Aa
Playing with my Moms heart!
My mother is 57 years old and just recently had a stroke they call TIA. One doctor said she has it, and another says she don't. I took her to the hospital two days ago, and her blood pressure was 184/100.( Not good i know) She was put on a medicine to slow her heart rate. When she went to a pcp she was taken off the medicine due to the primary doctor saying he would like to know if her heart could hold the stable beat without the medication. Her next appointment isn't for two weeks from today. I am afraid this doctor is playing with my Moms health taking her off this medicine she was recently required to take two days prior to this doctor visit. What should i do or look for before she has another stroke and dies?
ed34 makes a good point. When in doubt, get a second opinion. It's OK to ask questions since we're paying their salary in one way or another.
Sometimes it's hard to ask the questions because we're not medical folks and not sure what they're talking about. But we can ask them to explain, to tell us what their train of thought might be. At times that can be scary like recently when a urologist flatly told me they were doing a test to check for cancer. Not sure I wanted to know that part but it all turned out just fine.
And yes, ed is correct that her pcp should have referred her to a specialist rather than wait. TIAs are not as simple as a rash, wait and see if it goes away. They are usually a precursor to something very unpleasant.
Do watch her pulse and BP. If it stay consistently high, push to see the doctor or better yet, a different one.
Sometimes it's hard to ask the questions because we're not medical folks and not sure what they're talking about. But we can ask them to explain, to tell us what their train of thought might be. At times that can be scary like recently when a urologist flatly told me they were doing a test to check for cancer. Not sure I wanted to know that part but it all turned out just fine.
And yes, ed is correct that her pcp should have referred her to a specialist rather than wait. TIAs are not as simple as a rash, wait and see if it goes away. They are usually a precursor to something very unpleasant.
Do watch her pulse and BP. If it stay consistently high, push to see the doctor or better yet, a different one.
Just to add. Many people feel humiliated by Doctors, but I'm advising you not to. We are all human beings sharing the same planet, we are all equal. Go through life remembering that and you will go far :)
Well, I am a bit confused. Why are they talking about slowing her heart down? is it running fast? what is her heart rate? She needs to really see a stroke expert, not be held up with a primary Doctor who knows a bit about everything. a TIA is normally a warning sign, a sign that a full blown stroke could be on its way. Her blood pressure is ridiculously high for someone in such a predicament. I would say you want to see an expert, or change Doctors. Two weeks is a long time to mess around. In the meantime they could be analysing her blood, looking at clotting factors and cholesterol levels etc. They could be scanning her carotid arteries. There are many things they could be doing rather than just waiting. To put it bluntly, I am disgusted. A word of advice. If you are ever in a hospital and one Doctor disagrees with another, arrange for them to both speak with you at the same time and confront them. This type of confusion with no explanation does you no good at all. I was told by a Doctor I had microvascular disease, another Doctor said I didn't. I organised through the Matron to have both Doctors at my bedside at the same time and then it became obvious. The one who said I did have MVD was a junior, the senior said I didn't. Within 2 minutes the junior was apologising. I made it clear that he caused me a LOT of stress with the confusion. I have found that if you want to get anything done these days and want answers, you have to make a lot of noise. Get your whip out and demand the right treatment and answers. Have they put your Mum on Aspirin or anything to reduce the risk of clots?
Thank you so much for the info. He didn't suggest she kept a eye on her BP at all he just said to come back in two weeks, and that is why i started asking questions. The doctor just told me that he thinks it may go back to normal. I'm not judging the doctor, and understand they know more than i do, but i can't afford for a doctor to take a guessing game without a proper followup before two weeks. Thank you, and i will have her checked daily, and go buy her a BP cuff and do it myself.
Did he ask her to monitor her heart rate or BP during those 2 weeks? It's easy enough to check her heart rate at home. Her BP can be checked at a pharmacy although those machines are rarely calibrated and may not be accurate. In my case, I can stop by my medical clinic any time and they will check my BP for me. At least that's accurate. If her BP is still consistently high, I would recommend she call her doctor and inform him that it's shooting back up.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Heart Disease Community
Is a low-fat diet really that heart healthy after all? James D. Nicolantonio, PharmD, urges us to reconsider decades-long dietary guidelines.
Can depression and anxiety cause heart disease? Get the facts in this Missouri Medicine report.
Fish oil, folic acid, vitamin C. Find out if these supplements are heart-healthy or overhyped.
Learn what happens before, during and after a heart attack occurs.
What are the pros and cons of taking fish oil for heart health? Find out in this article from Missouri Medicine.
How to lower your heart attack risk.
