"Unbelievable"

I first had to go to the A&E here, when I was 2 weeks post op from open heart surgery. My heart was racing and pounding and I had been short of breath. I told them all of the above, They assured me I would be seen to quickly. I watched bee stings, slightly busted up drunks and sprained ankles, go in and out of there, for over 2 1/2 hours. When I finally got in to be seen, they hooked me up to a heart rate and blood pressure monitor, and the nurse thought it was broken, because the readings were so off. The nurse got another machine and got the same results...190 bpm and low blood pressure. They rushed me to the back and hooked me up to an ECG and I had 3 doctors scratching their heads.

I told them I wanted to go the the hospital that performed the surgery, but the Cardiologist said I was too sick and would have to go by ambulance,

They wanted to knock me out and shock my heart, but I had eaten, so they had to wait. They admitted me to CCU, and while they were explaining that they now had to do the surgery in the morning (this was at about 9 pm...my heart had been racing for over 6 hours) when my heart went back into normal rhythm. They sent me home the next morning, with no new meds.

About 2 hours after I got home, it started again, this time, my husband called an ambulance, and my heart rate was now 205 BPM, and my ecg was off the charts again.I heard a Doctor in the A&E say, "another successful discharge" to which another doctor answered, "that's not as bad as the one that was discharged and re-admitted, before she even left the building.

This time,CCU put me on Beta blockers and kept me in for 4 or 5 days. The morning of the last day, I had 4 short episodes, that reset themselves. They sent me home any ways.

When it started up again hours later, we called the hospital I'd had my surgery at, and they said to come there. Even though my heart reset itself again on the way down, they kept me in for 4 days, with a med change. I

I have only had one episode since then, about 10 days after I got out again, which coincidently happened on the way to an appointment for a 24 hour halter monitor.

The same Cardiologist wanted to admit me again, but my husband strongly objected, saying I had better care at the other hospital. They chastised me for having multiple doctors. I begrudgingly agreed to be admitted, and while I was waiting for a bed, my heart reset itself. I informed the cardiologist I would be going home, and they promptly dumped me as a client.

I've had great care there from the DIU department and the TIA clinic, and nursing staff on CCU were ace, the A&E and a certain Doctor, need some improvement, in the area of patient care.