mechanics with clean hands



my cardiologist tried to convince me that what i was experiencing was expected ..normal recovery behavior. but i’d spent much of my waking hours (and sleeping one too) trying to find out why i could not walk w.o. a racing pulse and therefor chest pain, while neither occurred with strenuous cycling. he said “different muscles” i knew that was a load. with heart issues i’d get angina on the bike too ...”i’ve had patients with similar ... takes time ...” didn't ring true since i'd been active -even hyperactive-- before this.

short story:
it was a simple adjustment of the “activity threshold” (AT) that determines the exercise level at which the pacer kicks in. of course it's described in term like "minimum", "moderate" and "strenuous" exertion. something like a small, medium or large onion... an opinion not a measurement.

i found this myself thanks to dr. google and loads of time ... many, many weeks ...crawling through pacemaker crap and technical manuals on the net...blah, blah..

bottom line?
doctors should make a short questionnaire for prospective pacer patients asking about “usual activity” ..."do you sit on you ass and watch the tv? do you have walker-races with your neighbor? is it a good day when you’ve yelled at the next door neighbors or their kids ... or their dogs? do you go to the gym five days a week? do you hike? do you backpack?” in fact the doctors involved here knew we were planning to hike many days and at-altitude before this incident.

but i had to dig the stuff out myself all the while being an unpleasant jerk to anyone who came near me. i thought my life was done; fini; kaput. and i. did. not. like. it ... and i did not take it well

but q: “hey; will you change my AT from medium-low (get to the bathroom ..slowly) to high (get outa my way!)?” a: "why sure, chuck." and in less than 5 minutes it was over. fixed.

it shouldn’t be like that. but as i said diagnosis is hard, replacing a part, changing a setting .. that’s easy.

doctors are like mechanics .... but with clean hands ... as compared to mechanics ... or phone-sex workers.

3 Comments

Well Said!!

by Good Dog - 2015-09-20 08:09:35

Yeah....I couldn't agree more! I think that the problem is with doctors that time is money. They lose money when they spend too much time with a patient. You know it is all about money........right?
I received my pacemaker at age 38 suddenly out of the blue! One day fine, the next day I am in intensive care with a pulse of 28 bpm. They let me lie in the ICU all night long watching my pulse bounce from 8 to 12 and back to 20. All night long. No temporary pacemaker, nothing. I can only guess that nobody could be bothered. The they implant a pacemaker the next day. My doctor discharges and tells me nothing except "don't do anything and come back and see me in two weeks". He went on vacation and sent me home. To make a long story short; At 38, I thought my life was over. I had no idea what the prognosis was or even if I'd ever be able to resume any normal activities. Talk about depressed! I finally got on the phone to the cardiac unit at the hospital and found a nice nurse willing to give me some helpful information. That was at a time before the internet.
Your are correct...."doctors are like mechanics .... but with clean hands ... as compared to mechanics ... or phone-sex workers."

Dave

Doctors hands are filthy with greed

by oldearthworm - 2015-09-20 09:09:29

I wish a doctor would/could read this .. ..but their holier than thou attitude prevents this .. As an ex-mechanic .. I can commiserate . and if I were as sloppy as some doctors can be .. ... Mechanics lose their jobs ..Doctors bury their mistakes .
Enough bashing
Solution ?
Reform within the ranks of the medicos . some are complete and utter "nincompoops " .. others have zero bedside manners ..
BUT . a surgeon save my life with the implantation of the St Jude's pacemaker ..at an age of 75 years yet ..Twenty -thirty years ago, I'd by now be dead ....

Yeah, you got it.

by Theknotguy - 2015-09-20 09:09:52

My comment is 80% of the information they gave me about PM's was incorrect. And that was from medical people who should have known better. My nurses in cardiac rehab kept telling me I had a heart attack.

Sometimes I'm not even sure if they qualify as mechanics with clean hands.

You know you're wired when...

You run like the bionic man.

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