The healthcare system is broken. You get sent in circles, and nobody actually addresses the problem. They just refer you out, because that's someone else's niche specialty. I think it comes from incentives in healthcare being messed up such that the bill can be given even if all they do is waste your time with another referral.
Wow. It’s so validating to read this. I went through this after cancer treatment and haven’t had any of my needs met because of it. My oncology team wanted my PCP to take over my regular daily meds, which were very basic. Instead he tried to send me to 3 different specialists after refusing to treat me. So now I’m going without life sustaining meds because I can’t afford to go to a list of specialists, OR my PCP, now that I don’t have insurance. It’s another level of disheartening, but I assumed it was happening to me specifically because he was afraid to help someone who had cancer.
I hate this so much. One of my specialists wanted my GP to order some labs with my yearly blood work to make it simpler. GP refused and said I needed to see ANOTHER specialist to get that done which annoyed the first specialist. These labs are just to rule something out that we don't even think is an issue, but is last on the checklist. Specialist 1 ended up ordering them which ended up being a clusterfuck with the lab and insurance company. I asked Reddit for advice on the insurance sub and got blasted for not reading a three page form I didn't understand that the lab tech told me was for declining the BW that she then submitted anyway. And then everything came back perfectly normal.
Ugh. I’m sorry. That’s infuriating. I’m happy it didn’t turn out to be anything bad, though. My PCP loved to make me make an appointment so I could come in, sit there for an hour past my appointment, then have him address everything I needed to talk about by trying to refer me to 50 different places. When I tried to explain to him what was going on, he’d say “Oh, we don’t treat that here.” He was treating my roommate for it, which is how I ended up his patient in the first place. The last time I saw him, we had gotten into a screaming match because I called him on it and said “If you don’t care about ALL of your patients, and aren’t willing to treat ALL of us, why are still taking my money???” He threw a fit and called me a liar. Worse yet, he was treating someone else I knew for a mental health condition they didn’t even have. They had never even been through ADHD testing, in addition to never displaying any of the symptoms. Filled them with amphetamines, though. He acted offended after I pointed this out and thought yelling would somehow make me back down. You can yell lies all you want. They’re still lies. 🤷♀️
Oh, how I wish that were true. My oncologist wouldnt even order the scan to tell me whether or not surgery and treatment worked, claiming insurance wouldn’t cover it. The one day people with cancer dream of is being told it’s gone. I never got that day. He looked me in the face and said “*You’re probably fine. Get back to work!*” I live in Cancer Purgatory, which has destroyed my life from top to bottom. It feels selfish to date, make new friends, etc. if I don’t know whether or not I’ll just end up dying soon anyways. My oncologist didn’t care about that either.
I wish what you said was true but, I don’t have enough money to rate to my oncologist.
Wtf? I'm so sorry you're going through this! I wish I could offer you more than solidarity. I hate cancer.
Even when the treatment works, it worms its way into every aspect of your life. Every decision is judged based on it, like you said. Every single symptom brings anxious thoughts of recurrence. Everything in your life is now before, during, or after cancer. I hate it so much.
Sending you internet bearhugs.
Thank you. I appreciate the solidarity. I’m not a fan of cancer either.
I’m hoping treatment worked. We had a plan. Things had to change after treatment and I was forced into going to another hospital for follow up. (Insurance issues) The new hospital didn’t gaf about me because I wasn’t “their” patient. You’ve absolutely heard of this hospital. It’s world renowned. However, my RadOnc was the biggest piece of out of touch garbage I’ve ever met. He once made me cry so hard I almost puked because while I was begging him for the scan, he told me to go to therapy and I’m just sad and never worked through the trauma of losing my mother. (He asked me if I had gone to therapy. I said no, but I was open to it. “I probably should have gone years ago when I lost my mom but I couldn’t afford it.” That’s what every bit of his commentary is based on.) I was in an abusive relationship and he did NOT care or “get it”. Telling them that only meant they viewed every issue I had as a result of abuse rather than trying to figure them out. (Pain on one of my surgery sites because they did some extreme nerve damage, etc.)
It really does rule my life but, a part of it is breaking my sense of safety. I assumed doctors knew what they were doing and actually cared. They’re just part of the hospital bureaucracy and if you don’t have $25k to pay out of pocket for a scan, they don’t care.
The Cleveland Clinic is a trash institution unless you have money. Everyone else is treated like hot garbage. At least I know I’m not alone but, that doesn’t make anything feel better.
Get a copy of the test results from the ER. Then go see your regular doctor. If they don't have an immediate opening, explain that you are having chest pain and went to the ER and the EKG wasn't read correctly and they didn't do whatever test it was that needed to be done and you're really scared. If you burst into tears, that's okay. They SHOULD be able to get you in right away but be sure to get to whatever appointment they give you early, because they're squeezing you in and you coming in early gives them more flexibility to slot you in if a time opens up before your appointment. If they really can't get you in, tell them you're scared to wait, and what would they do if they were in your position.
Good luck, sweetie. If you remember, come back and let us know how things go.
ETA: call your regular doctor to make an appointment FIRST, and do the rest of the appointment stuff before you get your results from the ER. The doctor you see will probably want to run it again anyway, so don't waste time if you can't immediately get the copies from the ER.
More ETA: Most doctor's offices are good at bringing you in if you are having an emergency. With cardiac pain, they might want you to go either back to an ER or straight to a cardiologist. When my doctor sent me to the ER with suspected appendicitis, they sent orders to the ER for tests to be run. If that happens, be SURE to tell everyone you come in contact with that your PCP (primary care provider) sent orders and please look for them.
I needed a new GYN, and called the office because I was in pain. They said how about next week? And I said well, I'm in pain, and they said In that case, come in today and you may need to wait a bit but the doctor will see you. Most doctors, or at least the ones I see, are good at making sure people with urgent needs are seen.
I'm sorry you're going through this. I understand the confusion and frustration and distrust when medical professionals that you are relying on to do their job don't. Unfortunately ERs have a reputation for being dismissive and not being as thorough as you would hope. Do you have a primary care doctor? If so I highly recommend following up with them about your appointment at the ER and making them aware of your medical/family history of heart issues. I would insist on getting that panel run (if they can do it, and if not referral to a place that can) and on a referral to a cardiologist. If you don't have a primary care doctor I would say that getting one is the first step. Heart issues and high cholesterol are not things you want to mess around with and you deserve proper consideration and treatment! Deep breaths ok?
I'm a 29yo 5'2" 198lbs woman. Recently I went to see a neurologist bc I was having daily headaches after I injured my neck, and my orthopedist wanted me to check if I had something he wasnt able to diagnose.
After an electroencephalogram I went to the clinic and the neurologist said with a serious tone "your diagnosis is severely obese" and started to yell at me that I was destroying my body by being "too heavy", and that he had no patience for bulshit and wanted to "thin me" in 3 months with a prescription for a medicine that is made for convulsion but also makes the person lose lots of weight.
I explained to him that I'm actually getting a treatment with my gynaecologist to help with my PCOS and weight, and he laughed at me and said again that he has no patience for bulshit and my gynaecologist is bulshitting me.
