I Really Like My Cardiologist

[erickamcc0523]

and I quote, "I will be the first to say that there isn't much that I can do to treat POTS. I do hope to be able to give you a better quality of life, but I'm powerless to treat the POTS itself". And here I nearly didn't go to this cardiologist because I don't like going to the hospital where he is based! I'm glad that I went with my gut feeling again to see him, instead of asking to go to another doctor in a "better" location for me.

He isn't changing my meds, because I am getting SOME relief from symptoms (my pulse is better controlled when I stand up, although I do feel pretty presyncoptic almost everytime I stand up), and he is concerned that since the Toporol seems to be helping some now, if I were to switch to something else, it might make the POTS worse, and possibly get it to a place where even the Toporol won't work. I asked him today about a connection between my recent diagnosis of Hypermobility Sydrome and the POTS, and he said that he wasn't aware of any specific connections, but that there probably was since it was highly unlikely that I had two fairly rare conditions that weren't somehow connected. He also asked me how I was coping, mentally and emotionally with my diagnosis, and agreed with me when I said it was fairly depressing to do too much reading about POTS and told me that since I was already educated about it, I shouldn't do too much reading about it... check up on it every one in awhile to see if perhaps there was a new treatment for it, but to not obsess about it. I also found out that he has few other POTS patients, so he understood why I wanted to come back in 6 months (he gave me the option of a follow-up in 6 months or a year) to see if he has heard of any new treatment for POTS.

Again, I can't say enough good things about Dr. Baerman. I feel very blessed and lucky to have him on my side! His nurse is also wonderful, too. If anyone is in the Knoxville, TN area (or even not so close), I can't recommend him enough!!!

[joy]

That's awesome, mine say the same thing. And are SO there for me to do whatever they can. and openly say that they are challenged.

It makes me smile to see that you have found an amazing physician! Not having that stresser is amazing isn't it?

[erickamcc0523]

That's awesome, mine say the same thing. And are SO there for me to do whatever they can. and openly say that they are challenged.

It makes me smile to see that you have found an amazing physician! Not having that stresser is amazing isn't it?

It's great to have a doctor who realizes that first he is human, and is humble enough to admit his shortcomings. He didn't mention adding extra fluids and salt at my inital appointment, but when I mentioned that I have been doing so as suggested by others with POTS, he was very supportive as long as I don't dilute my electrolytes too much (I showed him the electrolyte tablets I bought, which lessened his concern). It's great that I don't have to fight to be believed, as I have had to with other doctors in the past. In fact, I get the feeling that he thinks of POTS even more seriously than I do (and I'm the one that has to live with it). I was kind of anxious about this appointment, only the second one I've had with him, I suppose because I was expecting the other shoe to drop in being called "psychosomatic", but those anxieties were very unwarrented. He seems to understand what a doctor is... a teacher (doctor is from the Latin word for teacher), and to be a teacher, one must first learn what they are to teach.