Another great discussion, thanks to both of you. It gives me hope knowing there are people with humanity doing and thinking about making things better for everyone. It seems a political solution is necessary to change the situation so let's encourage all to ramp up political action.
Dr Bryan Betty yet another great soul. Yes the health system is in need of modernising and bringing greater facilities/contact out to the people particularly rural areas. I recently held a conversation with an educated man who is supposedly closely aligned with heart specialists, GP’s, his daughter is a GP in Canada. He opened a FB page for people with heart failure, he had received stents himself. My question was -
“I am interested to know that if a doctor was asked the question “what device/s would you like in a GP surgery which would improve detection of heart problems in your patients?”. Wondered whether you would have any knowledge available on this? For example - a hand held ultrasound -
image001.jpg - EagleView Portable Wireless Ultrasound Machine with Linear, Convex and Phased Array Probe. Compatible with iOS and Android.
Since having a heart problem for 2 years at the least, which wasn’t diagnosed as heart, I am passionate to do something for earlier diagnosis in NZ. The greatest amount of our people die from this and we don’t know all of the symptoms etc.
For example I had a persistent pain beneath rib cage (could be anywhere on the chest) was told later in hospital it was fluid build up in a sheath below lungs- for goodness sake, I was told by 2 doctors and two general surgeons it was ‘likely’ part of my ongoing bowel condition…. If one could find some new technology which a GP could use, as I noticed in the series Doc Martin, where he does ultrasound on his patients, not here though, you need to go through a radiology referral. An echocardiograph; calcium test; stress test even could have given early detection. Also, in the perfect world, would have everyone receive one of these tests at age 40 etc. A firm believer we would see those figures of death reduce markedly.
Anyway, I didn’t get very far with this, was basically told the system is the problem, that it stringently requires referral to a cardiac specialist, Drs aren’t set up for such things. That the health system needs changing. No doubt specialists have been guarding their own patch. Prior to collapse myself, after telling the Dr I was experiencing like electric shocks from heart, he wrote to cardiology dept Waikato who declined to see me, that losing weight etc. didn’t necessarily point to heart problems, for me to have a chest X-ray. It showed nothing. He also said that devices can’t be relied upon. Well I shan’t stop here for sure. Sorry to go on a bit long but the subject is my current ‘hobby-horse’.
Another great discussion, thanks to both of you. It gives me hope knowing there are people with humanity doing and thinking about making things better for everyone. It seems a political solution is necessary to change the situation so let's encourage all to ramp up political action.
What a wonderful man! We are so blessed to have people of his calibre in our lives!!
Dr Bryan Betty yet another great soul. Yes the health system is in need of modernising and bringing greater facilities/contact out to the people particularly rural areas. I recently held a conversation with an educated man who is supposedly closely aligned with heart specialists, GP’s, his daughter is a GP in Canada. He opened a FB page for people with heart failure, he had received stents himself. My question was -
“I am interested to know that if a doctor was asked the question “what device/s would you like in a GP surgery which would improve detection of heart problems in your patients?”. Wondered whether you would have any knowledge available on this? For example - a hand held ultrasound -
image001.jpg - EagleView Portable Wireless Ultrasound Machine with Linear, Convex and Phased Array Probe. Compatible with iOS and Android.
geteagleview.com”
Since having a heart problem for 2 years at the least, which wasn’t diagnosed as heart, I am passionate to do something for earlier diagnosis in NZ. The greatest amount of our people die from this and we don’t know all of the symptoms etc.
For example I had a persistent pain beneath rib cage (could be anywhere on the chest) was told later in hospital it was fluid build up in a sheath below lungs- for goodness sake, I was told by 2 doctors and two general surgeons it was ‘likely’ part of my ongoing bowel condition…. If one could find some new technology which a GP could use, as I noticed in the series Doc Martin, where he does ultrasound on his patients, not here though, you need to go through a radiology referral. An echocardiograph; calcium test; stress test even could have given early detection. Also, in the perfect world, would have everyone receive one of these tests at age 40 etc. A firm believer we would see those figures of death reduce markedly.
Anyway, I didn’t get very far with this, was basically told the system is the problem, that it stringently requires referral to a cardiac specialist, Drs aren’t set up for such things. That the health system needs changing. No doubt specialists have been guarding their own patch. Prior to collapse myself, after telling the Dr I was experiencing like electric shocks from heart, he wrote to cardiology dept Waikato who declined to see me, that losing weight etc. didn’t necessarily point to heart problems, for me to have a chest X-ray. It showed nothing. He also said that devices can’t be relied upon. Well I shan’t stop here for sure. Sorry to go on a bit long but the subject is my current ‘hobby-horse’.
Sorry you have had this experience Gloria but thank you for sharing and highlighting this diagnosis issue.