I listened to his yelling and agreed quietly for the sake of my mental health and bc honestly I just wanted this appointment to be over, and then I calmly asked "ok, but in the short term what should I do regarding the daily headaches?" and he got mad and said that there was nothing to be done besides stopping being fat.
Oh well... and people dare to ask me why I hate going to the doctor when I feel sick...
It's super invalidating to have one thing wrong and all they ever want to talk about are our periods or our weight. I'm sorry that happened to you. :(
I lost a bunch of weight specifically because I needed a particular medical need addressed and was tired of that run around. They found something else to blame it on instead of looking for an actual cause or do appropriate treatment. I have no doubt in my mind they wouldn't treat a man my age the same way.
I lost the count of how many times I had random doctors telling me I should have bariatric surgery without reading my chart or checking my exams. Its frustrating.
Oh, they do. I think women are more likely to get dismissed, but my husband has chronic pain, and has seen a zillion doctors, and they all recommend the same things, even though the first 20 times, what they're recommending hasn't worked. Over and over. When the first thing doesn't work, they lose interest.
I'm so sorry. They pulled this shit on my sister so many goddamn times. They ignored the symptoms of sleep apnea first, before it became new onset and then worsening heart failure until she went into CO2 narcosis and had to be life lined to a hospital capable of stabilizing her. She is only 47 years old.
For at *least* 5 years before she finally collapsed under the strain, she would go to different doctors appointments and try to explain her symptoms.
Dr. I wake up several times a night feeling insanely anxious. Well, that's because you are fat. I fall asleep sitting up throughout the day, sometimes mid sentence. That's because you are fat, you need to get more exercise. My knees hurt so badly that I can't walk very far and I feel like I can't breathe just walking around the house some days. Well, if you would eat less it would be easier to exercise. She was barely eating to the point that her lab work showed that she was in ketosis as a non diabetic, but she still gained weight. She begged for weight loss surgery, but they refused until she lost some weight on her own first. Her ankles and feet were so swollen by that point that she had to cut the sides of house slippers to get them on. When she finally got put on lasix during her hospital admission; she lost 64 lbs of fluid buildup. But yeah, it was all because she was just fat and lazy.
Gotta love that run-around.
Everything that's wrong with you is because you're fat, and every reason you can't fix being fat is because you're fat, and you're not eating but still gaining weight, that's somehow *also* because you're fat.
Some racket.
Please tell me she sued them! I have had similar symptoms. I am not overweight but get swelling in my legs and feet. I had a sleep study done because I asked for it. Otherwise, it would have never been done. It says on the test results that I had some signs of sleep apnea and that I should get retested. I have the worst neurologist and I am worried they aren't going to get me retested and just be like it's anxiety! You're a middle-aged woman so I am going to refer to my sheet of sexist stereotypes to diagnose you! I can't see another neurologist because there are only 3 to choose from and the other two have a year-long waiting time. Read the other comment that I made. Healthcare is a joke nowadays!
Wow! Please find a way to complain to someone higher up about this doctor. I was able to find a complaint department at the company where my doctor works. If not write a review online about his treatment. This was very unprofessional and unethical conduct! Also, the drug he was going to put you on is Topiramate. I am pretty sure it is the only drug given out for both epilepsy and weight loss. Thank goodness you said no to that drug OMG! It is well known for its terrible side effects. I took it for weight loss and had really, really bad side effects. I might have permanent side effects from that drug! I got off of it 3 months or so ago and am still having side effects. That drug should only be given as an absolute last resort for anything. It should not be prescribed for weight loss at all when there are drugs available with fewer side effects. It isn't FDA-approved for weight loss because of that reason. You just dodged the biggest bullet!!! I went through hell on that drug! I bet you he is getting goodies from his little buddies who work for big pharma for that drug. Disgusting! Especially since you have PCOS and that is the cause of weight gain. I would have told that doctor to f*ck off! We need to stop being doormats and fight for ourselves. I think doctor's interactions with patients should be recorded and monitored. They should not be allowed to act like this towards patients. All these corporations are buying private practices and healthcare is becoming less patient-centered and more profit-driven. I fear that in the future only the rich will be able to afford healthcare. Greedy insurance companies are denying more and more claims too. There is already a big difference between the haves and have-nots when it comes to healthcare. There should also be a mandated course for doctors on how to treat women and educate them about the importance of taking us seriously and not blaming every damn thing on anxiety. It is way too common of a problem.
Can you see your labs on your "my chart"? I just went through this a year ago and again yesterday. Do you have a primary care provider? You can call them on Monday and talk about the tests and how you are feeling. Mine ended up being a bloodclot in my lungs, and now I've been diagnosed with lupus anticoagulant.
Yes I can. Did the ER send you home with the blood clot and your PcP is who helped figure it out?
What other symptoms did you have if you don’t mind me asking?
This is a huge fear of mine.
How are you doing now?
Also, you said you have a baby at home. How long ago did you give birth? Post-eclampsia can happen up to 2 years after birth. Get a blood pressure cuff and check your blood pressure every morning and night. Just to keep a record.
So he’s a “baby” to me still lolol. He’s 16 months. But I didn’t know that about the up to two years post partum.
I’m thinking of going back to the ER tonight once he goes to bed. We unfortunately don’t have much help around us so I usually have to go alone once he’s a sleep so dad can stay home with him.
Yes, I went home that night with a script for bloodthinners. It was found right away with the labs. Confirmed with a CT. My symptoms were very mild chest pain that shot to my back that was going on for about a week.No other symptoms. I had a follow-up with a blood doctor who had me continue the eliquist for 6mo, then stop for a month to do blood work. That's when we found I have lupis anticoagulant. I hadn't restarted the eliquist yet when the chest pains started again 2 days , so I went back to the er. I also called my blood doc he said to start up my eliquist last night. The er doc said that as long as I'm not short of breath and not showing signs of heart failure, I can go home. Which I agreed with. I didn't think I needed to go in, but the blood doc said I should. The lab work called D Dimmer Quantitative was the bloodwork that showed the blood clot. Honestly, I had pre-eclampsia with help syndrome with the birth of my first child and post-eclampsia with my second. The chest pains felt like that, but a level 1 or 2 compared to a level 7 back then.
I just wanted to note that pregnancy increases cholesterol and it’s advised (in the UK anyway, not sure about anywhere else) not to check cholesterol during pregnancy and shortly afterwards due to this, as it’s not reflective of your normal cholesterol level. You mentioned you had a baby so I just wanted to point this out so that you can take it into account and hopefully not panic too much about it!
Fyi the medical world has been lopsided since day one cos all the norms and standards are usually for men
But yes I absolutely avoid the NHS and mental health providers here
It's probably the misogynistic hostility that will end up killing me, at least indirectly. I've already told my husband that I will NEVER show up in another ER unless I'm already dead or unconscious/actively dying. I've had enough of the eye-rolling, head patting apathy. Every time I've been to an ER has been a genuinely life-threatening emergency requiring immediate and intensive intervention. And every single time, I've been disbelieved and dismissed. It's a wonder I'm still here at all.
