Heart murmur

Hiya

I'm having my BA in April and need to see my doctor on Wednesday as I have a heart murmur and have to send
ECG results to the clinic. I spoke to my doc on the phone and she said it shouldn't be an issue as I haven't had any problems with my heart (touch wood).
Just wondered if any of you have a heart murmur and if it delayed your op? Also do you know roughly how long it takes to get an appointment (NHS) for an ECG?
I'm
just concerned that I won't get it done in time. I'm glad they are being thorough but just worried what will happen if I can't get my ECG done before my op date.

Thanks x

Hi Huni x I'm not sure how your gp surgery works but at mine I had an ECG straight away, they had the machine in the nurses room x I hope all goes well for you, good luck xx

Hi, thank you. I've not been to this surgery before as I recently changed doctors so not sure if they have one there. Fingers crossed they do! x

Yeah I will cross mine for you Huni xx let us know how you get on! X

They have a machine at my docs to. Fingers x they do at yours and its done quickly x

Hi hun
I have a heart murmur diagnosed via ECG. However I am not under any consultant and have had no problems with it at all. I was simply told to go and live my life and to make sure that I had antibiotic cover for dental extractions and operations. When I had my BA the hospital didn't ask for any tests to be done. They did say that current thinking on heart murmurs mean that antibiotic cover is not given as standard now.
On saying that my anaesthetist did decide to give me antibiotic cover and of course I had antibiotics to take orally after my operation.
I am sure that all will be fine.

Just ring up and check with your GP surgery lovey because i know at ours the health care assistant does them =] x

Thanks for the reassurance ladies. I just called them, they will have to refer me to the hospital. Not the answer I was hoping for. Going to contact the Transform nurse and see if there's a plan B just in case! x

Aww fingers crossed that they get a wriggle on for you with an appointment lovely. Shouldn't be too long to get one i wouldn't think x

Spoken to transform, turns out I got confused between an ECG and an echocardiogram..duh! lol The nurse says she can get me an ECG so that's not a problem but I need the doctor to get me an echo. Oh well! x

Ergh this is such a mess. Went to the doctor today with the letters from the transform nurse about the echo. He didn't do anything, just read them, copied them and said he'd phone me later. He called me and said that because an echo wasn't required when i was diagnosed with the heart murmur he won't give me one and if I want it i'll have to go private. He also said i'll have to pay for my medical history to be forwarded on to transform. Does anyone know how much it costs for an echo? x

No idea how much the cost would be lovely... I can't see it be much though but they may charge by page and if you have a history of consultations about your heart then it may bump up the cost.

My medical notes were transferred for free by my GP, but my surgery was due to a rupture and the GP referred me back to Transform and therefore had to work with them regarding my other health condition.

The reason your GP refused to refer you for the echo cardio gram is because its not necessary babe and if you want private treatment and this is required then you understandably have to pay for that yourself lovely.

You could maybe call your local hospital and request a quote for an echo, if not I know Spire (private clinic) do them but I've no idea on cost lovely.

I will say that with you having a heart problem if Transform refuse to operate then don't feel all is lost hun. Transform aren't equipped to deal with serious health conditions which is why those with serious health conditions are turned away from there, but other clinics such as Spire or BMI are better equipped lovely and will take on patients that the larger commercial clinics just aren't equipped to.

You would still probably need to pay for the echo yourself though lovely, understandably, no clinic is going to pay for it incase you aren't fit for surgery or you change your mind about the surgery.

Good luck sweetheart. You WILL find a way through this babe and do please let us know how you get on. Xx

Thank you Cookie. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. It's just frustrating as when I was diagnosed I was told i didn't need treatment and to just live life as normal so never thought this would cause me problems. In fact i'd forgotten about it until it was mentioned in my consultation. I know it's for my own good that this needs to be done but I was so excited and now i feel like theres a brick wall in front of me. I will make some calls tomorrow and find a way around this. Thanks again x

I can understand babe. Having health problems myself it was touch and go whether my own surgery would get the go ahead. But its always best to be honest. Health comes first and if getting the extra tests is what's required to ensure your safety during surgery then its a small price to pay isn't it hun. Xx

