Post surgery appointment?

sounds about right

by Tracey_E - 2017-04-17 09:02:30

Unless you are having symptoms, that sounds about right. The biggest concern the first week is the leads staying in place. If there was a problem with that, it would show up in the interrogation report. I saw my EP's nurse for a wound check a week later then again at 4 weeks. I never saw the EP again until that battery died and I got a new one 6 years later.

I see the cardiologist once a year, the rest of the time just the pacer techs. The doctor will always review the pacer reports so if anything odd shows up, he'll call me or sometimes the office will call to set up an appointment if he wants to see me. Now I have a home monitor so I don't see the techs either! The monitors will show if anything is going on and we'll get a phone call to come in. Also, if we are having symptoms, we can hit a button on the monitor and initiate a report. I've done this a couple of times, gave them a call or email to let them know to look for it. It feels very hands off but it's extremely efficient and cuts way down on office visits without sacrificing care. 

Hmm

by Brimfire - 2017-04-17 11:54:42

I didn't even have a nurse look at me. That's what's weird. I'm used to not seeing this doctor. I've been going to have for about a year and might have seen him 2-3 times. I usually see his nurse or a back up doctor but nada this time. Also, what if my leads come out between now and my one month appointment? I don't have the home monitor yet. I guess it wouldn't hurt me? In my mind, I'm picturing loose leads poking my heart. Lol

thanks for the info!

trying to remember

by dwelch - 2017-04-19 11:28:47

I am on number four going on number five next week.

i am trying to remember of the doctors I have had over the 30 years with pacers if there were times I didnt see the doc.  

Not seeing the doc the day after is no big deal, depending on the practice your EP might not be the surgeon anyway, and a nurse can look at it, and as mentioned above if something were wrong the tech would see it.  Or at least the tech would be doing their job of interrogating stuff and creating a report for one of the docs in the practice to examine.   With my current docs, I see her every annual visit, which are now biannual because of 30 years of pacing with the same leads, thus switching to a three chamber from a two chamber next week and adding a lead.  Then I should go back to annual.

The normal routine is get the pacer and leads, often spending the night anytime there are new leads.  A visit in the next few weeks to interrogate, some nurse/techs will want to see the incision even if it is three years old for some reason, some dont.  I always ask and so far get my copy of the printout, that is what I say when she is wrapping up and the printouts start "I would like my copy of the report, please".  And I wait for the doctor and cover any questions I have saved up over the last year or if there are changes shown on the report ask about those.  

After that first few week interrogation I think you get a six month, and then you go annual, this goes on for most of the pacers life.  As it reaches several years, they start twice a year so they can start to catch the battery life dropping.  the life printed on the report is for the most part innacurate.  When it gets to where it says three weeks then you can believe it.

You may have some sort of home check device that you do in between office visits. There are phone ones with wrist straps and others with the little computer mouse like thing that sits over the device (also using a phone).

Now your insurance plays heavily into all of this, some refuse to cover lots of home/phone checks, some refuse to cover lots of office visits, annual is pretty normal during the bulk of the time.  If/when it goes into safety mode at the end of the battery life you still have at least three months, you will defeinitely feel it though and will know to see the doc.  Your pace is locked at 65BPM and pretty much any activity you run out of breath and get wiped out.  You have years before you have to worry about that.

You are not their first patient, in this lawsuit happy world, they are not going to leave you hanging, if you want to call the doc, call the doc you might get a nurse, but he/she can still deal with getting you in if something is wrong.  you can go to the ER and they can expedite you being interrogated if that is needed, if they dont have the equipment themselves.

If you no longer trust your doc, switch, no point worrying about their feelings, it is your life, find one you are comfortable with and trust, then trust what they tell you to do...