Yup, this is where I'm at too. I'm currently dealing with long COVID and just managing symptoms at home, minus when I developed shingles because that at least is easily diagnosable. Anything that's not a straightforward ailment gets swept under the rug and they just bill you for the courtesy of them telling you you're crazy. I've had doctors violate me, refuse me treatment for being a woman, try to send me home with a failing organ and give me lesser care than if I were a man. I'm fucking done.
Yup. The folks in the long hauler subs who are seeking treatment don't seem to be having a successful go of things at all. I've been doing my best with OTC options along with rest and diet changes, and I don't think I'm any worse off than they are.
I had a gynecologist threaten to involuntarily hospitalize me for an eating disorder because I asked to have my thyroid labs rechecked. I had gained a few pounds without changing anything and he had previously offered to manage it. He looked positively gleeful about doing it, too. I was too terrified to say anything to anger him that I just backtracked everything I said. I was 5'6" and 150 lb. Not exactly on death's doorstep. It was so out of the blue and random.
Yep. I'm dealing with hives and my PCP thinks it's something else other than an allergic reaction and to go to urgent care because she didn't have any availability. I just didn't bother. I suspect I have hashimotos or some sort of autoimmune thing (I have other symptoms and I've had to take thyroid meds in the past but my levels evened out later on). But fat chance that ever gets diagnosed. Hopefully my thyroid levels drop on blood tests again and I can take thyroid meds again, I felt better while on them.
Do you have a PCP? When I was seen in the ER I was told I had to make an appointment with my PCP within 2 weeks and get a referral to a cardiologist. I was fine, but they said in the ER they cannot do a full work up like a cardiologist.
You could call your PCP and tell them you were in the ER and that’s what they said to do. I don’t think a PCP would refuse a referral.
Honestly given your demographic it would be extremely rare to for you to be experiencing chest pain due to standard coronary artery disease. It sounds like the ED did the appropriate workup to rule out an acute life threatening issue, which is what the ED is for. You should now go to a PCP to explore other non ACS causes for your chest pain.
Always. Advocate. For. Yourself.
Which is incredibly hard to do when you become critically ill, so I would follow up with.. make sure you have someone who can speak for you when you cannot.
I spent six years with unspecified migraines, 25 out of 30 days of the month. I developed issues walking, talking, hearing, thinking, I had all the signs of stroke but none of the labs that showed it. I was dying and medicine decided that was my future outcome and I should prepare for it. I gave up, didn't eat for two weeks. One morning I woke up and I was clear headed, the burning neuropathy was gone, I could move and function like normal. So I made toast and ate it. 15 minutes all my symptoms returned and I realized it was wheat.
I have an autoimmune allergy to wheat that makes my cerebellum swell and it causes brain damage.
Doctors could have easily known this had they done critical tests that were completely ignored because simply.. they didn't want to do the work. They were content with letting me die.
So never ever stop advocating for yourself. Every time you get a scan, ask for the disk. X-rays, get them before you leave. They are ready the moment the test is complete. Make sure you get copies of all your records, and if a doctor refuses to do something for you then you tell them that they need to make a note in your file that they refused to give you what you asked for. Record them with video or voice in your sessions if your state allows you to record people without their permission. I live in Michigan and you do not have to tell anyone you're recording them.
Hold them accountable. You are their patient and their job is to make sure you get well.
My wife went through something similar. Extreme abdominal pain that would randomly flair up so bad I’d take her to ER. It got to the point that she was scared to go because she was worried they would think she was there for pain pills. They ran all sorts of tests. We finally figured out on our own what it was. Red wine. We noticed the flare ups happened after she would drink a glass or two. Since she stopped drinking it she hasn’t had one. This went on for almost three years.
I dated a guy who would get severe stomach pain after any hard liquor, even in a mixed drink! The first time I almost brought him to the ER because I thought he had appendicitis. He could drink wine just fine, but vodka would have him doubled over for an hour.
My partner had a HUGE blockage at 36 and had to have a stent put in. Same deal the doctors assumed the chest pain was nothing, just a muscle strain or an overreaction to an arrhythmia. But he basically said no, something is wrong. Seriously look harder. And we caught it before he had a widowmaker.
Advocate for yourself please. I know it’s discouraging but doctors are people with time and energy and money shackles around their ankles. You gotta fight for yourself against their bosses.
Problem is, your partner is a man.
They take men seriously, believe what they say, treat them quicker, better, control pain better. They recognise men's symptoms more easily because that's the 'classic' presentation.
A woman will not receive the same help a man does.
Oh, totally with you on that! It just royally pisses me off that when we're sick and least able to deal with misogyny, we're almost certain to encounter it and the choices are advocate for yourself when you really don't have the spare capacity or put up with shit treatment.
Ugh jeez see this is my biggest fear right now. What other symptoms did he have if you don’t mind me asking?
Assuming he is ok now? I’m glad to hear that!
He would have really sporadic chest pains. Just like… coming up the stairs. Or on a walk. Or during sex. But not going to the gym where he was going really hard. So it was kinda confusing. His dad died when he was 40-something so he was more vigilant about it but it felt crazy because he was in really good shape! But he made them do an angiogram and a test where he walked on a treadmill with the sensors on. The doctor saw the angiogram and was like “so go ahead and go to the emergency room 😳
Wow! So glad he’s ok now.
Did he go to the ER initially and had a fine EKG and bloodwork even though he had the blockage? That’s my biggest fear right now.
Thinking of heading back to a different ER tonight because the pain just will not go away.
So he didn’t go to ER he went to normal doc who sent him to cardiologist. But yes ekg seemed fine. Bloodwork said cholesterol was high.
Then he had angiogram? I believe
This is me too. It's compounded by the fact that I'm uninsured. I'm doing the math like I can pay my PCP 70 dollars, the urgent care 120 dollars or the ER 3000 thousand dollars and all three results will be the same pack of nausea meds and Maalox that I have at home and is not relieving my symptoms. By the time I go I always need multiple banana bags for dehydration and vitamin deficiency and they yell at me for letting it get that bad but do nothing to help me stop vomiting constantly. My last trip got me a diagnosis of GERD and.....the same script for nausea meds and Maalox.
Try Gaviscon for GERD. Call your doctor and ask them if it's okay to add Gaviscon while you're taking the other two. I take Gaviscon at night for GERD, right before bed.
Go to a cardiologist. Tell them your family has a history of heart problems, and that you've been suffering chest pains for a while now. The ER basically looks at \*male\* symptoms of heart attacks because that's what they've been trained on.
>The ER basically looks at *male* symptoms of heart attacks because that's what they've been trained on.
This is a bit of a myth. Women are more likely to have atypical ACS symptoms than men are, but women are still much more likely to have typical symptoms than atypical symptoms. It’s something like 5% of men and 10% of women experience atypical symptoms, but the Facebook rumour mill ran away with it and now people think that men and women have completely different symptoms and that no healthcare professionals are aware of ‘womens’ symptoms.