I was hoping i'd have some good news for you but no, it's still pants. I spoke to my nurse at transform, she said i don't have to go private for an echo. She has now requested a letter from my doc confirming if my murmur is still present and the anethetist will take it from there and send me for the relevant tests. Easy right?? No, my doctor is being really difficult. He refused to write the letter because he thinks transform want to use him as a scapegoat if something goes wrong. I tried to explain that they just needed his input so the anethetist could make a decision on what tests to give me. He said he couldn't say either way because i'd need an echo so he could confirm the murmur but he refuses to give me an echo! He kept going on about how he doesn't want to be responsible if something goes wrong with the surgery and I kept trying to tell him he wouldn't be responsible I just need his cooperation so I get the right treatment! After a heated phone convo I still hadn't got anywhere. I phoned my nurse again and i was a little tearful (embarrassing!!) out of frustration more than anything. She was really good and assured me that they will sort this out but she was angry at the way the doctor had treated me. She said that usually doctors are cooperative and she thought my doc was being quite selfish. Anyway, I have made an appointment to see a different doctor next week to try and get some assistance. Banging my head against a brick wall! I need a glass of wine..... x

Honestly.... I think your GP is right hun and the clinic nurse had no right whatsoever to go against your surgeons wishes asking for an echo before processing with surgery.

You may find this recent survey by BAAPS [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] an interesting read.

The clinic nurse simply isn't qualified to undermine your surgeon in the way she did.

Maybe you could ask your GP if it would be possible for them to refer you back to the cardiologist and then if they think you need an echo then it will be done and if they don't.... Then they could write you a letter confirming its not necessary lovely.

This is major surgery babe and god forbid, there 'may' be the slightest problem with your heart that could cause complications during surgery, surely you yourself would want to put your own health and safety before your want for cosmetic surgery?

I'm sure you'd much rather my honesty babe. After reading the survey yourself and sure you too will see the 'danger' in accepting advise from anyone other than your surgeon. Xx

Hi Cookie. I appreciate what you're saying and at no point do I want to put myself at risk which is why i've been trying to get the doctor to help me. Sorry I was ranting so I don't think i was clear. I don't think my nurse is undermining my surgeon as she says i still need the echo before i can have the surgery but they will make arrangements for me to have the echo but they want the doctor to listen to my heart to see if he can still hear the murmur. I can understand if the doctor doesn't agree but I do think he should point me in the right direction rather than refusing to help me at all. He won't refer me to a cardiologist because he doesn't think I need to be seen. Before I booked my ba I spoke to a different doctor and she requested i come in so they could listen to my heart as i haven't had a check up for 5 years. She wasn't available so i had to see this other doctor. So what I'm trying to say is that he won't even listen to my heart through his stethascope so i don't see how he can say I don't need to see a cardiologist when he won't even listen to it. x

Maybe it is that your GP is 'anti-cosmetic surgery' babe (you do get them ) but in this instance he was right not to confirm either way if the murmur was present or not, he isn't the cardiologist and doesn't have the authority to claim you're OK babe in fear of possibly missing a murmur that may not be heard through a stethoscope but could be picked up on the echo.

I would say however though that if he refused to refer you to a cardiologist... Then that possibly would be wrong of him.


When you see the other doctor hun, don't make surgery the priority for asking for a referral. Ask for the referral because you're 'thinking' if having cosmetic surgery and as you haven't been checked over for five years and you've been concerned about your heart you'd like a referral because you're concerned about yourself.

If you make this about you and your concern about your heart your GP has a duty of care to refer you hun.

If you make this about needing the echo to enable you to be cleared for cosmetic surgery then your GP is well within their right to refuse you hun.

The NHS is to fund those in need lovely and is you have no concern about your heart, then you're not in need are you *wink wink*

Transform will NOT fun the echo for you babe, even if your GP said you need one. Transform would add the cost of the echo to you babe. Basic blood tests, an ECG or anything that can be done in clinic is fine, but to have to send you out for an echo.... They would not fund that for you hun. Xx

Thank you Cookie, you're such a sweetheart!
I will try the alternative approach with the next doctor and see where it gets me. x