Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Doctor Doctor.....
When I became ill last year with heart palpitations and hot flushes, I went to my GP. She looked at my notes and referred me to a cardiologist at Chelsfield Park Hospital. He suggested I come and meet him at Blackheath Hospital where he performed Echo, ECG and treadmill tests and declared my heart was fine. He wired me up for a 24 hour ECG trace and sent me on my way.
When he’d analysed the trace he said I was “running fast” and suggested beta blockers to regulate this. He said he thought it was caused by me suffering from Vasovagel Syncope and packed me off to Chelsea & Westminster for a Tilt Test. All it did was prove I didn’t.
Next up, they think they know the answer – “You have a possible Adrenal Edema” and I was packed off the Queen Mary’s for a blood test, Kidney Echo test and a 24 hour urine test. All this did was prove I didn’t.
Following that, and after further analysis of my 24 hour trace, I’m advised that I have a Right Branch Bundle Block, which combined with my palpitations and fast running possibly means I have a hole in the heart. I get packed off to London Bridge Hospital where I’m given a general anaesthetic and made swallow a camera to look at the back of my heart while some toxic solution circulates in my veins. All this did was prove I didn’t, although on the plus side I did get some extremely nice sandwiches when I came round, and also got to pinch all the Molton Brown toiletries from the private room I was in.
Baffled, the docs suggested I went back to Blackheath and had some more blood tests. In the meantime, they put me on even more tablets for good measure. Lo and behold, once the blood test is back, they think they know what’s wrong with me! It’s low testosterone, and I’ll need to have an MRI scan on my brain so they can look at my Pituitary Gland, followed by a visit to an Endocrine specialist to sort out treatment.
I’m duly packed off to the Sloane to see yet another doctor, who declares that he does not believe I have low testosterone, as the test was done at the wrong time of day, but that he suspects I have Reactive Hypoglycaemia.
I now have to go to Chelsfield Park next week for a blood test, followed by a 5 hour glucose level test and then yet another 24 hour piss test. It’s been 9 months, 6 hospitals, 8 visits to my GP, 7 visits to the Cardiologist and, so far, 1 to the Endocrine specialist. I have had more examinations than a GCSE student, got more needle marks on my arms then Slash and Duff put together and rattle more than a Sally Army collection tin on Christmas Eve and still they don’t know what’s wrong with me.
By now you’re no doubt thinking what a disgraceful organisation the NHS is, but the biggest problem with all of this, is that it’s all been Private and the service has still been shit! If I hadn’t spent hours on the phone, written dozens of emails and letters and basically taken arranging all the treatment into my own hands, they’d probably still be treating me for low blood pressure! They’re sure now they’re on the right track now and that next week’s tests will be the last – but you know, I wouldn’t put my house on it………
When he’d analysed the trace he said I was “running fast” and suggested beta blockers to regulate this. He said he thought it was caused by me suffering from Vasovagel Syncope and packed me off to Chelsea & Westminster for a Tilt Test. All it did was prove I didn’t.
Next up, they think they know the answer – “You have a possible Adrenal Edema” and I was packed off the Queen Mary’s for a blood test, Kidney Echo test and a 24 hour urine test. All this did was prove I didn’t.
Following that, and after further analysis of my 24 hour trace, I’m advised that I have a Right Branch Bundle Block, which combined with my palpitations and fast running possibly means I have a hole in the heart. I get packed off to London Bridge Hospital where I’m given a general anaesthetic and made swallow a camera to look at the back of my heart while some toxic solution circulates in my veins. All this did was prove I didn’t, although on the plus side I did get some extremely nice sandwiches when I came round, and also got to pinch all the Molton Brown toiletries from the private room I was in.
Baffled, the docs suggested I went back to Blackheath and had some more blood tests. In the meantime, they put me on even more tablets for good measure. Lo and behold, once the blood test is back, they think they know what’s wrong with me! It’s low testosterone, and I’ll need to have an MRI scan on my brain so they can look at my Pituitary Gland, followed by a visit to an Endocrine specialist to sort out treatment.
I’m duly packed off to the Sloane to see yet another doctor, who declares that he does not believe I have low testosterone, as the test was done at the wrong time of day, but that he suspects I have Reactive Hypoglycaemia.
I now have to go to Chelsfield Park next week for a blood test, followed by a 5 hour glucose level test and then yet another 24 hour piss test. It’s been 9 months, 6 hospitals, 8 visits to my GP, 7 visits to the Cardiologist and, so far, 1 to the Endocrine specialist. I have had more examinations than a GCSE student, got more needle marks on my arms then Slash and Duff put together and rattle more than a Sally Army collection tin on Christmas Eve and still they don’t know what’s wrong with me.
By now you’re no doubt thinking what a disgraceful organisation the NHS is, but the biggest problem with all of this, is that it’s all been Private and the service has still been shit! If I hadn’t spent hours on the phone, written dozens of emails and letters and basically taken arranging all the treatment into my own hands, they’d probably still be treating me for low blood pressure! They’re sure now they’re on the right track now and that next week’s tests will be the last – but you know, I wouldn’t put my house on it………
# posted by Bucko! @ 5:01 AM 