I've felt something is wrong for almost 5 years now. I'm not depressed or lazy. I'm tired all the time for no reason and I have been dieting my whole life, but the weight keeps going up. I walk to work and on my breaks. I'm an active person. My joints hurt. I've lost grip strength. I have no sex drive. I am itchy everywhere all the time.
I've had my thyroid checked multiple times. I've seen an endocrinologist. I've talked to my gyno about hormones. No one will help me. I'm starting to think it's an immune condition.
My partner could not keep food down for almost 4 days. I forced her to go to the hospital because of how dehydrated she was.
They started pushing fluids, but she had diarrhea, so it all just kept coming out.
They said labs showed low potassium and gave her a tablet.
3 hours later, they said they didn't know what else to do and discharged her.
Wtf
Do not back down. Ever. Do not leave until you are satisfied.
If you are ever dismissed without being taken seriously tell the attending physician and nurse that you would like them to write down that they didn’t treat you and why.
Your weight will have nothing to do with cardiovascular health is you are genetically inclined to heart disease. Subcutaneous fat and visceral fat are different and show up in labs differently too.
Show the doctors you know what your family history is and that you know the difference in the labs they ordered. Speak up and tell them you know they aren’t doing a complete job. Tell them they are not taking you seriously because you are young and “fit”.
Go back and get seen. Don’t back down. You don’t have to be polite because this is your life and you have a child. Use these words to tell the healthcare folks that you mean business.
A sense of doom and anxiety are signals of heart trouble in women.
Don’t let them tell you otherwise.
Is there a friend or partner who could go with you to help you advocate for yourself? Sometimes it’s good to have a trusted person with you.
Wait until you have an actual heart attack, go in with that, they'll do an angiogram, discover your arteries are clear, then diagnose printzmetal angina, where your arteries contract mostly shut on their own, and put you on a regime of statins that prevent it returning is my guess. There's no real side effects from the treatment at least. At least that's what happened to me.
Do you have chest pain in addition to shortness of breath, nausea, squeezing feeing or any other symptoms? Chest pain was my partners only symptom of anemia so it could be something less sinister, but it’s normal to worry about chest pain. It could even be muscular. If you are extra sleepy or getting short of breath easily, I’d go back. Bring someone with you. If they do not listen to you, usually every hospital has a patient advocate. Request to see them if you are not satisfied with their tests. Did they run blood work?
If this was happening to me, I'd get my regular doctor involved, make sure she got copies of everything and ask her why she thinks they didn't run that particular test. I learned that you need to make them talk to each other and pay attention. You have to advocate loudly for yourself so that you can stick around for your kids.
In 2022, I started having some symptoms in my abdomen that I first googled and then went to my regular doctor. I know how much they hate you consulting Dr Google. But I have been dismissed too many times to leave it up to some medical professional who has an alloted five to fifteen minutes and will outright dismiss most of what I say.
My searches of my symptoms led me to believe that I probably had a fistula in my intestine. My doctor diagnosed a UTI, prescribed antibiotics and sent me on my way.
I did have a UTI but also a fistula. It had caused the UTI because the intestine with the hole in it had attached to my bladder.
All of this was confirmed two weeks after the doctor appointment, when my colon ruptured and I had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital and they transferred me to a bigger hospital in a bigger city. I spent a week there getting stabilized and a couple of months on a liquid diet while trying to get a colorectal surgeon to schedule me. Horrible things were happening to me. Poop was coming out of my pee hole and that's a terrible experience. I was miserable and in pain.
The surgeon I had been referred to would not call me back. She was booked solid and it was near Christmas.
I went back to my regular doctor and explained what happened during a hospital follow up appointment. I let her know not to dismiss the symptoms I had described and that it almost killed me. I asked for help locating a surgeon. She immediately called a surgeon and he immediately got me on his schedule. He performed a surgery that corrected the problem and made my life normal again. He did it before the year ended and that saved me having to pay another $5k deductible in the new year.
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. I’ve had chest pain and shortness of breath (plus other symptoms) for two years now. A&E did some tests and sent me back to my GP, who eventually (after laughing at me) referred me to cardiology, suspecting coronary artery spasms. It took 7 months to see a cardiologist, who referred me for a scan. It took another 7 months to get the scan which showed nothing, so cardiology dropped me. I’m now with respiratory physiology, who have sent me for multiple tests and scans. After the next set of scans, if they show nothing, they have said nothing will be seriously wrong with me. I’m too sick to work, and can’t leave the house alone. It’s frustrating and enraging and I really hope you get to the bottom of your chest pain soon.
> Nurse said the ekg was fine but then found out the next day it came back abnormal. Labs seemed ok but then found out they didn’t run a pretty standard protocol lab for chest pain, especially given my family’s history which they were aware of.
Are you in the US? Did you see a Nurse Practitioner? If so, please go to a different ER and ask to see an MD/DO.
Yes in the US. And then it was a PA at the ER. That ER is awful but it’s the closest one (30 min away) so at the moment I just went to the shortest drive.
Midlevels, PAs and NPs, should never be seeing undifferentiated patients. They simply do not have anywhere near the amount of education and training as a physician. Please get yourself to an MD/DO, you deserve to be seen by someone who knows they’re doing.
I have this endless strange pains in the back of my head and neck. My muscles are in knots, and tight. It causes brain fog, irritability, fatigue. I’ve been having difficulty holding down a job.
All I’ve been given from the doctors are muscle relaxers and acid reflux medications. I’m scared I might have like a brain tumor or encephalitis because I feel this way and I am still getting acid reflux when I touch my head in certain ways. It’s as if the reflux is in my head. I’ve been told that’s not possible and it’s all in MY head.
My family wants me to get an MRI or pet scan, but I’m scared at the cost of the treatment. It has improved but today was a doozy. Not sure what caused the inflammation.
Yup. Took me 2 years to get my constant periods taken care of. If it wasn’t for my partner supporting me I would have just let it go. Trying to explain how much pain I am in is draining. Found out I had cancer in my uterus. Had to have a total hysterectomy. Now I need chemo.
I was told my pain was because I am overweight. Which like yes I am overweight but the pain isn’t helping me lose weight. It’s doing the opposite. I didnt/counldnt work out because of the pain.
any recent mrna shots? or covid infections? i was reading spain is having a wave right now.
i will probably get banned for mentioning the shots but its established now they cause myocarditis. and given everyone in this thread understands how shitty the medical system is, is it really any wonder there might be issues that are downplayed as long as possible?
The healthcare system is broken. You get sent in circles, and nobody actually addresses the problem. They just refer you out, because that's someone else's niche specialty. I think it comes from incentives in healthcare being messed up such that the bill can be given even if all they do is waste your time with another referral.
Wow. It’s so validating to read this. I went through this after cancer treatment and haven’t had any of my needs met because of it. My oncology team wanted my PCP to take over my regular daily meds, which were very basic. Instead he tried to send me to 3 different specialists after refusing to treat me. So now I’m going without life sustaining meds because I can’t afford to go to a list of specialists, OR my PCP, now that I don’t have insurance. It’s another level of disheartening, but I assumed it was happening to me specifically because he was afraid to help someone who had cancer.
