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Oh sweet cheezits! DOCTOR VENT

eunruh69eunruh69 member
in 1st Trimester

Okay, before I begin my vent let me preface this by saying that I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND that all my doctor's just want to make sure that I and my baby are completely healthy and that everyone's being super careful because of the "cancer & chemo" thing, etc...I GET THAT BUT I STILL NEED TO VENT BECAUSE THIS IS GETTING RIDONKULOUS!

 

Okay...backstory...When I was 9 months old I had to have heart surgery because apparently when you're inside your mom only two chambers of your heart circulate blood.  Then when you are born and take that first breath of oxygen, that oxygen dissolves a shunt/valve and then all four chambers start circulating.  Well, mine apparently didn't dissolve, SO they went in, clipped it, sewed me up and sent us on our merry way (apparently now this is a condition they give the children aspirin for and the aspirin dissolves the valve/shunt). 

 

In all 33 years of my life I have *NEVER* had to see a heart doctor on a consistent basis.  I have *NEVER* had to take medicine for a heart condition, *and*  I have *NEVER* been diagnosed as having a "congenital heart defect", or a heart murmur, OR a hole in my heart.  NEVER.

At our first OB appointment, of course I put it on my history as I have done for every doctor I have ever seen.  (I knew/know my heart is in great condition because prior to chemo they did a "MUGA" heart test on me to determine the condition and strength of my heart to see if it would be able to withstand chemo.  Everything was fine, nothing detected as abnormal, and I relayed this to the OB, and it's in my history from my oncologist)  Anyways, the OB asks me about it and I tell her the story as it has been relayed to me throughout my life.  She asks me what the actual condition was...I have no idea, but I can find out because I have my old medical records at home.  Fine, she says, I want to get you in for an echocardiogram anyways to make sure your heart is fine and that you don't have a congenital heart defect that can be passed onto your baby, but if you do it's better to know so we can take steps, blah blah blah.  Okay, fine.  Totally get it.  No problemo.  I'll get the info, you all can echocardiogram my heart and everything will be fine. 

 

So I finally check our answering machine at home (rarely check it since it's usually telemarketers or the DAV donation truck message) and there's a message from the Cardiologist's office requesting I call to schedule an appointment.  I call them when they opened today and am told that it's imperative that I get in asap and get on medicine asap because I have a congenital heart defect and/or a hole in my heart.  WHAT?!?!  Where in the world did you get *that* information from?  She tells me it's what I told the OB.  Oh cheeseandrice, it is NOT what I told the OB.  I get her straightened out and we make the appointment.  Then I get back to my office and there's a message from *another* nurse at the Cardiologist's office requesting I call because she wants to schedule me with a *different* doctor.  Okay, fine.  I call and it's the same malarky about me having a hole in my heart/congenital heart defect and the risk to my baby, etc, etc, etc...

 I finally said, as calmly as I could, "Ma'am, don't you suppose that if I did have a congenital heart defect, OR a hole in my heart from this condition that showed itself at the age of *NINE* months that I would already have a heart doctor, would already have meds I'd been on for the entirety of my life, would have all the information you need and would know the risks to my child?"  "Well, yes..." she says.  I then say "And don't you suppose that if all of that were true they wouldn't have just let me go all this time (33 years) *without* any of those things?"  "Well, yes..." she says.  

*bangs head against wall*

I know, I know ladies.  They're just being cautious and wanting to get all the information so that I/we have a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby but sheesh-a-me!  I just find it hard to believe that they don't believe me when I say I don't have a heart condition because I probably would've known about it BEFORE NOW seeing as it was something that happened when I was nine months old.

 

Lord help me...

 

Thanks for letting me vent, and just so you all know I *AM * getting the echocardiogram done, and I *WILL* be digging out my old medical records this afternoon and calling the cardiologists nurse to tell her the exact name of the condition to put everyone's fears to rest.  

 Vent over...

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Re: Oh sweet cheezits! DOCTOR VENT

  • sjpsjp member
    I can imagine that the experience was pretty frustrating! GL!
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  • tinyhumantoetinyhumantoe member

    LOL..... send your ob some eardrops. 

    I guess getting the echo will shut everyone up, and for that, congratulations haha!  Also, congratulations on the pregnancy, and best of luck!

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  • eunruh69eunruh69 member

    I mean, seriously!  When you ask me for a list of medications for my heart and my reply is "I've never had to take medications for my heart because I don't have a heart condition" that should be the first indicator that your information is WRONG!

     

    Gah!

     

     

    BabyFetus Ticker BabyFruit Ticker "You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand." - Woodrow Wilson
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  • judahsmommy1judahsmommy1
    LOL! Their hearts may be in the right place, but they need to get their ears checked out. I don't blame you for being frustrated. Wouldn't the previous procedures you've been through have detected a heart defect by now? *eye roll*
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  • ebb7ebb7
    Dude, that is insane. Talk about overly cautious doctors. Haven't you had enough poking and prodding for a lifetime?! So sorry!
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  • acooper18acooper18
    I feel your pain! I had open heart surgery at 4 years old to correct what sounds like the same or a similar problem (there are 2 bypass systems in the heart of unborn babies). I have to put it on every medical form, even though I've had no problems since the surgery 16 years ago. Doesn't bother me until every doctor tries to make a big deal out of it. Mine is having me get an ECHO next week just to be sure, which I'm fine with. But its still super annoying.
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  • eunruh69eunruh69 member
    I just called and gave them what my diagnosis was at that time, and what the procedure was that they did.  She said "Oh, okay. No biggie, but we'll do the echo anyways just to make sure".  Now, I did google the condition (Patent Ductus Arteriosus) and it does say that it's more common in girls than in boys, and more common in preemies than full term but that either medication or a simple procedure solve the problem.  Of course there are the stand out bad cases of it as well but I figure it this way...it was back in 1978 when they fixed it for me, I would think *if* we have a child that is born with this it will be an even easier procedure than the one I went through (which I don't remember, mind you except for the scar on my back as a visual cue).  Having the Echo done on the 17th anyways just to be safe, and that's fine with me but maybe now they'll stop flipping the *bleep* out!
    BabyFetus Ticker BabyFruit Ticker "You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand." - Woodrow Wilson
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  • irishgirlmdirishgirlmd member

    I'm sorry for your frustration.  But, I would say your doctor and all the other folks are probably just being cautious.  I would much rather this than have your MD just brush it off.   Being an MD myself, if someone told me your history and could not tell me exactly what the heart problem was, I would also rather err on the side of caution.  

     

    FYI - from what you've mentioned in your post, it sounds like you had a PDA, or patent ductus arteriosus. This is a congenital heart defect and is very similar to having a hole in your heart.  Rather, it's a hole right outside your heart that significantly affects circulation.  Either way, once closed, either by surgery or medication, it should not affect you significantly in the future or require medication.

     

    Hope that's helpful. 

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