How long did you have to wait to see a Cardiologist?

I agree , I feel that my experience with the surgeon has been just ok, my family dr has been great but this is not his expertise. Now I’m still waiting for the cardiologist (I will have waited 10 months) receptionist very rude 🙁 so it’s a mixed bag . But I have to keep pushing it’s my health that’s on the line! Hope everyone knows they are their own advocate!!

Ask your primary doc to call the cardiologist’s office for a more timely appt.
Also, check if they have a waiting list for cancellations.

I was told to wait 3 months for an appt but saw a doc in a few weeks when someone canceled.
The rheumatologist took 4 months for an appt….

Was told no cancellation list, as it would not go to me but to next worse person? But I finally have my appt at the end of the month .

Don’t forget to bring a list of all your symptoms, time of day (or nite) they occur, and a list of meds.

Good luck!!

If you get to see a cardiologist within 3 months you are lucky.

MY story. It took me 9 months to get my first cardiologist appointment in 2023.

In August 2024 I had a Myocardial Infarction, and went to ER on a Saturday. ER never told my I had a MI. The ER docs just kept saying my heart was doing great. My husband was in the room with me so he confirmed we were never told I had an MI. I was sent home and on Sunday I looked In mychart and low and behold I found out I had had an MI. Wow. I called to talk to my cardiologist but they don't work weekends. ER told me to follow up with my cardiologist as they prescribed some medicines that they wanted me to review with my Cardio before I took them. My cardiologist wouldn't take my phone call on Monday and the the nurse said I could come Thursday for a 15 minutes with my cardiologist. I told her what the ER said and I was told to wait to see Cardo princess on Thursday. I fired cardio princess but I have use that health system per my insurance. I asked to see a different cardio doctor . They said yes but to punish me firing Cardio Princess I have been told I can see a new cardiologist in Dec. 18th 2024. By the way, I have to pay for a totally new intake as a cardio patient to change doctors in the same practice. I have LBBB and idiopathic heart failure with a varying EF below 35. I am on private insurance. There you have it, health care in America.

I have an important update. My husband waited almost six months to be seen by a cardiologist who did not refer or recommend any additional testing. He was simply prescribed a satin (see my earlier posts). I was upset that he wasn't offered a stress test but since he didn't have symptoms they said no.

Months later he was very tired one day after work and looked pale. I thought maybe he was coming down with Covid but I didn't want to mess around. I asked him to take his blood pressure which was lower than his normal and he got the irregular heart beat icon 3x in a row. I had that when I came down with Covid, so we weren't thinking heart attack at that point! But still I felt a sense of urgency.

We went to urgent care and it was there when they did an EKG that we were told he was having a heart attack! Thank God it was caught in time. He was rushed to the hospital. He had a successful quad plus bypass surgery. Today he is on a statin, aspirin and a couple of other meds. He is doing great!!!

I wanted to share this update as a cautionary tale. If you have a high CAC score and feel unusual fatigue even without any other symptoms, take it seriously and get to the ER!

Thanks for posting this. So glad you went to the urgent care!

I see the original post was in 2023. Is that right? I'm curious what happened between then and now. I also have a high CAC score (but not quite as high as 1500). There are lots of posts by people right after they get the high CAC diagnosis, but not so many after a few years. I find it helpful to hear other people's stories.

Best wishes for the continued health of your husband and you!!

The very same thing happened to people with atrial fibrillation. Many years ago, people would present, be cautioned to change their lifestyles, given medicine, and their physicians told researchers that this protocol seemed to work well for most patients. When the researcher contacted the families, they found that the reason none of the patients seemed to come back to their doctors for more care after three or four years is because most of them had died.

In Canada, and depending a bit on which province, the wait for a cardiologist can be three months, for a ENT a year, for orthopedic surgery six months to a year, depending whether or not it's a work-related injury and the surgery is fir 'worker's compensation', for an electrophysiologist you must be referred, there are workups needed by the new doctor, you go for a first consult, and then the intervention is scheduled...so all told about eight months. If it's an emergency, six days.