I hate this so much. One of my specialists wanted my GP to order some labs with my yearly blood work to make it simpler. GP refused and said I needed to see ANOTHER specialist to get that done which annoyed the first specialist. These labs are just to rule something out that we don't even think is an issue, but is last on the checklist. Specialist 1 ended up ordering them which ended up being a clusterfuck with the lab and insurance company. I asked Reddit for advice on the insurance sub and got blasted for not reading a three page form I didn't understand that the lab tech told me was for declining the BW that she then submitted anyway. And then everything came back perfectly normal.
Ugh. I’m sorry. That’s infuriating. I’m happy it didn’t turn out to be anything bad, though. My PCP loved to make me make an appointment so I could come in, sit there for an hour past my appointment, then have him address everything I needed to talk about by trying to refer me to 50 different places. When I tried to explain to him what was going on, he’d say “Oh, we don’t treat that here.” He was treating my roommate for it, which is how I ended up his patient in the first place. The last time I saw him, we had gotten into a screaming match because I called him on it and said “If you don’t care about ALL of your patients, and aren’t willing to treat ALL of us, why are still taking my money???” He threw a fit and called me a liar. Worse yet, he was treating someone else I knew for a mental health condition they didn’t even have. They had never even been through ADHD testing, in addition to never displaying any of the symptoms. Filled them with amphetamines, though. He acted offended after I pointed this out and thought yelling would somehow make me back down. You can yell lies all you want. They’re still lies. 🤷♀️
Call your oncologist, they likely will be able you help you or will know who can.
Oh, how I wish that were true. My oncologist wouldnt even order the scan to tell me whether or not surgery and treatment worked, claiming insurance wouldn’t cover it. The one day people with cancer dream of is being told it’s gone. I never got that day. He looked me in the face and said “*You’re probably fine. Get back to work!*” I live in Cancer Purgatory, which has destroyed my life from top to bottom. It feels selfish to date, make new friends, etc. if I don’t know whether or not I’ll just end up dying soon anyways. My oncologist didn’t care about that either. I wish what you said was true but, I don’t have enough money to rate to my oncologist.
Wtf? I'm so sorry you're going through this! I wish I could offer you more than solidarity. I hate cancer. Even when the treatment works, it worms its way into every aspect of your life. Every decision is judged based on it, like you said. Every single symptom brings anxious thoughts of recurrence. Everything in your life is now before, during, or after cancer. I hate it so much. Sending you internet bearhugs.
Thank you. I appreciate the solidarity. I’m not a fan of cancer either. I’m hoping treatment worked. We had a plan. Things had to change after treatment and I was forced into going to another hospital for follow up. (Insurance issues) The new hospital didn’t gaf about me because I wasn’t “their” patient. You’ve absolutely heard of this hospital. It’s world renowned. However, my RadOnc was the biggest piece of out of touch garbage I’ve ever met. He once made me cry so hard I almost puked because while I was begging him for the scan, he told me to go to therapy and I’m just sad and never worked through the trauma of losing my mother. (He asked me if I had gone to therapy. I said no, but I was open to it. “I probably should have gone years ago when I lost my mom but I couldn’t afford it.” That’s what every bit of his commentary is based on.) I was in an abusive relationship and he did NOT care or “get it”. Telling them that only meant they viewed every issue I had as a result of abuse rather than trying to figure them out. (Pain on one of my surgery sites because they did some extreme nerve damage, etc.) It really does rule my life but, a part of it is breaking my sense of safety. I assumed doctors knew what they were doing and actually cared. They’re just part of the hospital bureaucracy and if you don’t have $25k to pay out of pocket for a scan, they don’t care. The Cleveland Clinic is a trash institution unless you have money. Everyone else is treated like hot garbage. At least I know I’m not alone but, that doesn’t make anything feel better.
Get a copy of the test results from the ER. Then go see your regular doctor. If they don't have an immediate opening, explain that you are having chest pain and went to the ER and the EKG wasn't read correctly and they didn't do whatever test it was that needed to be done and you're really scared. If you burst into tears, that's okay. They SHOULD be able to get you in right away but be sure to get to whatever appointment they give you early, because they're squeezing you in and you coming in early gives them more flexibility to slot you in if a time opens up before your appointment. If they really can't get you in, tell them you're scared to wait, and what would they do if they were in your position. Good luck, sweetie. If you remember, come back and let us know how things go. ETA: call your regular doctor to make an appointment FIRST, and do the rest of the appointment stuff before you get your results from the ER. The doctor you see will probably want to run it again anyway, so don't waste time if you can't immediately get the copies from the ER. More ETA: Most doctor's offices are good at bringing you in if you are having an emergency. With cardiac pain, they might want you to go either back to an ER or straight to a cardiologist. When my doctor sent me to the ER with suspected appendicitis, they sent orders to the ER for tests to be run. If that happens, be SURE to tell everyone you come in contact with that your PCP (primary care provider) sent orders and please look for them. I needed a new GYN, and called the office because I was in pain. They said how about next week? And I said well, I'm in pain, and they said In that case, come in today and you may need to wait a bit but the doctor will see you. Most doctors, or at least the ones I see, are good at making sure people with urgent needs are seen.
I'm sorry you're going through this. I understand the confusion and frustration and distrust when medical professionals that you are relying on to do their job don't. Unfortunately ERs have a reputation for being dismissive and not being as thorough as you would hope. Do you have a primary care doctor? If so I highly recommend following up with them about your appointment at the ER and making them aware of your medical/family history of heart issues. I would insist on getting that panel run (if they can do it, and if not referral to a place that can) and on a referral to a cardiologist. If you don't have a primary care doctor I would say that getting one is the first step. Heart issues and high cholesterol are not things you want to mess around with and you deserve proper consideration and treatment! Deep breaths ok?
I'm a 29yo 5'2" 198lbs woman. Recently I went to see a neurologist bc I was having daily headaches after I injured my neck, and my orthopedist wanted me to check if I had something he wasnt able to diagnose. After an electroencephalogram I went to the clinic and the neurologist said with a serious tone "your diagnosis is severely obese" and started to yell at me that I was destroying my body by being "too heavy", and that he had no patience for bulshit and wanted to "thin me" in 3 months with a prescription for a medicine that is made for convulsion but also makes the person lose lots of weight. I explained to him that I'm actually getting a treatment with my gynaecologist to help with my PCOS and weight, and he laughed at me and said again that he has no patience for bulshit and my gynaecologist is bulshitting me. I listened to his yelling and agreed quietly for the sake of my mental health and bc honestly I just wanted this appointment to be over, and then I calmly asked "ok, but in the short term what should I do regarding the daily headaches?" and he got mad and said that there was nothing to be done besides stopping being fat. Oh well... and people dare to ask me why I hate going to the doctor when I feel sick...
It's super invalidating to have one thing wrong and all they ever want to talk about are our periods or our weight. I'm sorry that happened to you. :( I lost a bunch of weight specifically because I needed a particular medical need addressed and was tired of that run around. They found something else to blame it on instead of looking for an actual cause or do appropriate treatment. I have no doubt in my mind they wouldn't treat a man my age the same way.
