BarbDahl77
Cardio Clearance Drama
Sep 10, 2010
Gosh, it’s a good thing I lurk more then post – I’m longwinded!! lol Sorry…
I was just wondering if anyone else had this issue while trying to secure their cardiology clearance. The echo comes out “clean”, but they still require you to have additional testing?
I had my echo on 9/1 and I went for my f/u appointment and consult yesterday [9/9]. This doctor was someone I had seen previously in August – December 2006. I actually wound up having a cardiac cath in August 2006 because I had weird chest pains. The cath came back spotless, as did the VQ scan – it turns out I just had a bad case of costochondritis.
Needless to say, there were no “issues” with my echo results, but there were areas that they were not able to visualize all that well due to my weight. I believe he referred to them as soft tissue shadows. So he is ordering a MUGA scan. Then when I come in for the f/u after the MUGA, he is going to do an EKG. I swear all these doctors must think we have really deep pockets and that we are made of money!!
I am alternating between angry [oh boy, was I angry last night], frustrated , depressed and defeated.
And it is also kinda funny, four years ago he was pushing WLS. Yesterday, when I told him why I was there [for a WLS cardio clearance] he was almost like reluctant. I am not certain if this might be because I am not going with the program that is run out of the hospital he is affiliated with or what. Right after he asked who I was going with he started to go on and on about the surgical risks, etc.
Really, doc? Let’s take a look at this - risks from a surgery that will save my life and hopefully give me another GOOD 30-40+ years, as opposed to the eh 30 years I’ve already had. Or the risks involved in me staying where/how I am now and see if I’m around in 15 years… We know there are risks involved in this process…We are even made to sign a piece of paper saying that we are aware of ALL the possible risks/outcomes of surgery… I know he is just trying to be thorough and do his job. And I do appreciate that. I know everything worth having is worth working for and fighting for, but why does it always have to be so hard and always have to be such a struggle? For once I’d like things to be a little less difficult…lol But I really think that is to much to ask for, though. ::sigh::
The two consults that I thought were going to be the relatively easier ones to secure – the endo and cardio – are costing me a bloody small fortune and giving me stress. Tests, tests and more tests. And the two that I thought might be a little more challenging to secure – the pulmo & psych [I was afraid I’d get nervous and all that stuff…] were easy-peasy. Both secured in one visit each.
Now I am starting to wonder if a 11/11 surgery date is even still possible…
