I am now a "problem patient"

My daughters went with me to appt. w' EP & Medtronic rep. They told us that they don't set up the carelink monitor with the new device for a month to let the heart adjust to new PM. we were concerned due to a 3 hour event late at night and I was unable to send in a remote check. First they said the new PM was incompatible with mold monitor, than they said it WAS compatible & to send in a Remote check transmission at 9 that night, which I did. I didn't hear M-Thurs. if it went through or not. Then a new monitor appeared. I sent a note thru the Patient Portal & got answers to questions I didn't ask but no answers to what I did ask. I sent in another note which was not answered but put in Doctor's box.
this follows a pattern of dismissal by the nurses, telling me that my symptoms after leaving hospital: gained 3# in # days, shortness of breath, inability to walk any distance, and chest pressure. The nurse put the note in wrong Doctor's box; and when I phoned after 9 hours with no response, told me that they don't worry about chest pressure, only chest pain. And told me I'd be OK until Friday appt w/ EP.
MY primary care doc & kidney doc were outraged at this & interrupted my appts to notify my cardiologist about this nurse's dismissal. He, unfortunately is in France but I have an appt with him this coming Wed.

The EP is claiming the C.diff isn't from the Ansef IV antibiotic because it bypasses the GI tract and I am blowing this all out of proportion ....
I really feel alone as I try &deal with them "circling the wagons" against me.... they are treating me as if I were an angry, hostile patient; all of my encounters with them have been through tears, not raging..... trying to reason, etc. I am so stressed out over this....trouble sleeping and heart starts racing when I think about future appts. I am wakened by the effects of C.diff on my body 7 hardly abel to do battle when so weak... anyone have any ideas? am I totally in the wrong here?

2 Comments

ugh

by Tracey_E - 2013-07-21 10:07:55

So sorry to hear you are having more problems! You are NOT a problem patient, you are not wrong, you are just a patient who is having problems. It's on them if they can't deal. Can you switch ep's? Maybe have a chat with your gp about your care from the ep, ask for advice.

Defensiveness is usually a sign of guilt.

Thanx TraceyE

by sunny@heart - 2013-07-22 02:07:29

Appreciate the idea that defensiveness is usually a sign of guilt.... I think this is what is going on here.
there are only 3 EP's in our area... The first one "forgot " I had a leaky valve & refused a referral to a heart surgeon plus told me my arteries were 70% clogged when they were only 30% so I left him.
The second one didn't answer my calls for help or my home health care nurses calls when my BP got down to 68/48 after the heart surgery.... another doc in the practice changed all my meds over the phone & didn't tell my doc.
So, I left him.
I was running scared by then.... and now this one has made some choices for my care that have proved harmful to me....
my pc is aware as is my kidney doc, and I will see the doctor who started this practice 15 years ago on Wed. and see what he can do... we have a great relationship but he has been out of the country for 3 weeks...
Thanx so much for the support!

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