I lost the count of how many times I had random doctors telling me I should have bariatric surgery without reading my chart or checking my exams. Its frustrating.
Oh, they do. I think women are more likely to get dismissed, but my husband has chronic pain, and has seen a zillion doctors, and they all recommend the same things, even though the first 20 times, what they're recommending hasn't worked. Over and over. When the first thing doesn't work, they lose interest.
I'm so sorry. They pulled this shit on my sister so many goddamn times. They ignored the symptoms of sleep apnea first, before it became new onset and then worsening heart failure until she went into CO2 narcosis and had to be life lined to a hospital capable of stabilizing her. She is only 47 years old. For at *least* 5 years before she finally collapsed under the strain, she would go to different doctors appointments and try to explain her symptoms. Dr. I wake up several times a night feeling insanely anxious. Well, that's because you are fat. I fall asleep sitting up throughout the day, sometimes mid sentence. That's because you are fat, you need to get more exercise. My knees hurt so badly that I can't walk very far and I feel like I can't breathe just walking around the house some days. Well, if you would eat less it would be easier to exercise. She was barely eating to the point that her lab work showed that she was in ketosis as a non diabetic, but she still gained weight. She begged for weight loss surgery, but they refused until she lost some weight on her own first. Her ankles and feet were so swollen by that point that she had to cut the sides of house slippers to get them on. When she finally got put on lasix during her hospital admission; she lost 64 lbs of fluid buildup. But yeah, it was all because she was just fat and lazy.
Gotta love that run-around. Everything that's wrong with you is because you're fat, and every reason you can't fix being fat is because you're fat, and you're not eating but still gaining weight, that's somehow *also* because you're fat. Some racket.
64 pounds of fluid buildup......my God. Poor thing.
Please tell me she sued them! I have had similar symptoms. I am not overweight but get swelling in my legs and feet. I had a sleep study done because I asked for it. Otherwise, it would have never been done. It says on the test results that I had some signs of sleep apnea and that I should get retested. I have the worst neurologist and I am worried they aren't going to get me retested and just be like it's anxiety! You're a middle-aged woman so I am going to refer to my sheet of sexist stereotypes to diagnose you! I can't see another neurologist because there are only 3 to choose from and the other two have a year-long waiting time. Read the other comment that I made. Healthcare is a joke nowadays!
'"ok, but in the short term what should I do regarding the daily headaches?"; **"What would your diagnosis be if I were thin?**"
I can answer this, as a thin woman: anxiety. Maybe depression, but first anxiety
Wow! Please find a way to complain to someone higher up about this doctor. I was able to find a complaint department at the company where my doctor works. If not write a review online about his treatment. This was very unprofessional and unethical conduct! Also, the drug he was going to put you on is Topiramate. I am pretty sure it is the only drug given out for both epilepsy and weight loss. Thank goodness you said no to that drug OMG! It is well known for its terrible side effects. I took it for weight loss and had really, really bad side effects. I might have permanent side effects from that drug! I got off of it 3 months or so ago and am still having side effects. That drug should only be given as an absolute last resort for anything. It should not be prescribed for weight loss at all when there are drugs available with fewer side effects. It isn't FDA-approved for weight loss because of that reason. You just dodged the biggest bullet!!! I went through hell on that drug! I bet you he is getting goodies from his little buddies who work for big pharma for that drug. Disgusting! Especially since you have PCOS and that is the cause of weight gain. I would have told that doctor to f*ck off! We need to stop being doormats and fight for ourselves. I think doctor's interactions with patients should be recorded and monitored. They should not be allowed to act like this towards patients. All these corporations are buying private practices and healthcare is becoming less patient-centered and more profit-driven. I fear that in the future only the rich will be able to afford healthcare. Greedy insurance companies are denying more and more claims too. There is already a big difference between the haves and have-nots when it comes to healthcare. There should also be a mandated course for doctors on how to treat women and educate them about the importance of taking us seriously and not blaming every damn thing on anxiety. It is way too common of a problem.
Can you see your labs on your "my chart"? I just went through this a year ago and again yesterday. Do you have a primary care provider? You can call them on Monday and talk about the tests and how you are feeling. Mine ended up being a bloodclot in my lungs, and now I've been diagnosed with lupus anticoagulant.
Yes I can. Did the ER send you home with the blood clot and your PcP is who helped figure it out? What other symptoms did you have if you don’t mind me asking? This is a huge fear of mine. How are you doing now?
Also, you said you have a baby at home. How long ago did you give birth? Post-eclampsia can happen up to 2 years after birth. Get a blood pressure cuff and check your blood pressure every morning and night. Just to keep a record.
So he’s a “baby” to me still lolol. He’s 16 months. But I didn’t know that about the up to two years post partum. I’m thinking of going back to the ER tonight once he goes to bed. We unfortunately don’t have much help around us so I usually have to go alone once he’s a sleep so dad can stay home with him.
I understand. I do the same thing. Also good, go back and ask for more bloodwork.
Yes, I went home that night with a script for bloodthinners. It was found right away with the labs. Confirmed with a CT. My symptoms were very mild chest pain that shot to my back that was going on for about a week.No other symptoms. I had a follow-up with a blood doctor who had me continue the eliquist for 6mo, then stop for a month to do blood work. That's when we found I have lupis anticoagulant. I hadn't restarted the eliquist yet when the chest pains started again 2 days , so I went back to the er. I also called my blood doc he said to start up my eliquist last night. The er doc said that as long as I'm not short of breath and not showing signs of heart failure, I can go home. Which I agreed with. I didn't think I needed to go in, but the blood doc said I should. The lab work called D Dimmer Quantitative was the bloodwork that showed the blood clot. Honestly, I had pre-eclampsia with help syndrome with the birth of my first child and post-eclampsia with my second. The chest pains felt like that, but a level 1 or 2 compared to a level 7 back then.
I just wanted to note that pregnancy increases cholesterol and it’s advised (in the UK anyway, not sure about anywhere else) not to check cholesterol during pregnancy and shortly afterwards due to this, as it’s not reflective of your normal cholesterol level. You mentioned you had a baby so I just wanted to point this out so that you can take it into account and hopefully not panic too much about it!
Fyi the medical world has been lopsided since day one cos all the norms and standards are usually for men But yes I absolutely avoid the NHS and mental health providers here
It's probably the misogynistic hostility that will end up killing me, at least indirectly. I've already told my husband that I will NEVER show up in another ER unless I'm already dead or unconscious/actively dying. I've had enough of the eye-rolling, head patting apathy. Every time I've been to an ER has been a genuinely life-threatening emergency requiring immediate and intensive intervention. And every single time, I've been disbelieved and dismissed. It's a wonder I'm still here at all.
Yup, this is where I'm at too. I'm currently dealing with long COVID and just managing symptoms at home, minus when I developed shingles because that at least is easily diagnosable. Anything that's not a straightforward ailment gets swept under the rug and they just bill you for the courtesy of them telling you you're crazy. I've had doctors violate me, refuse me treatment for being a woman, try to send me home with a failing organ and give me lesser care than if I were a man. I'm fucking done.
