I went to the Cardiologist to begin my 14 day event monitor. The original monitor that my Cardiologist wanted me to wear that did 24/7 monitoring and would alert both myself and my doctor with any cardiac issues that arise, was of course not approved by my insurance. Thanks Anthem! Anthem through the State of Virginia at that. Their claim was that “their expert Cardiologist” said it was not needed. Ya know, because their Cardiologist clearly is the Cardiologist that is my actual doctor and is monitoring my situation. But it is what it is and not really much I can do about it.
All of this meaning, the event monitor that I am to wear for 2 weeks is one that I have to walk around with a 2nd cellphone and keep it within 30 feet of me at all times and I report when I feel an abnormality. My doctor is able to see the results after 24 hours. This is very inconvenient on many levels. 1. I don’t wear a lot of clothes with pockets, and I do not carry a traditional purse and having to carry around an extra cell phone is a hassle. 2. The smartphone is an older Samsung smartphone, and it does not hold a charge. I basically have to charge it 3 times a day for it to keep a charge and one being shortly before I go to bed. If not, then the phone beeps loudly until I charge it. 3. The beeps are so loud, and I feel like it beeps for everything. There is 0 way to adjust the volume on the phone. 4. It has many steps to follow when you need to report a cardiac abnormality. This is frustrating when clearly, I already have something going on. (When I was pregnant and did a monitor, all I had to do double tape the sensor itself). 5. The sensor that attaches to my chest, is very heavy and requires changing and charging every few days.
But again, it is what it is. I did the monitor as directed and once the 14 days were up, I put all of the materials back in the original box, shipped it back to the company via the UPS prepaid label provided.
I have a follow up with my Cardiologist on 9/11/2023 and will discuss the results during the appointment.
Nic of Time - Travel 