ANy Heart News?

On February 3rd I had a cardiac MRI. Almost 2 hours in the cramped MRI machine with the loud banging. They told me when it was completed that the images came out clear and that my doctors would have the results in three business days. I had requested they send the results to three of my doctors, including the one who ordered it.

This morning I had my appointment with the arrhythmia doctor who sent me for the cardiac MRI to discuss the results. He had told me at my last visit that if the results came back showing no problems, he would take me off the Beta Blocker. I want to get off the Beta Blocker as it is keeping me from being able to lose weight, as well as inhibiting my heart rate.

When I arrived at the office for my appointment, I could hear the receptionist on the phone asking someone about my MRI. When she hung up, she asked me where did I have the MRI done, because U Penn hospital had no record of me there. Probably because I had it done at Robert Wood Johnson. So she called RWJ. Neither did they had any record of me. Probably since I had it done in New Brunswick and she called Hamilton. Finally she called RWJ in New Brunswick. Yes, they had the results, but would not send them along unless they had a signed authorization from me.

This was craziness and out of control. This is the office of the doctor who ordered the test to be done. How can they refuse to give that doctor the results? If doctors cannot have access to results of tests they ask for, how can patients get treatment? But I signed the form and she faxed it on over.

My question in my own mind was , Why did they wait until I was at the office for my appointment to check on the MRI results? This should have been done last week when they called to remind me of the appointment. Hearing the results was the entire reason for my appointment today. And they had no results.

No wonder when the nurse took my BP it was 140/76. When the doctor came in, of course he did not want to take me off the Beta Blocker as we had no MRI results, although he is confident there will not be a problem in the results. He also wanted me to wear a heart monitor for two weeks. He mentioned this to me on my last visit, but I told him I really did not want to do that, as my skin is sensitive and reacts to the adhesive on the leads. When I wore monitor for just 24 hours back in November, I still have the scars from where the leads got all gooey and itchy.

He replied that they have some different leads that maybe I would not be allergic to, that I have to remove it when I shower and to call his office if I cannot tolerate the leads. He asked me to at least give it a try, as the incident of my heart racing was a serious one and they need to try and discover the cause. Then he told me I could stop taking the Beta blocker for now. IF the cardiac MRI show some kind of problem we may have to discuss this issue again. He told me they would call me when the finally get the results.

I like this doctor in that he listens to what my concerns are, he treats me with respect by explaining why he thinks I need to do what he is requesting. I asked if he could be my heart doctor instead of the first one I saw in November. He said he would be happy to see me anytime and as my heart doctor, he would begin to monitor my BP since I was going off the Beta Blocker.

Bottom line, I was hoping my visit today was going to put an end to the heart problem situation. But it didn't. There is always another test to be done. No results from the last one were available. In that respect I am feeling frustrated. But I am happy to stop taking the Beta Blocker. I believe that God has already taken care of the heart problem. I just wonder how many more hoops I have to jump through in order to get confirmation of that.