Keep Your Appointment with the Cardiologist?

Answer 1

Heart disease is one of the most serious medical problems anyone can have. After all, if your heart stops working like it should, without proper medical care, your spouse may be looking for your life insurance policy sooner than you expected. That's right, heart disease can be deadly.

If you have chest pains or think you might be having a heart attack, get to the emergency room as quick as possible. Thanks to modern medicine and the latest technology, heart attacks are much more survivable than ever before. Expensive blood clot clearing drugs can provide quick relief and angioplasty and the insertion of stents can get your heart functioning normally. However, once you have been diagnosed with any type of heart disease, you will soon find yourself seeing a cardiologist.

Whether you had a heart attack because of ischemic heart disease where your arteries get blocked by plaque buildup or you have a congenital birth defect and an irregular heart beat, you will need to see your cardiologist on a regular basis.

A cardiologist will know your complete physical history and will be able to monitor your heart over time. They will do all types of tests such as an EKG and perhaps a stress test to see how well your heart is able to pump the blood throughout your body. They can also put you on a regiment of heart medications that can keep your arteries open or regulate your heart beat.

Many heart patients, who have suffered a heart attack years ago, feel perfectly fine most of the time. That is great, but it does not mean that you have a normal healthy heart. Even if you are feeling well, you should not skip your appointment with your cardiologist. Most cardiologists like to see their patients at least every 6 months just to check up on them and make sure nothing has changed since the last visit.

As someone who has a history of a heart problem, you are now in a high-risk category and need to be watched closely. Having no apparent symptoms is no excuse for canceling an appointment with your cardiologist. You may be dangerously close to suffering another heart attack and not even know it.

Your cardiologist can get clues just by listening to your heart and checking your vital signs. If he suspects any abnormalities, he can order some tests to confirm his diagnosis. Even if he does nothing more than ask you how you are feeling and sends you on your way, at least you will have the assurance from a professional that for the time being, your heart is okay.