Day 27. I haven't heard from an actual doctor in weeks. And I have some thoughts about that.
The Referral Nobody Explained
The day after my Echocardiogram and Pharmacological Stress Test, I received a call from another nurse practitioner to discuss the results. Her information was very detailed and informative, from a technical standpoint. She changed my meds and told me the next step was the CTA scan of my heart and arteries and told me someone would be calling to schedule that appointment.
To close the call, she also informed me that she sent a referral to a cardiac surgeon for me and told me they would also be calling to schedule that appointment. She didn't say I actually needed surgery, she just said she sent the referral and they'll be contacting me.
The Surgeon's Office Didn't Wait
The cardiac surgeon's office started calling me immediately, and called every day between Friday 7/31 and yesterday, 8/3. Without the results of the upcoming CTA, they wanted to book an appointment.
I answered that call yesterday and booked an initial consultation with the cardiac surgeon. Then, the lady at the surgeon's office says "If the doctor recommends surgery, we need to have a preassessment test, so I'm going to go ahead and schedule that for you immediately after your appointment with the surgeon."
Again, without having any results from my CT scan, this surgeon is already ready to make arrangements for surgery.
The CT Scan Results Call
Today I took the call from yet another nurse practitioner at the cardiac center to discuss the results of the CT scan.
I was given exactly zero new information. No additional explanation. No suggestions other than "go see a cardiac surgeon." I waited for the nurse to finish speaking and said "I don't want to offend, so please don't take this the wrong way, but I listened to everything you said and what I'm hearing is that the CT scan didn't tell you anything new, it just confirmed what we already knew. You have no new information, and no new instructions or suggestions other than 'go see a cardiac surgeon.'" She used many words to, in the end, simply confirm that my statement was accurate.
The Questions Nobody Is Answering
I have so many questions.
- What do doctors actually do?
- For the amount of money I'm spending, why am I talking to nurse practitioners?
- Why is everything happening so fast?
- Why can't I get real suggestions?
- Why am I talking to a cardiac surgeon before my test results are ready?
- Why am I talking about surgery already?
- Why do I have to take 3 hours of my day to see a surgeon so they can talk to me about results from tests they didn't perform? It's 2026, why can't you just tell me what your advice is over the phone, on a video call, or in an email? Why isn't everything we've done already presented to the next physician in line?
- Is anyone factoring how much better I feel since my first visit?
- Is anyone factoring the medications I'm taking, and the effects of those meds?
- Is anyone factoring that my symptoms are essentially gone?
- Is anyone still looking at lowering my blood pressure?
- Why isn't anyone talking about helping me lose weight?
- Why isn't anyone talking to me about easing into an exercise program?
- Why haven't I heard ANYTHING from my new primary care physician?
- Does anyone understand, now, why I went 20 years without a PCP?
- Has everyone in healthcare forgotten that the patient is the driver?
The Bigger Picture
These doctors, nurses, medical assistants, practitioners, receptionists, phlebotomists, and everyone else employed by this medical network is just that: an employee. They're just people doing their jobs. Most of them, though, are doing their jobs to pay for their Mercedes Benz (or maybe these days it's their Tesla) and their country club membership. I'm not saying these people don't care about their patients, but I AM saying they are in it for the money, just like everybody else. The fact that they're in the healthcare industry just makes them more ruthless than a used car salesperson, but they still operate like a used car salesman: Let's close this deal before the patient changes their mind, or gets hip to our scam, and be sure to hit them with as many optional add-ons as possible. The medical group will tell you, "It is what it is," and they'll tell you it's either the insurance company's fault, or the process is defined and required by the insurance company. That doesn't make it any less of a money-making scam.
I haven't decided what to do about my upcoming appointment with the surgeon. I also have my first follow up visit with my cardiologist the same day. I may cancel my appointment with the surgeon or at least reschedule it for a date after my cardiologist follow up, if I think I need to talk to a surgeon.
Much 💙 from the shop!
This blog series documents a personal health journey and is shared for informational and storytelling purposes only. Nothing written here constitutes medical advice. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read here.
