Some of you may recall i had an odd episode with chest pain over a week ago.

I have an appointment for an EKG and a cardiologist visit tomorrow, to rule out heart problems.

i am scared... not of being sick... of being yelled at.

i don't think i should take lorazepam for the EKG it might change things.

Last year, when i had chest pain w/breathlessness, my mdoc sniffed at my suggestion of heart issues, and sniffed harder when i asked if i should go to ER. i was having ongoing pain, coming and going that time.

This time I was going to have pdoc write me a note but since our recent appts were cancelled i just told him on the phone. He said heart issues had to be ruled out and sent me to mdoc, saying to have mdoc call him if he were a stick in the mud...

Ok....went to mdoc. Said i'd talked to pdoc. Well! This time he told me squarely that i should have gone to ER immediately for an EKG and a blood draw. i guess as well as a crystal ball the guy has multiple personalities.

alas, i was too busy falling asleep from the "lorazepam test" to go to ER... and with my mdoc dissing me the first time, and my pdoc talking telling me to try lorazepam... i wasn't really into showing up at ER unless i was like doubled over in pain or something. . (i was afraid to get yelled at.)

i am still afraid the cardio will yell at me or treat me as the panicky mental case or whatever. or on the flip side, get mad because i didn't dash off to ER. or someting, anything! whatever! and either being ok or not could provide an "excuse for abuse" ... either way... i could get yelled at!!!

so that's where i'm at.

my mom is going to meet me in the city and go with me to the office. she is not the most calming presence as she is highstrung, but at least i won't get lost on the way there.



~ waves ~

Waves

I personally think if the cardio, yells at you.

You just politely state.

I had tried before to get a appointment, my mdoc didn't think it was
important that time. So I called my pdoc this time, to see if he
would get me a appointment.

He thought it might be anxiety. And gave me some suggestions.

So I tried his suggestions, and it didn't work so mdoc now
wants me to see you.

So here I am. But I just really would have rather not had the
yelling.


(Or I'd be willing to go see if I could find the cat the bite Derrick this
afternoon, and have him go take care of the situation)

Donna

Dear Donna

thanks for reminding me to keep my cool if i get yelled at, and for your great "recipe for response" here: i think i can manage to respond like this (while gripping the edge of my chair for dear life : ... seriously... yelling has terrible effects on me, and i am particularly vulnerable now.)
YEAH!!!! that works for me!

thanks Donna.

sorry Derrick was bitten by a cat though. if he drew blood you should call the doctor as cat bites often cause infection. your doctor may want to see you or ask questions about the wound.

FamilyDoctor.org - Cat and dog bites - i posted an excerpt from here with more details in your cat bite thread.

(((hugs)))

~ waves ~

Dear Waves,

I hope the cardio guy is nice to you.

Please forgive me if I am slightly confused by the post.
I think you are worried about getting yelled out because you were sent to the ER and did not go. is that right? I really hope I got that right.

The cardio is not going to yell at you. He needs to examine and test you. He work day is dealing with patients. He is not enforcing rules or judging patients on how compliant they are.
(I'm sorry. I can't write. My day was bad.)

Maybe he knows that mdoc is a moron.

I am happy that you have someone to meet you. I honestly and truly believe that the cardio will be professional. He might even be kind. Kind would be good.

If he does yell, I hope he can at least check out your heart for you. He needs to be competent enough to help you.

Lots and lots and lots of hugs.

M

Mari

Even on a bad day you write good.

Thanks, you said, what I wanted to.

Donna

Dear Mari

i am generally afraid of being yelled at, for any reason whatsoever... anything seems good. going to ER, not going to ER, taking benzo, waiting too long... knowing too much, knowing too little... wearing a blue shirt, whatever.

i just have a general, overall fear, based on past bad experiences with doctors yelling at me.

i think i found the source of confusion. the following is ambiguous:
the event occurred on the 4th of this month. i only saw mdoc last night. i was not told to go to ER at this point (too late). he said i should have immediately when i had the event. so no, this is not about being told to do something and not doing it. i did the only thing i was told (lorazepam test). only to hear i should have done what i was scoffed at for suggesting in the past.

well let's hope. that is how it should be but i was close to thrown out of a neuro's office before and she did yell - which is owwwie to the nth power when one is having a migraine.

i am trying to keep a positive attitude for this one. that was one doc, after all. i have been to other docs who were nice.

cardio is in the city, seriously doubt he knows mdoc or anything about him. i am still trying to figure out how to tell him, without implying offense to the entire "doctor class," that my doctor never examined me, not even last year when it "wasn't necessary."

yes. that is the important part. let's hope, eh? if he does though i will probably be a puddle on the floor in seconds.

thanks! can use them about now!!! (((backatcha))) too.