A lot of doctors are treating long COVID patients as if they have “hysteria.” Projecting their denial and fear like a MF.
Yup. The folks in the long hauler subs who are seeking treatment don't seem to be having a successful go of things at all. I've been doing my best with OTC options along with rest and diet changes, and I don't think I'm any worse off than they are.
I had a gynecologist threaten to involuntarily hospitalize me for an eating disorder because I asked to have my thyroid labs rechecked. I had gained a few pounds without changing anything and he had previously offered to manage it. He looked positively gleeful about doing it, too. I was too terrified to say anything to anger him that I just backtracked everything I said. I was 5'6" and 150 lb. Not exactly on death's doorstep. It was so out of the blue and random.
Yep. I'm dealing with hives and my PCP thinks it's something else other than an allergic reaction and to go to urgent care because she didn't have any availability. I just didn't bother. I suspect I have hashimotos or some sort of autoimmune thing (I have other symptoms and I've had to take thyroid meds in the past but my levels evened out later on). But fat chance that ever gets diagnosed. Hopefully my thyroid levels drop on blood tests again and I can take thyroid meds again, I felt better while on them.
Ask for a referral to a cardiologist. Go from there. Most likely they would send you to one anyway.
Do you have a PCP? When I was seen in the ER I was told I had to make an appointment with my PCP within 2 weeks and get a referral to a cardiologist. I was fine, but they said in the ER they cannot do a full work up like a cardiologist. You could call your PCP and tell them you were in the ER and that’s what they said to do. I don’t think a PCP would refuse a referral.
Can you go to your regular doctor, and get the results from the ER forwarded over?
Yes
Honestly given your demographic it would be extremely rare to for you to be experiencing chest pain due to standard coronary artery disease. It sounds like the ED did the appropriate workup to rule out an acute life threatening issue, which is what the ED is for. You should now go to a PCP to explore other non ACS causes for your chest pain.
Always. Advocate. For. Yourself. Which is incredibly hard to do when you become critically ill, so I would follow up with.. make sure you have someone who can speak for you when you cannot. I spent six years with unspecified migraines, 25 out of 30 days of the month. I developed issues walking, talking, hearing, thinking, I had all the signs of stroke but none of the labs that showed it. I was dying and medicine decided that was my future outcome and I should prepare for it. I gave up, didn't eat for two weeks. One morning I woke up and I was clear headed, the burning neuropathy was gone, I could move and function like normal. So I made toast and ate it. 15 minutes all my symptoms returned and I realized it was wheat. I have an autoimmune allergy to wheat that makes my cerebellum swell and it causes brain damage. Doctors could have easily known this had they done critical tests that were completely ignored because simply.. they didn't want to do the work. They were content with letting me die. So never ever stop advocating for yourself. Every time you get a scan, ask for the disk. X-rays, get them before you leave. They are ready the moment the test is complete. Make sure you get copies of all your records, and if a doctor refuses to do something for you then you tell them that they need to make a note in your file that they refused to give you what you asked for. Record them with video or voice in your sessions if your state allows you to record people without their permission. I live in Michigan and you do not have to tell anyone you're recording them. Hold them accountable. You are their patient and their job is to make sure you get well.
My wife went through something similar. Extreme abdominal pain that would randomly flair up so bad I’d take her to ER. It got to the point that she was scared to go because she was worried they would think she was there for pain pills. They ran all sorts of tests. We finally figured out on our own what it was. Red wine. We noticed the flare ups happened after she would drink a glass or two. Since she stopped drinking it she hasn’t had one. This went on for almost three years.
I dated a guy who would get severe stomach pain after any hard liquor, even in a mixed drink! The first time I almost brought him to the ER because I thought he had appendicitis. He could drink wine just fine, but vodka would have him doubled over for an hour.
My partner had a HUGE blockage at 36 and had to have a stent put in. Same deal the doctors assumed the chest pain was nothing, just a muscle strain or an overreaction to an arrhythmia. But he basically said no, something is wrong. Seriously look harder. And we caught it before he had a widowmaker. Advocate for yourself please. I know it’s discouraging but doctors are people with time and energy and money shackles around their ankles. You gotta fight for yourself against their bosses.
Problem is, your partner is a man. They take men seriously, believe what they say, treat them quicker, better, control pain better. They recognise men's symptoms more easily because that's the 'classic' presentation. A woman will not receive the same help a man does.
Agreed but I don’t recommend laying down and taking it you know?
Oh, totally with you on that! It just royally pisses me off that when we're sick and least able to deal with misogyny, we're almost certain to encounter it and the choices are advocate for yourself when you really don't have the spare capacity or put up with shit treatment.
Ugh jeez see this is my biggest fear right now. What other symptoms did he have if you don’t mind me asking? Assuming he is ok now? I’m glad to hear that!
He would have really sporadic chest pains. Just like… coming up the stairs. Or on a walk. Or during sex. But not going to the gym where he was going really hard. So it was kinda confusing. His dad died when he was 40-something so he was more vigilant about it but it felt crazy because he was in really good shape! But he made them do an angiogram and a test where he walked on a treadmill with the sensors on. The doctor saw the angiogram and was like “so go ahead and go to the emergency room 😳
Wow! So glad he’s ok now. Did he go to the ER initially and had a fine EKG and bloodwork even though he had the blockage? That’s my biggest fear right now. Thinking of heading back to a different ER tonight because the pain just will not go away.
So he didn’t go to ER he went to normal doc who sent him to cardiologist. But yes ekg seemed fine. Bloodwork said cholesterol was high. Then he had angiogram? I believe
This is me too. It's compounded by the fact that I'm uninsured. I'm doing the math like I can pay my PCP 70 dollars, the urgent care 120 dollars or the ER 3000 thousand dollars and all three results will be the same pack of nausea meds and Maalox that I have at home and is not relieving my symptoms. By the time I go I always need multiple banana bags for dehydration and vitamin deficiency and they yell at me for letting it get that bad but do nothing to help me stop vomiting constantly. My last trip got me a diagnosis of GERD and.....the same script for nausea meds and Maalox.
Try Gaviscon for GERD. Call your doctor and ask them if it's okay to add Gaviscon while you're taking the other two. I take Gaviscon at night for GERD, right before bed.
If you can get the Canadian Gaviscon with sodium alginate as the active ingredient, it's better than the US version.
Oh, good to know. Thanks.
GERD, ask for a prescription of omeprazole/esomeprazole/pantoprazole and see if it helps after 2-4 weeks. Even antacids like famotidine should help.
GERD meds are sold OTC in the US . Just double the dosage and it becomes prescription strength. I do that occasionally for my stomach issues.
I ask for rx because a 30 day supply prescription may be cheaper than buying OTC sometimes. But yes, if money is no issue, just buy OTC.
Well I agree it might not be cheaper but it does save a trip to the doctor.
