AIBU to feel upset about fitting a heart monitor with large breasts?

[GetItRight321]

Just trying to put on my 7 day heart monitor (from ECG On-Demand). Where the do it put it, and what do I do with my massive boobs? The video features - of course - a buff bloke! You really couldn't make it up. Do they think menopausal fatties like me don't get heart problems?! The booklet has a picture of a woman, but she has pert little breasts. How do I work out the placing of the electrodes when my nipples are down by my waist when i'm not wearing a bra. 'Level with the nipples' does not help me in this case.

Just yet another example of things designed by men.

I've rung the company who tried to be helpful but I can't feel where my breast bone is, so that doesn't really help.

I've contacted my GP to see if there's a nurse who could spare 5 mins to help me. I'm seriously gonna need someone to help me keep the boobs out of the way in any case, while the electrodes go on. Unless I sling them over my shoulder.

I'm actually really really upset. I've fought tooth and nail to be taken seriously about heart issues, and FINALLY some action, yet I can't use the goddam equipment.

You are absolutely not being unreasonable.

This is not the point, but you also have a wonderful way with words and I would love to read more from you.

Yanbu. Fecking medical profession and male bias.

But, my GP fitted mine for me, I'm surprised you have to do it yourself.

I’ve had loads of these, not once have I had to fit it myself. Not unreasonable to need help at all.

I agree about the way with words. Ot felt like I was reading a book by Catherine Alliott.

I've just called Guy's and St Thomas's, where I'm a patient, and they said to send it back to the company and they'll make a appointment for me to be fitted in hospital with one of their own monitors. So, it'll take a bit longer, as I'll have to wait for a new appointment, but at least someone else can grapple with my unwieldy bits and get it in the right place. (I'm totally not asking my husband nor either of my sons to help me with this!)

I'm at least at the age where a don't give too hoots about laughing at me and my wobbly bits.

I had an echogram at Guy's on Tuesday and the quality of the care was top-notch.

Awww, that's so kind. Thank you. That's cheered me up. I'm glad I posted on here.

I made the lady at the hospital laugh when I rang up as well.

looks like it's too late for this time but for future ref. ecg dots are positioned in relation bony landmarks not your breast tissue. The website has an info booklet (not sure if they have different device models though) which shows that the dots go over the breast bone - the position is the same in men and women and it doesn't matter where your breasts are.

However, if you're overweight with big boobs it's hard to find the bony bits. And someone has to hold on to the floppy bits while you try to find the bony bits. I'm afraid it's a matter for the professional floppy-bit-handlers.

Of course there's a website (with a video! ... of a bloke) and a booklet. I've watched / read it cover to cover. But if you look nothing like the pictures, it's really hard to tell.

And a complete waste of everyone's time if you end up getting it wrong!

I certainly wouldn’t have even tried to fit on myself, I’m of a similar build OP!
hospital fitted mine, no problem.
Hope it goes well for you 🤗

I've no advice and I'm really glad you're sorted with another appointment. Hope it goes well.

But dammmmmit if this doesn't just enrage me too. Yet ANOTHER example of the medical world being so androcentric.

If you have 3 leads the red, goes under your right clavicle , the yellow under your left clavicle and the black under left breast under axilla.. but there’s usually a map on the device colour matching where the leads should go.. surely your local hospital and the cardiac rehab nurse would pop it on for you?

if the sticky patches are itchy don’t ignore it, take it off , some people are allergic to them

I see you’re all sorted now, but would getting onto all fours help so the breast tissue hangs away from the body? A bit like the Boob or Bust measuring system (see their posts on FB). Or like a yoga halfway lift/ forward fold?

This probably shows it a bit better

Why would you not ask your husband to help? We might have laughed about it but I would have had no problem asking my late husband in those circumstances.

I have tiny boobs, lol, but a nurse still did mine. That was for a 24hr one. I didn’t know some people have to do it themselves. Not sure how comfortable I’d be with that as it needs to be right.

I’ve had a few of these fitted and always by a professional. I didn’t even know you could do it yourself! I’d prob get the wrong bits (I’m not big busted but still.. )

I think its madness that anyone is supposed to fit something so important themselves. What if you get it wrong and it doesn't measure accurately? Someone up thread mentioned clavicles and axilla, that's enough to spook me into getting it wrong!

It's actually a lot simpler than that. It's just a device that goes on your breastbone between the boobs. Pads top and bottom and the device in the middle. Great for a bloke! For the well-endowed, trying to stick something in the middle of your ample cleavage is quite hard.

Each to their own. Our relationship and whether or not I'd be happy having him help me with this is a different thread entirely. He's helpful up to a point, but I would not be comfortable having him involved in this.

I guess it's a way of keeping appointment wait-times down etc etc. Big business for the private company supplying these. But, certainly for me, it's not practical!

the buff bloke on the video will also not be that helpful as a model to the average gent with a belly and moobs either. Going to have a guess that there probably aren't that many middle-aged, overweight/large-breasted women there are out there who are comfortable modelling for medical photography.
(It's really not that hard to find your own sternum even with significant obesity/pendulous breasts and so long as the dots go in the same place each time you change them, it doesn't matter that much if they're slightly off anyway).

To be honest, I thought it looked really easy when I first took it out of the box. A booklet in good English, a video link, a helpline. Tiny little device. Two adhesive pads. To be in the centre of the chest. Much smaller than the 24 hour one I had, which had a gadget I had to keep in my pocket and try not to lose down the loo.

But compatibility with boobs not great.

Have a think about how much space there actually is between your boobs if you're an F cup. In fact, my usual silhouette is 'monoboob'. (I'd already resigned myself to a week of wearing my saggiest bra and resigned myself to chafing).

In my teens I was quite proud of my breasts.
I knew nothing about the effects of gravity at that time.

Indeed it wouldn't be helpful for a larger chap. It didn't show the bloke's face. I don't see why a larger woman couldn't have modelled for the video. Same as models who model for larger-size bras. Nipples could have been edited out.

I'm sorry that you have so little empathy (and possibly not much of a sense of humour either).

Gosh me too. It's quite extraordinary. I'm sorry to all the older women I judged for letting it all go.