Fobbed off, want settings checked

Hi everyone, I live in the UK so don't have to pay for treatment, which may have a bearing on this?!

Had my PM 3 years ago, dual chamber for bradycardia. All sort of fine till 6 weeks ago, started getting pain in chest on exertion - 10, 20, 50 paces and have to stop and rest - going upstairs on all fours.

PM clinic checked settings 3 weeks ago and found no problem - they refuse to check them again as they are convinced it is not PM problem. My GP says there is no chest problem, ECG and chest x-Ray fine.

Am now at my wits end and don't know what to do - I'm 65 but feel 80 - sometimes get a kind of electric shock in the vein where the leads are - any suggestions?

6 Comments

Chest pain

by golden_snitch - 2014-11-29 09:11:56

Hi!

First of all, you do pay for your NHS via taxes.

Chest pain on exertion does not necessarily mean there is something wrong with the pacemaker. It's for instance a typical symptom for coronary artery disease, so it should get checked out. I'm not a doctor, but I would say that you need a treadmill test or other kind of stress test that is likely to reproduce your symptoms, so that doctors can check your ECG while you are symptomatic. And maybe also an ultrasound of the heart would be helpful, too. ECG at rest when you have no symptoms makes no sense. Also, a treadmill test can show whether your heart rate increases appropriatly when you exercise or whether it gets too fast (some patients get some sort of fast tachycardia when they exercise). A too slow or too fast heart rate when exercising could cause chest pains, too.

If symptoms continue, see your GP again. Or go the E.R. on the weekend.

Good luck!

Inga

Chest pain on exertion

by IAN MC - 2014-11-29 10:11:11

It is unlikely that this is related to your PM at all although anything is possible where nerves and pain are concerned. it may be a plumbing problem of your heart , on the other hand ,it may not be.

It may be nothing at all to do with your heart because there are other conditions which mimic angina

But it is not even worth asking on here for guesses of the diagnosis because you need a good medically-qualified diagnostician who can do the appropriate tests. As a start, demand a treadmill test at your local cardiology dept and then go from there.

At one stage, my PM people were reluctant to give me a treadmill test ; I simply persuaded my GP to ask for one; I ended up having several . Never under-estimate the power of your GP in the UK health system !

Your best course of action is to pester your GP , make appointment after appointment until he refers you to someone who can come up with the answers

On the question of who pays for it , we are lucky in the UK that healthcare is free at the point of delivery . When you are ill , the last thing on earth that you need to be worrying about is the payment for your treatment !

So don't take "No" for an answer. Spell out as strongly as you can to your GP that you are so incapacitated that you have to crawl upstairs !

As Inga says, if you get worse, go to A & E . At least you would then be in the medical system instead of being fobbed off.

Best of luck and let us know when you get the problem solved.

Ian

exercise pain

by manaman - 2014-11-30 01:11:20

Sounds like a plumbing issue to me. I put up with like issues for a couple of months until I insisted in a heart cath. (could not do tread mill because of leg issues) Found a 90% and an 80% blockage in the same artery! Stinted and life has been better.
Keep insisting ( ER room if you must)
Cecil

Thanks

by aicha - 2014-11-30 09:11:29

Thank you Inga and Ian for your replies.

I will try the GP route again, seem to have been going weekly for last 4 weeks - I will ask for a treadmill test as any exertion is impossible without pain.

Thanks again.

Julie

chest pain

by vattens1 - 2014-12-03 10:12:59

Not to scare u but chest and shoulder pain can also be related ti cancer dud u have a chest Cray or bloods dine or ft. Hope your ok I'm in ireland

Thanks

by aicha - 2014-12-04 07:12:55

Thank you everybody for replying.

Chest x-Ray - clear. Resting ECG - fine. Bloodwork for clot enzymes, clear.

However, still can't walk more than few paces without cramping pain in respiratory system. Feel like very old lady indeed, not at all like my usual busy, buzzy 65 year old self.

Back to GP next week to demand further investigation as I know this doesn't feel right.

Julie

You know you're wired when...

You have a $50,000 chest.

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