New Cardiologist...maybe not

I met the new cardiologist. Over all I found him to be a nice guy. If you have Afib and live anywhere near Atlanta, I'd recommend him. He takes the time to explain things in clear language. BUT...yeah, that's a big but. After talking with him, I'm concerned that I may know more about my condition than he does, and that worries me. The thought of interviewing EP's depresses me. I'm just not 100% with this guy. I put up with an arrogant ass with a bitchy office staff for a cosmetic surgeon because he is an excellent technician. My dermatologist asked for his name when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. That's how good the breast that he built is. I will take a lot for a good doctor. That's why I still see Dr. S and Dr. Sh. I just want a doctor that I fell comfortable with.

Dr. K's nurse, LL talked with me about Dr. K's departure. She assured me that it was almost certain that Dr. K would be back in the fall. This was not something that I perceived from the letter and the website. Seriously, Dr. K quit instead of taking a sabbatical or leave of absence. His message on the website only said he would do his best to be back in Atlanta. And if he comes back,it seems likely that it will be to The Hospital That Coke Built, I'd have issues with it. Not that I'm saying they're bad, but they believe in the clinic method of practice. You don't always see your doctor. You get whoever walks in the room. That just isn't okay with me. I left one of their primary care clinics because Dr. M was never available. Dr. B could see me and he was a lazy idiot. The outlook isn't comforting. Dr. K quit Heartbreak Hill and Big Religion. I don't think he's likely to go back to either of them. The Baby Factory across from Big Religion doesn't have much of a cardiac program. Their focus seems to be on women's health issues and cancer. Coke Built is trying to compete with Heartbreak Hill for heart related issues and have some big grants to throw at it. The only other big player .s the W All Over Town. Let me just say, I'd rather go to Coke Built's County Teaching Hospital in the armpit of Atlanta than to any one of their hospitals. W has been stepping up their game and are actively recruiting anything that will bring them more status. What drags their status down is their lack of a competent staff at their hospitals. The one time I was there, it was a nightmare of errors. At one point they were trying to give me someone else's medication. So, even if Dr. K comes back to Atlanta, the situation isn't looking good for me. My only option may be to go crawling back to Dr. L in Coke's Big Swanky Mid-town Hospital. I hope not. I didn't make an appointment for my six month follow-up. I want to see what is to become of Dr. K. My expectations are just really low at this point.

The monitor didn't reveal much. I have a lot of premature ventricular beats and premature atrial beats and I have long periods of sustained tachycardia but with normal waves. I have to wonder about his interpretation of normal. He pulled this up by leafing through a month's worth of reports in the examining room (read he looked glanced through three or four pages) which means that none of that was corrected using the Bazzetts equation. You can't get a true QTc off an ECG without the equation. I don't even know if he had anyone work the equation on the ECG done while I was in the office. He talked to me about implanting an ICD, which I refused. I don't something that is going to kick my heart at random moments.  I also refused taking another anti-arrhythmic medication. I already take too many medications, he was happy that I refused the medication anyway, the ICD, not so much. Really, for all the trouble and expense, I've gotten nowhere. I still have no clear answer for the really high blood pressure, low blood sugar and chest pain that I was experiencing in March, or for the ECG reading that prompted Dr. K to want the ambulatory telemetry. I still have periods of severe hypertension that will last for a day or two and then go back down to mild to normal. I have no idea why. I guess I'm just going to have to wait until this thing declares what it is.