Connect
← Return to Curious - dysautonomia?
Discussion
Comment receiving replies
Hi @jenniferhunter, what you are saying makes sense!
Thank you!
It was the APRN who works with the electrophysiologist who suggested a pacemaker on the occasion of a SPECT heart scan in late May. It resulted in poor images and I had a PET scan 2 weeks later. That showed no blockages and a normal heart again with slow heart rate. I see my PCP in mid September, cardiologist in December, and electrophysiologist in February. The APRN seems to be in charge now. First I would have to have a 24 hour Holter showing average rate of below 50, then I could have a pacemaker. The electrophysiologist who would put it in kind of blew me off when I said I think my brain needs more O2 and prescribed midodrine to raise my low BP.
That helped, but left me more confused about the situation and with less confidence in that doctor.
I had full dysautonomia tests which was "abnormal" but then they said they can't really tell anything because there are no reference values for people my age! (So why test?)
I think I will wait to talk with my PCP who really listens, can get something done, and whom I trust. She doesn't dismiss me like the electrophysiologist seems to.
Also, I am making a list of questions and have a long record of bp/heart rate.
(I cracked a bone in a forearm while falling so sent myself to PT for balance.)
Replies to "Hi @jenniferhunter, what you are saying makes sense! Thank you! It was the APRN who works..."
Connect
@yellowdoggirl You deserve to be treated better. Perhaps another opinion with a different electrophysiologist would benefit you? You may want to print out all the symptoms that you wrote about here and take that with you to your appointment in September, and discuss with your doctor how you feel dismissed by the specialist. You already have a fracture from a fall.
Have you considered using a cane or walker for stability? I have both of those after fracturing my ankle badly and it really does help. That was 2 years ago, and that was a long difficult recovery. My ankle is still weak, but I do OK.
You always have to advocate for yourself. Remember, you are the customer and your doctors work for you. You deserve complete explanations and discussions about your health so you understand your conditions. You can hire someone else if you feel like your doctor isn't doing a good job. Talk to your PT about all this too. PT's know lots of doctors because they get referrals from them. They can be a great source of information if you are doctor shopping. PT's can also tell you if they suspect you have a serious issue that needs to be seen. They can't diagnose the problem, but they see enough to know what is going on with many patients and which doctors the patients are seeing for specific problems. It's great that you have no blockages. If you talk about fear of falling because you feel a bit tired and dizzy, that will probably get your doctor's attention. If it does not, that would be a huge red flag to me. This is always a big concern for aging patients. If they don't listen, they are not doing their job.
We have a Heart Rhythm Group with a lot of discussions that may interest you that you can find here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/heart-rhythm-conditions/
I do see that you have posted there, so hopefully you will get responses.
Here is a discussion where members are talking about low heart rates.
"Bradycardia What's a Too Low Heart Rate"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/bradycardia-whats-a-too-low-heart-rate/
Could you share your list of questions that you want to ask your doctor?