Listen, because I was told "your palpations are "just a thing" -nothing to worry about...and because I know from being a paramedic that YES, some people do have excitable hearts...I believed the cardiac doc's in 2006 when they said my cardiac problems weren't really problems.
It wasn't until I had to get surgical clearance for my hysterectomy that I started to request reports that had been done. Now, granted, there weren't GLARING red flags - but there always seemed to be something a bit off. And in the EKG report from my visit on 3/13/2014 (there were two, interestingly enough) - one said their might be possible left atrium enlargement.
Dr. Kmetzo and Jennifer Brown didn't take me seriously; and I had planned to see a cardiac doc affilated with Abington, wondering if perhaps Doylestown docs would stand as a united front in the case that something HAD been overlooked.
But then I realized the cyst on my ovary needed to come out sooner rather than later and I didn't really have time to start all over again with an Abington practice (not to mention my surgery was going to be done in Doylestown).
So I went to see Dr. Renee Sangrigoli with Doylestown Cardiology Associates for "surgery" clearance on the advice of Dr. Dinesen.
Well, she didn't even listen to my heart. LOL. I shouldn't laugh - but it's just so ridiculous that these doctors do NOTHING to alleviate anxiety. I guess she reviewed my medical charts because I handed her the reports from my arrhythmia during surgery and she barely glanced at them. I explained I was worried about my heart during surgery and she said there was nothing to worry about - I simply had a spot in my heart that often misfired but it wasn't anything that couldn't be easily managed. She gave me a form clearing me for surgery.
You hear that heart? You are fine. Stop over-reacting!
Friday, July 18, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
May - June -July
As the spring turned into summer and I forced myself to stop focusing on my health, I started to feel better. The start of May was rough. I still felt impending doom and cleared out and cleaned out my closets. I started to write my dying book again, and bounced between trying to get as much done as I could to simply enjoying each day for what it was.
But slowly, I started to find I wasn't scared I was going to have a heart attack while driving, my energy was picking up, my palpations slowed, as the days became warmer, my hands and feet started to warm and I started to be able to walk Jack and not become out of breath.
Things were starting to look up.
In July, however, I had an episode where I had severe pains in the middle of my chest. I'd eaten peanut butter and attributed the pains to the diverticulium.
Though I knew about this - it had really never been explained by Dr. Minissale what it was and how it would affect me. The most he ever said was, "This should not be causing your problems."
So I went to see Dr. Fissel and touched base with him. I made an appointment to see Dr. Nack (new GI, trying to switch everything over to the Abington system) - but it wouldn't be until August that I could see him. Dr. Fissel was intrigued because he had never seen a diverticulium that large from the spot it was in.
By the time I saw Dr. Fissel, however, the pain had subsided. He wrote me a script for pain meds (over the counter meds doesn't ease that pain). Since I'd been feeling much more energetic - we decided to check my bloodwork and see if things had improved.
They did a bit - my red cell count was just a bit below normal, but my vitamin D was actually low, and my MVP was also low. My iron saturation had come up to normal levels though.
Yay. Progress!
But slowly, I started to find I wasn't scared I was going to have a heart attack while driving, my energy was picking up, my palpations slowed, as the days became warmer, my hands and feet started to warm and I started to be able to walk Jack and not become out of breath.
Things were starting to look up.
In July, however, I had an episode where I had severe pains in the middle of my chest. I'd eaten peanut butter and attributed the pains to the diverticulium.
Though I knew about this - it had really never been explained by Dr. Minissale what it was and how it would affect me. The most he ever said was, "This should not be causing your problems."
So I went to see Dr. Fissel and touched base with him. I made an appointment to see Dr. Nack (new GI, trying to switch everything over to the Abington system) - but it wouldn't be until August that I could see him. Dr. Fissel was intrigued because he had never seen a diverticulium that large from the spot it was in.
By the time I saw Dr. Fissel, however, the pain had subsided. He wrote me a script for pain meds (over the counter meds doesn't ease that pain). Since I'd been feeling much more energetic - we decided to check my bloodwork and see if things had improved.
They did a bit - my red cell count was just a bit below normal, but my vitamin D was actually low, and my MVP was also low. My iron saturation had come up to normal levels though.
Yay. Progress!
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