Thank you to everyone, from the bottom of my heart for their positive energy and good thoughts yesterday for my hubby, Teacherman, and my family.

The appointment went very well.  The cardiologist did an electric cardiogram in his office, and said what they are seeing is a couple of extra beats.  Mostly like this may be normal for Teacherman, but there could also be an underlying cause (thyroid, virus, or heart blockage).  They will run blood work and the standard heart tests (stress test, 24 hours with a halter monitor, etc.), over the next two weeks.  The cardiologist asked the round of standard questions, and on the postive side Teacherman  does not have any other symptoms of something wrong with the heart, and he doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink, and has no chest pains or shortest of breath.  If they do find something, the cardiologist assured us they will take all the necessary steps for a full treatment plan. 

After all the tests, Teacherman has a followup with the cardiologist in a month.  I’ll keep everyone posted on how that goes.

I really liked this doctor.  He didn’t make Teacherman feel ashamed for a being a little overweight and for not exercising as much as he should.  He was polite, soft spoken, very thorough, and made us feel a lot better about the whole situation.  He actually sat down in the examine room and talked with us.  He answered all our questions and made sure we had all the answers we needed.   He didn’t stand by the door with his hand on the doorknob like a lot doctors I know do.

Tacherman has never had any of these kinds of tests and even though I could answer some questions about what they are like and what to expect (I started having these tests annually after finding out I have congestive heart failure), he still had other questions and the doctor was very nice and answered everything in plain every day language without making us feel stupid.

I am relieved and so grateful that Teacherman’s primary doctor referred him to this cardiologist.  It makes all the difference in the world to have a doctor who will listen to your concerns, take even minor symptoms seriously enough to follow up on them and help you to feel at ease (or at least lessed stressed) about all the tests and everything.

I may have to look into switching cardiologist and see if I can I also start seeing this doctor.  Though I know there is a HUGE difference between how doctors treat women and men, even if this one treats women differently, he is so nice that it has to be better then the cardiologist I go to now.  My cardiologist is a woman, and I also go to a female general pratcioner.  I picked them because I thought, being female, that they might be a bit more understanding and open to listening to me about my health concerns and issues.  But, as any one who has read this blog for any length of time knows, that is not the case. 

As the cardiologist was asking Teacherman all the questions about chest pain, shortest of breath, etc., etc., etc. and he was answering no no no, I found myself saying but for me I could answer yes to a whole lot of those questions.  When I answer yes at my doctor’s office, all my cardiologist does is tell me to eat less (at the time I was only eating 800 calories a day) and my primary doctor won’t even talk to me about my pain and other symptoms until I’m exercising to the max an hour a day  - and when I tried and gained 9 lbs overnight and 16 lbs the following week (all the while eating only 800 calories day) and ended up in so much pain in my joints and in my chest and barely able to breath, both doctors just looked me up and with their hand on the door knob because of course they are in a hurry why take time to take to the “fat lady”, they told me to “eat less.”  Rapid weight gain like that I know is from the congestive heart failure - but both of my doctors ingore it.   The advice I get from them when I tell them about the rapid fluid weight gain, my exhaustion, my shortest of breath and my chest pains is really not helpful and makes me feel like an idiot whenever I try to talk to them.  My primary doctor told me I need to cut my hair and dress more like Opera so I will feel better about myself.  My cardiologist told me if I can’t walk then swim an hour a day - to which I replied, but I can’t afford to join a swim club and I don’t know how to swim, isn’t there something else she can recommend.  Her reply, “if you want to be healthy you have to pay for it.”

But I have had decades of various doctors like this, as a woman the older I get and the extra weight it is almost impossible to get a doctor actually “see” and “hear” me.  Even when I had lost 100 lbs they still didn’t listen, it was just lose more.  Now that I’ve gained almost all of it back (by eating only three meals a day instead of the 800 calories a day), it will be very hard for me to face them again when it comes time for my appointments in October.  If they would only listen to me, and actually help me to lose some of the weight and help me to find some form of exercise (besides swimming) that I could do without my heart racing, chest pain and swelling up like a balloon, then I would do it. 

But enough about me.  The important thing for right now is to focus on getting Teacherman through the next couple weeks of tests with the least amount of stress as possible.  From the lack of other symptoms most likely he won’t have to be dealing congestive heart failure.  I am confident he is good hands with the cardiologist.  And I’m sure everything will turn out ok, and even if they find something they will treat it and take care of it.   

Again thank you to everyone for the support and postive energy, it truly means so much to me.

Health and Happiness, Lady Rose

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