This is a summary of our three previous posts on this matter – post 1, post 2 and post 3.
One of our readers had an attack of dizziness about 7.30 one evening so severe that he called an ambulance and was taken to hospital, thinking that at least he would find out what the attack was caused by. Three weeks later he felt he’d learnt nothing.
He spent a night in hospital but was fine fairly early the next morning. But over the next 10 days he was called upon by the hospital to go back 5 times for various tests and consultations with heart specialists – it was always assumed that the attack was caused by problems with his heart, nothing else was considered.
Parking around the hospital was hopeless, he always had to park at least a kilometre away, and walk the rest of the way. And once, when he parked in a way that didn’t inconvenience anyone but was slightly against the rules, he got a fine of more than $250.
On his fifth return visit, he had an appointment at 9.30 am to see a cardiologist, whom he didn’t see until after 11.30 am! – he just sat there for more than 2 hours. And then the cardiologist talked to him for only 4 or 5 minutes, telling him that he thought they’d discovered the cause for his severe dizziness attack – the fact that his heart was pausing, stopping beating, for up to 2 or 3 seconds, several times a day.
To him and us, this seems like nonsense – see the letter to the cardiologist in this post.
Our reader reports he’s since got advice from another doctor he has quite a lot of faith in suggesting strongly that the cause of his attack was Vertigo – nothing to do with his heart!!!
Also, we’ve typed the following into the GMX website – “How likely is it that my heart pausing and stopping beating for up to 2 or 3 seconds might cause dizziness?” and this is one of the 50 or so results that came up – http://www.livestrong.com/article/351200-absences-pauses-during-heart-rate/
As you can see, these are parts of what is said:-
and
Nothing about causing serious dizziness attacks.
What if our reader’s night in hospital and all his subsequent visits and tests and consultations were a complete and utter waste of time and effort, as seems likely? What might be done about this? In our experience, absolutely nothing!!!
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