Vicki's Guestbook

Hi Vicki.. even the #1 clinic can have a few...ummm..bad eggs, should we say? lol and believe me I met a few too. When the floor manager came up to interview me before discharge...she asked...and I told.. Before, I would have been the mild & the meek and said...\"everything was just fine\"...well this time I felt, \"this is a teaching hospital....so here goes...I am teaching YOU on just who could use some people skills!\"... Find another doc, Vicki. The clinic has great, skilled cardiologists...You don\'t have to take that from ANYONE at the Clinic....aide...OR doctor.. :) Take care! Connie T

Hey my first doctor said 5 months to 5 years also. My new doctor said it is really hard to judge these things. Sometimes they just hang in there then all of a sudden it goes down. His guess before he gave me my last test was within 2 years. That was a little better answer but he heard that I was having symtoms. So I just now fell off the fence. Last Sept I was 3.7 in Feb 3.2 and valve had to be at least 1. My valve in Feb was 1.1. not it is .946. So its time. just wasnt expecting as soon as possible. I think something else is there that I dont know about. I just want to get it over with. Good luck Getting there LInda H

HI Vicki, Get another doctor asap. He had no business doing those things. Also if you dont have the reports from all of your tests you need to get them. They have to give them to you its law. They will come in handy for the next doctor. He shouldn\'t have been saying negative. He should have said what severity you are or what your aortic valve measurement is. Besides it is recommended to have a second opionion or more if needed. I went through the same thing. When I had my first echo the cardio doctor wanted to see me right away. Well that sends flags up you know something is wrong. He told me it was aortic stenosis, anuersym and regurgitation and it was moderate. See ya in 5 months, but if it turns out to be bad he would send me to Duke or Emory. That was scary. So in 5 months I saw him again after he did a tee test. He said it was a little worse and showed calicifcation and he would send records to a surgeon. When I went to his office all he told me was to quite googling and yahooing and I was getting old. At 65 that did not go over well. So everyone hear told me to get a 2nd doctor. So I did. I should him all the reports that I had and he sent me up for another echo that I think turned out a lot more info on it and the nucular stress test. So when I saw him he said cause I was having all of these symtoms now we talk and heart cath is next and then surgeon. But what he told me was not its your time he said as soon as possible. Oh and he told me I wasnt old and info was good to know. So I said you are hired. So hope all of this helps. And dont feel bad about long posts cause I think I just wrote you a very long one. lol Good luck and hang in there. Getting there LInda H

Vicki, From the way you described your meeting it seems clear that the cardiologist you saw is terrible with people. When I went to CCF I met with Dr. Juan Plana (I believe that was his name). He seemed great. Very calm and listened to all my questions. He is from Colombia and I recognized his accent from a college friend who was also Colombian. We had a nice chat about that. Feel free to look him up and I would recommend getting back there by fall since the current cardiologist was useless. Even the best clinics can have a few bad apples. Don\'t be discouraged and like with most medical issues, the squeaky wheel gets the grease so don\'t hesitate to kick and scream a bit! :-) Best of luck, -Thomas H.

Vicki You need to request a different doctor. Feeling like your doctor is on your team is soo important. Your doctor should listen and help you find out why you are feeling this way...not telling you its made up. Don\'t put up with this! If you feel like something is wrong...there probably is something going on. Listen to your body and find a doctor who will listen and respect you. Also I would send ccf feedback...they should know what happend. I have to believe this would make them very upset.

Hi Vicki, You really do need a new cardiologist. I went to CCF for my surgery, and every experience I had was a good one until my last visit. I had an experience similar to yours, but not as bad. I can give you the name of a WONDERFUL cardiologist at CCF ........Dr. Griffin. He is kind, compassionate and very approachable. He is booked up pretty far in advance, so plan for that. There is nothing more stressful than not liking or trusting your doctor when you have a serious condition. God bless and good luck! Deb Z

Hi Vicki, No question on moving cardiologist , as Nike says Just Do It ! Dump him, you need to be able to trust him/ her It is your body, you need to know what you want/ need as an outcome. Ultimately your decision so be as informed as you need to be comfortable with what is planned, fallback plan and who is doing it. I ended up \"interviewing\" three consutantsb and eded up with a superb consutant/ surgeon in one of the best heart hospitals around. I prepared a seven page interview sheet for my Consultant and was frankly quite blunt at times. One of the Consultants a professor of cardiology at a teaching hospital. Pretty good stats but not in my valve. After a quick discussion on my question \" What is your rate of success going in to do a repair, versus ending in a replace for mitral valve specifically\". Anwer 60-80%, my next statement was \" sorry you are not good enoough who else can you refer me to to get to better than 90%\". Her expertise was in Aorta not Mitral Valve, She was open, understood and referred me onto Mr Wells at Papworth in the UK. His rate is 99.9% when he goes in with the intention of a repair. No competition here, the rest is history. I am happy to share the Questions I asked if that would help you. It\'s a word document with comments. At this point everything will feel as if it is happening in slow motion. Stick with it, you have a whole HVJ support team pulling for you. Paul R

Hi Vicki, Yes, try and get another cardiologist who can speak to you frankly and honestly. He/she is the person you will interface with before and after the surgery and trust between the both of you is so important I think. Symptoms are a big part of the surgery equation according to my cardiologist. My cardiologist is very very cautious. I kept e-mailing her my symptoms and she finally referred me to the first surgeon. He said my cardiologist didn\'t know what to do with me since I seemed functional except I had symptoms. I eventually saw 3 surgeons who where ready to cut me right then and there!!! I felt so flattered to be chosen for the knife... Anyways, that is my 2 cents. A different cardiologist could better explain your SOB and the possible cause (it may be your aortic valve after all.....) Good luck - keep on ticking!!! Lee Castro