~ waves ~

Dear Waves,

Docs should be nicer. They are in a caring profession for crying out loud.

When I wrote last night I was thinking of the cardio that mdco sent me to last year for a serious of tests when she was going through her "let's test for everything" phase.
That cardio was the gentlest doc I'd ever met. I was so happy about him because I have had docs yet at me.

I write this today hoping that by now you have started on your city journey.
One a female GP yelled because i was taking notes. She said that I was not listening to her. I had a not nice / nutcase neuro who was a jerk when I was hospitalized for four days. In the follow up office visit he yelled at me although he did calm down and perform an office exam that seemed thorough. He seemed surprised that I cried about the yelling.

Once, a huge big shot in infectious disease treat me dismissively by asking if I had eaten cheese from over seas. I kind of yelled at him. This was almost 20 years ago when I was much younger. I tore off my gown (naked now in front of him), put my clothes on and ran from the office. I told the young person at the desk I was leaving and came home to call and let my insurance company know that the office visit with that guy did not go well.

Oh and I had one mdoc who was at a clinic group with other mdocs. He looked at my chart in the hall before he saw me. He walked into the office excitably yelling about something. I knew he was the problem and not me so I was not concerned . . . . .eventually he explained that he was reacting because as a person on Verapamil I should be going to the office regularly.
I had to explain that I was seeing a psychiatrist for the Verapamil. He calmed down.

Those are the highlights of my bad doc stories. I probably have a few others that I have lost from my memory. I am in deep love love with my current mdoc -- she is fabulous. I make hubby see her too although we go independently.

I do understand concern about agitated docs. Last night when I wrote I was hoping that you would be treated by a gifted and lovely doc.

I hope your visit went ok. Give us an update. I did not sleep much last night but I took off the day from work. I can read calmly today.
M

Dear waves, I am a bit behind so will try to catch up....
you more than likely have been to your exam. I hope you were treated kindly and with out judgement.
I am glad that your mother would be there someone is better than no one when you are waiting.
They may order a stress test for you or have you wear a holter monitor for a day or so to see if there are any anomalies, which just gets in the way.
I am hoping that you like him/her.
AND I HOPE THEY DID NOT YELL AT YOU.
((((((HUGS))))))
bizi

thanks Bizi and Mari.

Mari... so sorry for all your bad doc experiences.

dealing with the clinic bureaucracy was perhaps the most stressful part after all. and mom stressed me out a bit although - as i said, i am grateful for her escorting me there as i was already uptight enough i would have got more uptight and probably lost.

the cardio was nice. from the few glimpses i got of her before my turn, she seemed a little brusque but she was not at all. she did keep a pace but did not rush me or interrupt me. i tried REAL HARD not to get too longwinded. i told her my mdoc never even examined me or took my pulse, and said i didn't need to go to ER the first incident.

she messed up writing down a couple of things on the amnestic part of her report - one a drug name that i am taking which is very similar to another but it isn't a biggie. the other thing was a description of symptom but it was from an old episode so again less important. i think may have confused her by telling her what it was not like. it is hard to get a lot of info out in a short time. and i need to remember to avoid talking about how things are not! overall she did pretty well summarizing what happened. i could have pre-empted the errors too. i had made a nice organized list of sx, meds, other info, and planned to show her the notes, but i didn't get around to printing them!

also she did her report on the computer which means - it's legible to humans!!!

EKG was normal but she said the symptoms still deserved further investigation and ordered
- an echodoppler?
- an EKG w/ halter
- stress test on treadmill
- followup visit
all are booked and the stress test is combined with my followup visit. i will have the results of the other two tests before then.

she also asked about my bp and i told her it has increased to borderline range in recent years, my diastolic is especially consistent. she said taht could also be causing some problems. her reading was 140/95 and i was very relaxed after the EKG. she wants me to keep a bp diary as well and bring that in next time. she says that could be the problem.

i am soooooo glad she didn't yell at me. indeed she was very cordial (no pun intended ).

~ waves ~

No matter what your circumstances are, no doctor should ever ever yell at you. That is not professional and unexceptable. You calmly tell him or her, to lower that voice as it causes more anxiety. I would not take a medication if you know for sure you are going to get a heart test. Do not allow anyone to speak in a negative way to you. I am not sure I would not walk out. We have a hard enough time as it is without that kind of behavior. You did what your doctor said to do. I will keep you in my prayers, and hope there is a calm understanding so they can help you. ginnie