clinic as soon as possible...still no reply. I even called the Pacemaker clinic and they will NOT book me an appointment until my EP okays it. He was working up on the heart ward/floor his first week back after holidays and hadn't received or read any of his messages according to his secretary.

Yesterday I decided to go thru ALL of my medical files and low and behold I find the very first letter ever written by "the" cardiologist who deemed I needed a pacemaker (I no longer see that cardiologist)....in that letter it said I had Junctional Rhythm!!!!!!!!! I even got ahold of the report that goes into the operating room...there too it said "Junctional Rhythm". This was back in 2004!!!!!!!!!!

Funny, for 5 years now (feeling like crap & getting worse by the day) that no one has ever bothered to read that letter. No one took the time to refer back to that letter as to why Pookie needed her pacemaker!!!!!!!!

I am stunned to think that I have been going thru all of this needlessly when it could have been dealt with 5 years ago.

So. Come Monday, I will call my EP's office yet again as I need to be seen by him asap in the pacemaker clinic. Gawd only knows when he is scheduled to be in the clinic though...that's the kicker.

In the meantime, I got to thinking: someone should be held responsible or accountable for the lack of communcation. I don't want anything from this; I just want to be looked after in a timely fashion. I don't think that is too much to ask.

What I know I will do when I gather enough mental strength is: I am going to write to the Head Of Cardiology and let them know how they let Pookie fall through all the cracks!!!!!!!!

Enough is enough. I know everyone is busy, but come on!!!!! Someone knew I had Junctional Rhythm 5 friggen years ago, but no one did a dam thing about it????????

It's just not fair. I had to quit my job, go on disability and now my union voted on Thursday on the latest contract = 54% voted in favor of accepting the new contract which means that everyone on disability is going to be fired from their jobs. That means I lose my position (it was being held for me). It means that my pension contributions cease. It means that I will have no medical coverage. And yes, Management can legally fire us, under some right they have (according to our union lawyer) unless I can medically prove I can return to work in a timely fashion. Management, of course, won't define "timely fashion".

So, what I'm trying to say is really quite simple: IF the medical staff that were dealing with me had communicated back in 2004 then my Junctional Rhythm would have been dealt with way back then AND perhaps I could have been back to work within the first year. But that didn't happen and now I am paying the price both physically and mentally.

My gawd, when will this nighmare ever end?

I know everything happens for a reason, but I can't figure this one out :)

I'm just going to take it day by day (for my sanity) and start again on Monday by calling my EP's office....that's all I can do.

thanks for listening to me whine and vent...

Pookie