A few days ago I posted here in the Lounge about my recent "minor" heart attack, or Non-ST elevated myocardial infraction. I'm home now and all is well. I have an appointment with my GP that I have gone to since 1980, to discuss the lack of care I received from my cardiologist during my last illness.
I have gone to this cardiologist for over 16 years now. He was my doctor for my stent that I got back in '03 and has seen me every six months since then. In all fairness, I feel like I probably owe my life to his care. I was in really bad shape when I started seeing him...365 pounds, edema, high Bp, and a 90% blockage. Now over 90 pounds lost (271) but still losing ...BP still too high but manageable and still improving.... edema much better (taking lasix)....and even though I had this cardiac event, it wasn't the widow maker it could have been if I hadn't had him cracking the whip on my the last 16 years. Although his haughty German Cardiologist style is off-putting (I've always thought he should be playing the SS officer in WWII movies), I consider him a very competent doctor.
All that said.... Here's my issue....with his staff and the management of his office. He runs a big cardiac clinic with all the testing equipment to do the treadmill stress tests and ultrasound scans and all that. The place is always packed with patients (it like the Apple Store in there)....he's the only doctor...he still uses paper files (mine looks like the Dallas phonebook)...paper files are stacked everywhere...I never see the same nurse or office staff twice...he hasn't hasn't had a PA in years...this past holiday season when I had probably in too much salty food, my BP shot up very high. I called the office to get a message to the doctor to see if I should increase my medication or what....no return call....day or two later I call again...no return call....I finally get emphatic with the person answering the phone that I at least needed to speak to the nurse and would hold as long as it took...she gets on the phone and tells me she never got a message to call me...they're still doing paper messages there! When I complained to the doc about that, he said something like, "Oh you can't leave a message around here...you just need to come on in and we'll get you in".
All my other doctors are on a system where they can see all the meds you take and what all the other docs you see are saying...if you need to send a message to the nurse or doctor, you just type it in and they always get back in a timely manner. This system also allows making or changing appointment and requesting refills etc. I love it. He's not on that system which is a hassle.
That's just the back story: now this past Sunday when I'm in the ER they tell me they put in a call to my cardiologist and we should be hearing from him shortly...never a word. The on staff ER doctor made the determination to keep me overnight based on my increased heart enzymes test. They tell me that my doctor will be by to see me the next morning. Since his clinic is only a block south of the hospital I was sitting in I thought I'd see him early and get the testing done and maybe get home later that day. Long story short we NEVER even got a call back. The nurse told me she had put in a second call (that morning) but hadn't heard back. I told her that his staff wasn't the best at relaying or returning messages. In a moment of unprofessional candor she agreed and even elaborated a bit. Throughout the day I would overhear disparaging comments about my cardiologist, referring to him as the "late doctor" and eye rolls from the hospital staff about his nonappearance for my and another heart patent on the floor. Finally, around mid-afternoon the decision was made that my guy was a no show and they brought in another cardiologist that was in the hospital. All he had to do was prescribe what everyone from myself to the nurses knew was going to happen...."Let's send him down to the cath lab and see whats going on"? So that got me down for the angiogram at 6pm which means back to the room at something like 9 or 10 and another night on the meter. NPO this whole time, over 24 hours.
To this day, there has been no communication from my regular cardiologist. Which, I find it insulting to be honest. There was never any comment about him being on vacation or out of town...just too busy to bother with a patient who had seen him for 16 years.
My regular GP's office called the day I got home, to see how I was doing and suggest I come in to see him which I am going to do tomorrow.
What does the BBC Lounge braintrust feel about this? Should I change horses right in the middle of the heart attack stream or should I stick with the guy. I do have the advantage of my regular GP doc who is an icon in the medical field here in OKC and we almost approaching personal friend status...I have no doubt that he will be shocked at my story and advise me correctly.
Oh, sorry for the long stream of consciousness rant.
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Originally Posted by BigEasy
Praying for a Cure