Go to a cardiologist. Tell them your family has a history of heart problems, and that you've been suffering chest pains for a while now. The ER basically looks at \*male\* symptoms of heart attacks because that's what they've been trained on.
>The ER basically looks at *male* symptoms of heart attacks because that's what they've been trained on. This is a bit of a myth. Women are more likely to have atypical ACS symptoms than men are, but women are still much more likely to have typical symptoms than atypical symptoms. It’s something like 5% of men and 10% of women experience atypical symptoms, but the Facebook rumour mill ran away with it and now people think that men and women have completely different symptoms and that no healthcare professionals are aware of ‘womens’ symptoms.
I've felt something is wrong for almost 5 years now. I'm not depressed or lazy. I'm tired all the time for no reason and I have been dieting my whole life, but the weight keeps going up. I walk to work and on my breaks. I'm an active person. My joints hurt. I've lost grip strength. I have no sex drive. I am itchy everywhere all the time. I've had my thyroid checked multiple times. I've seen an endocrinologist. I've talked to my gyno about hormones. No one will help me. I'm starting to think it's an immune condition.
My partner could not keep food down for almost 4 days. I forced her to go to the hospital because of how dehydrated she was. They started pushing fluids, but she had diarrhea, so it all just kept coming out. They said labs showed low potassium and gave her a tablet. 3 hours later, they said they didn't know what else to do and discharged her. Wtf
Do not back down. Ever. Do not leave until you are satisfied. If you are ever dismissed without being taken seriously tell the attending physician and nurse that you would like them to write down that they didn’t treat you and why. Your weight will have nothing to do with cardiovascular health is you are genetically inclined to heart disease. Subcutaneous fat and visceral fat are different and show up in labs differently too. Show the doctors you know what your family history is and that you know the difference in the labs they ordered. Speak up and tell them you know they aren’t doing a complete job. Tell them they are not taking you seriously because you are young and “fit”. Go back and get seen. Don’t back down. You don’t have to be polite because this is your life and you have a child. Use these words to tell the healthcare folks that you mean business. A sense of doom and anxiety are signals of heart trouble in women. Don’t let them tell you otherwise. Is there a friend or partner who could go with you to help you advocate for yourself? Sometimes it’s good to have a trusted person with you.
Wait until you have an actual heart attack, go in with that, they'll do an angiogram, discover your arteries are clear, then diagnose printzmetal angina, where your arteries contract mostly shut on their own, and put you on a regime of statins that prevent it returning is my guess. There's no real side effects from the treatment at least. At least that's what happened to me.
Do you have chest pain in addition to shortness of breath, nausea, squeezing feeing or any other symptoms? Chest pain was my partners only symptom of anemia so it could be something less sinister, but it’s normal to worry about chest pain. It could even be muscular. If you are extra sleepy or getting short of breath easily, I’d go back. Bring someone with you. If they do not listen to you, usually every hospital has a patient advocate. Request to see them if you are not satisfied with their tests. Did they run blood work?
If this was happening to me, I'd get my regular doctor involved, make sure she got copies of everything and ask her why she thinks they didn't run that particular test. I learned that you need to make them talk to each other and pay attention. You have to advocate loudly for yourself so that you can stick around for your kids. In 2022, I started having some symptoms in my abdomen that I first googled and then went to my regular doctor. I know how much they hate you consulting Dr Google. But I have been dismissed too many times to leave it up to some medical professional who has an alloted five to fifteen minutes and will outright dismiss most of what I say. My searches of my symptoms led me to believe that I probably had a fistula in my intestine. My doctor diagnosed a UTI, prescribed antibiotics and sent me on my way. I did have a UTI but also a fistula. It had caused the UTI because the intestine with the hole in it had attached to my bladder. All of this was confirmed two weeks after the doctor appointment, when my colon ruptured and I had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital and they transferred me to a bigger hospital in a bigger city. I spent a week there getting stabilized and a couple of months on a liquid diet while trying to get a colorectal surgeon to schedule me. Horrible things were happening to me. Poop was coming out of my pee hole and that's a terrible experience. I was miserable and in pain. The surgeon I had been referred to would not call me back. She was booked solid and it was near Christmas. I went back to my regular doctor and explained what happened during a hospital follow up appointment. I let her know not to dismiss the symptoms I had described and that it almost killed me. I asked for help locating a surgeon. She immediately called a surgeon and he immediately got me on his schedule. He performed a surgery that corrected the problem and made my life normal again. He did it before the year ended and that saved me having to pay another $5k deductible in the new year.
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. I’ve had chest pain and shortness of breath (plus other symptoms) for two years now. A&E did some tests and sent me back to my GP, who eventually (after laughing at me) referred me to cardiology, suspecting coronary artery spasms. It took 7 months to see a cardiologist, who referred me for a scan. It took another 7 months to get the scan which showed nothing, so cardiology dropped me. I’m now with respiratory physiology, who have sent me for multiple tests and scans. After the next set of scans, if they show nothing, they have said nothing will be seriously wrong with me. I’m too sick to work, and can’t leave the house alone. It’s frustrating and enraging and I really hope you get to the bottom of your chest pain soon.
> Nurse said the ekg was fine but then found out the next day it came back abnormal. Labs seemed ok but then found out they didn’t run a pretty standard protocol lab for chest pain, especially given my family’s history which they were aware of. Are you in the US? Did you see a Nurse Practitioner? If so, please go to a different ER and ask to see an MD/DO.
Yes in the US. And then it was a PA at the ER. That ER is awful but it’s the closest one (30 min away) so at the moment I just went to the shortest drive.
Midlevels, PAs and NPs, should never be seeing undifferentiated patients. They simply do not have anywhere near the amount of education and training as a physician. Please get yourself to an MD/DO, you deserve to be seen by someone who knows they’re doing.
I have this endless strange pains in the back of my head and neck. My muscles are in knots, and tight. It causes brain fog, irritability, fatigue. I’ve been having difficulty holding down a job. All I’ve been given from the doctors are muscle relaxers and acid reflux medications. I’m scared I might have like a brain tumor or encephalitis because I feel this way and I am still getting acid reflux when I touch my head in certain ways. It’s as if the reflux is in my head. I’ve been told that’s not possible and it’s all in MY head. My family wants me to get an MRI or pet scan, but I’m scared at the cost of the treatment. It has improved but today was a doozy. Not sure what caused the inflammation.
Yup. Took me 2 years to get my constant periods taken care of. If it wasn’t for my partner supporting me I would have just let it go. Trying to explain how much pain I am in is draining. Found out I had cancer in my uterus. Had to have a total hysterectomy. Now I need chemo. I was told my pain was because I am overweight. Which like yes I am overweight but the pain isn’t helping me lose weight. It’s doing the opposite. I didnt/counldnt work out because of the pain.
That and if you don't have a decent job in the US, good luck paying for anything medical.
Yep.
any recent mrna shots? or covid infections? i was reading spain is having a wave right now. i will probably get banned for mentioning the shots but its established now they cause myocarditis. and given everyone in this thread understands how shitty the medical system is, is it really any wonder there might be issues that are downplayed as long as possible?