Pacemaker

[iloveglee]

My brother has been told he has been put on the waiting list for a pacemaker. the consultant he saw was appalling on many levels (he has complained). he gave absolutely no information about pacemakers, not even what this is (He knows what it is but the consultant didn't know that he knew, and didn't even ask). He has had ECG's which showed atrial fibrillation, plus a 24 hour monitoring as an impatient which showed that the heart rate was going very slow at certain times. the follow up appointment he should have had never materialised, hence why he ended up seeing the awful consultant. his gp believes he is undergoing various tests with the hospital, there has been no communication from the hospital to the gp about anything other than the 24 hour monitoring. He had an echo scan which shows no heart failure. He is now floundering about, symptoms getting worse, no idea about what is going to happen next, or when, or what to expect symptomatically in the meantime. He is getting more and more concerned which I am pretty sure is not helping.

[janbee]

I know several people of varying ages who have PMs. They got them VERY quickly on the NHS. I wish him well and that this gets sorted out very soon. xx

[iloveglee]

thank you. I think the main problem here is not knowing if, or when, he will need further investigations, and being given any information generally. as far as the gp is concerned he is under the hospital, except that he doesn't know what is happening as far as the hospital is concerned, and the hospital is not communicating with the gp. I am pretty sure this is, as usual, all down to communication breakdowns which cause more problems than is necessary. also, the uncertainty as to exactly what the problem is due to not seeing an adequate cardiologist.

[janbee]

Very frustrating. I hope it all sees a happy conclusion really soon. xx