[Magdalen] Prayers - cardiac worries

[Jay Weigel]

That does sound a bit extreme and I would be concerned if it were my family
member. I was the advocate for my parents for a lot of years (with backup
from my brother the MD before I was fully trained) and I firmly believe
everyone needs an advocate if they don't have medical training themselves.
Doctors *will* push their own agendas sometimes. However, the procedure
should be carried out with local anesthesia and very minimal, if any,
sedation, so you don't have that to worry about. I've cared for countless
patients of all ages before and after pacemaker insertion, and this seems
similar. Prayers that all goes without incident.

On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 11:57 PM, Sally Davies <sally.davies at gmail.com>
wrote:

> No, Jay - they're definitely implanting something which will apparently be
> there for a year!! I think it's very extreme and am concerned, because he's
> gone to a private specialist rather than the NHS specialists. I've seen the
> Holter several times before in the hospital where I work, but haven't come
> across this other thing.
>
> My sis in law, a trained nurse who's worked for years now as a medical rep,
> will be going with him to the hospital and staying the night thereafter
> (he's in Swansea and she lives in London) -  but she won't be able to ask
> the questions I'm sure she'd like to ask out of concern for upsetting Dad.
>
> Sally
>
> On Thursday, 13 November 2014, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Sounds to me like a Holter monitor (external) would be the first course
> of
> > action to take. It's uncomfortable, kind of like having an octopus stuck
> to
> > your chest, but it's only for a few days. Are you sure that's not what
> > they're doing, and then possibly a pacemaker? "Implantable recorder"
> sounds
> > a bit extreme, not to say improbable for a first step. That said, my dad
> > got his pacemaker at 78 and felt like a new person thereafter. He had
> > what's called "sick sinus syndrome" where his heart would just go off on
> > tangents (fast OR slow) for no apparent reason. He lived to 93 with it
> and
> > no further trouble.
> >
> > On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 3:51 PM, Sally Davies <sally.davies at gmail.com
> > <javascript:;>>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Please dear friends, bear my father in law Noel in your prayers. He is
> > due
> > > to have an "implantable cardiac recorder" sited to help his doctor
> figure
> > > out why he's been having dizzy spells in recent months and years.
> > >
> > > As he's now in the upper Eighties and living alone, he's finding it
> hard
> > to
> > > deal with this and coping with the worry is sapping his energy and
> > > strength, as well as his peace of mind. We are wondering whether it's
> > > counter productive, since presumably the desired outcome is better
> > health,
> > > not sleepless nights and raised blood pressure!! But ours not to reason
> > why
> > > and he's not of a generation that would even make personal demands of
> the
> > > medical profession let alone argue with it.
> > >
> > > I have also wondered why a doctor would want to put an elderly person
> > > through this - or maybe simply not expect him to be anxious about it.
> > >
> > > Sally D
> > >
> >
>