Just wondering if I’m being a bit precious to be annoyed about this, and if I was rude in my response
I have multiple different heart arythmias and have had different treatments including ablation, medication, and getting shocked out of it as an emergency. I’m very aware of my symptoms and my normal.
unfortunately when I’m in a funny rhythm it makes me feel really unwell- after 30 minutes or so my body starts to tremble/shake and I sweat a ridiculous amount- I’m talking soaked through a t shirt in minutes. In fairness considering my heart is going anything from 180-250 I think it’s not surprising. It can sometimes make it tricky to get a good ecg tracing because I literally sweat the stickers off in seconds, and because my body is sort of trembling it makes it even more difficult. Usually the staff are really nice and they understand I can’t help it and I’m trying my best to lie still.
anyway, I had it recently where the nurse was taking the ecg and kept saying she couldn’t get it because I wasn’t staying still. I explained to her that this always happens when I go into a funny rhythm and I’m trying my best but I really can’t help it, and she snapped back that I needed to stay still and follow instructions. I was trying my absolute best, but I was drenched in sweat and the stickers kept coming off. I was embarrassed and the atmosphere was a bit awkward so I kept apologising and she was clearly SO annoyed at me, and told me she couldn’t get a reading because I was so anxious and wasn’t following instructions. Then she went on and started implying I was having a panic attack. I replied back that I was NOT anxious, I just felt rubbish because my heart was stuck at almost 200. She then said ‘look at you, you’re clearly very anxious and that’s why you’re sweating and moving’ at this point I was getting fed up, and I replied that I have had this arythmia more times than she has probably seen it and I know my own body and I’m NOT anxious/ I’m tired and feeling sick and that’s why I’m sweating and shaking. She then said well I can’t help you if you won’t follow instructions to keep still, I was fighting tears at this point and she tried the ecg again and then she gave me such a fed up look and said it’s rubbish because I won’t do what I’m told and follow instructions and keep still so they can’t read anything from it. Then she went on and told the doctor I’m too anxious to get a good tracing and I’m panicking. Thankfully the doctor ignored that and helped me and after 7 hours of it I was finally out of the rhythm
it sounds so silly reading it back, but it was just such an awkward encounter and it’s left me wondering if I was rude? I’m biased because I’ve had a few bad experiences where I was fobbed off as anxious and had to get multiple shocks to get me back to normal after spending 10+ hours going at 200+ because I was ignored and told I was having a panic attack and just anxious even though I told them I wasn’t