Being asked to come in for results - always bad news? (Echocardiogram and ECG)

[MulledWineExtraGin]

Hi,

My DM reluctantly decided to go private for heart issues, including lots of tachycardia and ectopic beats. She's had the scan and 7 day ECG. The sonographer actually said that she couldn't see anything worrying, but that was obviously not a diagnosis and would need to do final checks and measurements etc.

DM had several really bad tachycardia episodes during the 7 day ECG period, so it will have definitely picked them up. This is always accompanied by sky rocked blood pressure. Will usually return to normal within a few minutes and this has always puzzled doctors so far.

Anyway, results are finally in and my DM has been asked to come in to discuss them.

I'm terrified, quite honestly. Goodness knows how she must be feeling.

A friend of mine is awaiting similar test results and she was told that if all tests came back normal, they'd just send her a letter or give her a call.

I just think that if it was good news, surely they'd just want to give her the results over the phone, given covid and the risks that come with that.

Thoughts and experiences very much welcomed.

Thank you

It's understandable that you're worried about your mum but if the tests have shown up a problem, the doctor will want to go over treatment options and medication with your DM. Or if the results were inconclusive, the doctor might want to do further tests/monitoring. And our surgery has been doing routine face to face appointments for months now.

I had a full heart work up under NHS. Everything was normal. I was called in for a F2F apt to tell me that. Which is good because it gives you the opportunity to ask questions.

I've been called back privately to be told all clear, I think its a way of partly getting another £200 out of you/your insurance but it can also be useful if you have questions. Hopefully it will all be fine and if not its better to be properly managed /investigated and private are great at investigating and managing health issues.

They always do this. I have to drag DS in next week for a face to face, even though they could FaceTime me or zoom.

Thank you for the replies.

So it sounds as though this really is normal protocol. Thing is, she has been feeling really quite unwell (on and off) for quite a long time now, so I suppose is expecting the news not to be great.

She had another bad episode recently, which was typical for her, but doesn't make sense to the doctors so far. Basically she randomly checks her PB throughout the day and it's absolutely perfect, then she feels poorly and her heart rate goes straight up to anything between 130 - 200 PBM! Usually on the lower end of the scale though, with her BP shooting up with a systolic of, sometimes 200, which is insanely high! Then after 5 or 10 minutes, both her heart rate and BP come down to a normal level.

It's so strange. Has anyone had anything similar? Either themselves or family member?...

Thing is, she has been feeling really quite unwell (on and off) for quite a long time now, so I suppose is expecting the news not to be great

OP - the news will probably be positive in that they've found out what's causing your mum to feel unwell and they have a treatment plan to sort that and the other symptoms which occasionally bother her. You already know something's up, you now need to let the doctors take care of her with you nearby for moral support.

I know it's tough but have faith

Thank you @ComeonMoira. You're right.

That's what's making it extra tough though - we're not nearby and they are refusing to see us until they've had the vaccine. I can understand, as my mum might very well be in two high risk categories now, but it's so difficult not to be able to pop round for a coffee and a hug.

I know, MulledWine but you are on the other end of the phone. And the vaccine's being rolled out so that hug and coffee are in reach

I'm not sure what it will be but she's in the best place for getting it checked and treated if any treatment is needed. I'm not an expert at all but a couple of times I've had this happen they put it down to stress. This article goes through some causes

www.healthline.com/health/fluctuating-blood-pressure#outlook

It may be worth noting when it happens, for how long and if any thing happened just before or she feels anxious. If you think it could be anxiety driven it maybe best to leave to doctors, taking her blood pressure all the time might be making her panic more. But see what doctor advises. I would just try and encourage things like a healthy weight /diet and some gentle exercise like walking and maybe some relaxation activities and just listen to the doctors.

Sounds like SVT? Hope she gets helpful results and a treatment plan.

My mum has an arrhythmia and ectopic beats. Whilst both go through periods every now and then of being really quite bad she’s reassured that it’s not life threatening, just uncomfortable.