It's amazing the effect good docs can have on one's health. Last summer I was being bullied by my now former doctor AND, the cardio guy flippantly told me he wanted an echo (something they hadn't had done since heart surgery fours year ago, at the time!)because there "might be some loose stitches around the artificial valve." He said it so casually and I told him he was making me feel anxious to which he said he didn't mean to, even though when I asked if they could fix the stitches without going through the whole stop the heart thing again and he said no. Rog and I walked out of there in complete shock. THEN, good reason set in with lots of advice phone calls to friends including the so-experienced-in-all-things-medical-Spaw, realising if he really thought that were the case, we would have been headed to the hospital asap. The jerk! (Subsequent echo showed NO loose stitches!)

We now have a wonderful primary doctor who heard my sad story and reassured me that there is a lot we can do to keep me going into old age without those kinds of scare tactics/invasive threats. She knows from experience as her father is also a patient of the same cardio. I do still go to the cardio because other than that one time he has been excellent AND he KNOWS he was an idiot as I've basically told him. Still, until we had the new doc in place in Dec. it was a terrible time I hope to never repeat, full of much fear and unknowns.

I guess that's my long way of saying, keep the good care you have now and keep vigilant in advocating for yourself and not taking any shite off of any of them, including our Bad Boy, Spaw.**BG**

luvyakat