Today I went to see my cardiologist and GP. The GP appointment was very last minute (I called yesterday), and mostly just to get a second opinion on the stuff a clinic doctor said last week. I went to the clinic because I've been having problems swallowing (detailed in a forum post I made last week) and also about asthma and possible carpel tunnel syndrome. The clinic doctor brushed everything off, and I didn't really trust her.
My cardiologist appointment went well. I haven't had any major episodes of SVT whatsoever over the past year, so he said it's fine if I stop taking bisoprolol and see how things go. If I notice my heart racing, I can just resume taking the medication, and if I still have problems I can go see him. I did not make a follow up appointment because we just decided to leave it and see how things go. I am super happy. This may motivate me to quit caffeine just to be sure not to trigger anything.
I told him about my really bad allergic reaction I had a few months ago and asked if using an epi-pen would trigger SVT. He said it could, but said to "please, please use your epi-pen if you need it and don't worry about SVT." He pointed out that I would be in the hospital after using it either way, and if the SVT didn't resolve on its own they would just call him and he could prescribe medication if necessary. That was REALLY reassuring to hear, as it's something I'd sort of worried about.
After I was done with him I visited with my mom for a while, and then went to my GP later in the afternoon. When I walked in my GP was like, "So, you've been having problems with your heart rate lately?" I was like, "What?" and asked him when this was, thinking maybe I hadn't seen him since my SVT problems developed the year before last! He was like, "You just saw your cardiologist?" I was like, "Uh, yeah, I saw him today ..." Apparently they sent instantaneous reports now! I was blown away that I'd seen my cardiologist two hours before and my GP already had the report and had reviewed it. Very impressive! He said that the systems doctors use now, they pretty much dictate their report, and as soon as they say "end" the report is sent to all doctors connected to that patient, without the doctor having to do anything manually. Crazy! He read the report to me (I really like that he does this) and, of course, it was pretty much a summary of what we'd talked about at the appointment.
My GP asked if I'd found a new GP yet and I said no ... But honestly, after this appointment I'm second-guessing whether I want to find a new one or just stick with this guy. I care about a good doctor more than I care about travel distance.
I told him about what the clinic doctor said (minus the wrist/carpel tunnel as I forgot, and the wrist brace I got seems to be working), and he disagreed with everything she said. He said I should definitely get an endoscopy done, especially since I have diabetes (not sure how that plays into it, maybe worried about complications?), and made a referral to a GI doctor on the spot. He also prescribed medication for acid reflux that he said to take until I see the GI doctor, as it can be several months and if it's due to acid reflux, that may help.
He prescribed Symbicort for the asthma/allergies issue when I told him I am using Ventolin 4-5x days most weeks and also waking up practically every morning coughing. This is the medication he prescribed before and I didn't take because I thought it was overkill ... He asked if I had any left from before and I didn't want to tell him I hadn't even filled the prescription! So I just said I didn't know, and he wrote a new prescription. Said it's probably allergies. Even though I have allergies year-round, they are worst in the spring and fall (not that it's fall, but it's heading there!).
The one negative aspect of the appointment is my blood pressure was 190/95. It had been 148/80 earlier at my cardiologist's. But I also have white coat hypertension. I have not been monitoring my BP at home very often, so I will start doing that again just to make sure it hasn't gone up. Especially since I'm stopping the bisoprolol which is a BP medication even though that's not what I was using it for.
Overall I was so happy with the appointment. I am really debating whether it may be worth travelling to continue seeing this guy. I never feel like our appointments are a waste of time. He knows me each time I go in there, is on top of my records, medications, and other doctors, and seems to know what he's talking about. That is so much better than some other doctors I've been to who can't remember my name or anything about my medical history each time I see them. Today I did get the name of a GP in the area who is taking patients, so I may make an appointment with him to see what I think, but today my old/current GP said he would be glad to keep me on until when (or now maybe if!) I found a new GP.