I have my appointment with Dr. Hepworth in about a week. Anything I should prepare for? I’ve been to the office before (parking is rough!), so I’m mainly looking for guidance on talking with Dr. Hepworth. I’m not sure he’s the right doctor for what I’m needing, but since I scheduled the appointment 4 months ago, I feel like I should go!
Also, I keep seeing that he requests a specific protocol for imaging? When I saw NP Alison, she ordered a CTA, and then a jugular ultrasound and full spine and neck MRI. Is that what the protocol is or will there be more testing? I’ve been on Brilinta for 4 months and am stopping 1 week before the appointment.
@Kit_Cat - You have a good plan. You’ve waited your turn so good idea to go ahead & have the appt. plus you’ll get Dr. Hepworth’s take on the scan results. Even if you’re getting other opinions, it’ll be good to hear what he has to say.
The testing Alison had you do is all that will likely be required. She orders according to Dr. Hepworth’s protocol. I assume you’ve had the results of the CTA, jugular US, & MRI sent to his office.
Has the Brillinta helped reduce your vascular symptoms at all?
It’s a good idea to make a list of questions you have to take with you so you don’t end up trying to come up w/ them during your appt. The following link is information about ES surgery. Toward the bottom is a list of questions to ask any surgeon you interview. You can modify it to fit your appointment if you already have some of the information the questions ask.
Dr. Hepworth is very calm, is a good listener, & good at explaining what he sees on scans & helping his patients to understand what may be contributing to their symptoms. Assuming surgery is discussed, you could ask some pointed questions about his surgical strategies so you have a better understanding of how he would approach your specific situation during surgery.
If you decide to continue seeing him, be sure to make your next appt., whether for surgery or another follow-up, BEFORE you leave the office. If you wait till you get home to do it, you’ll be back to the communications frustration & may get booked further in the future than you hope.
Thank you for the info @Isaiah_40_31 ! I will definitely come with a prepared list of questions. I would like to hear what his guidance might be but I don’t know if I’d like to commit to surgery with him. It would be great to hear his perspective though.
Regarding the Brilinta, I honestly didn’t think I felt much of a difference. However, now that I’ve stopped taking it, it has been extra rough. It could be other things contributing to me not feeling good, but it certainly could be that the Brilinta was helping more than I realized.
I totally understand not wanting to commit to surgery w/ the first doctor you’ve consulted for your vES situation. It is worthwhile to meet other doctors & discuss how they approach surgery, etc., before making a decision about who is the best fit.
I hope that your appointment goes well! Definitely given the waiting times & seeing as how you’ve had testing (did I understand that right, that you’ve had the testing done now?), it makes sense to still keep the appointment & get his opinion…If the Brilinta seems to have helped more than you realised you could ask about going back on it?
Thanks @Jules ! Yes, I’ve already had the testing done fortunately. I will definitely ask about Brilinta and get his opinions. We’ve been having storms where I am at, and that always causes a spike in my symptoms (especially headaches it seems like), so I’m wondering if that’s part of it? I’ll see how I do this week without it though and go from there!
@Kit_Cat - barometric pressure changes have been noted by a number of our vES members to cause headaches to ramp up. It may be when the barometer is transitioning from low to high that causes the problems.
