Anyone else ever have to wear a Holter monitor

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
My cardiologist wanted me to wear one for a week. I went to the office this morning to get "fitted". The technician rushed through the explanation then acted impatient when I asked questions. She put the electrodes on OVER my bra. When I got home it was some time before how I figured out how to get my bra off without detaching the electrodes. It has a clip that can be worn on a belt or pant waist. What do I clip it to when I'm in my nightgown?
She also said the battery has to be recharged every 12 hours and I can't get it near any water. If I shower, I have to remove the monitor and all connections, then replace the electrodes. When I was leaving, the technician said if I damage it, I will owe them A LOT of money. What a hassle. Never again!
 
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Yes, fun, isn’t it? When I got the results - everything fine, you only have a thyroid condition. At least I didn’t have to wear something around my throat!
 
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I've only had to wear one for 24 hrs, and I certainly don't remember all that electrodes nonsense of taking them all off when showering. Call the doctor's office and ask someone else in the office to explain the proper way to remove it again when showering..
 
Pepper said:
That is a lie, and the technician had no right to threaten you this way. I would report that. Remember, it's a lie.
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What also miffed me was, after I asked questions, she said, "People older than you have been able to figure it out." Maybe she was having a bad day, but they shouldn't have impatient people explaining equipment usage.
 
debodun said:
Maybe she was having a bad day, but they shouldn't have impatient people explaining equipment usage.
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Having a bad day is never an excuse to be rude and unprofessional... and that's especially true for healthcare workers dealing with patients who are often very scared about what's going on. We all have bad days, but we don't need to turn into jerks.
 
debodun said:
What also miffed me was, after I asked questions, she said, "People older than you have been able to figure it out." Maybe she was having a bad day, but they shouldn't have impatient people explaining equipment usage.
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Maybe it's just me, but I would have told her off. You don't have to be more polite than your doctors and nurses just because they're doctors and nurses (probly a technician in your case). If they give me attitude, I give it back.

Friendliness, courtesy, respect, empathy - those are all extremely important aspects of their profession and they all know it.

I got into it with one of my mom's doctors and someone paged his security guy. My mom and I were asked to leave, but we were already on our way out anyway.

The doctor was reprimanded, sent to a mandatory seminar on patient relations, and transferred to another clinic.
 
Over the decades, I've worn Holter monitors a few times because I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation when I was 28 years old (temporarily "cured" via ablation in 2016). Being monitored was just one of the many tests I endured to try and diagnose the cause, which they never did. What amazed me the last time I wore one was how much smaller it was than the others and that the process of returning the unit was different. With the old ones, I returned them to the doctor's office. The new ones had to be mailed back to the company.

Regardless of size, wearing the monitor only presented minor inconveniences. The older monitors came with a strap and it was like wearing a Walkman in it's case. Your unit sounds like it's more complicated than I remember my last unit being. At least you only have to wear it for a week. I can't remember if I had to wear the last monitor for as long as I wore the others, which was one month, but I believe it was for at least two weeks.

The technician who fitted you did not do her job properly. She should have taken time and answered any questions you had...a second time, if necessary. I can't believe what she said to you! How rude. It's too bad you were treated that way Deb. From your description of what happened, I would have definitely reported her. I've found that these days, most medical establishments send out surveys to their customers. If you get one, at least fill it out and comment on her rude behavior.
 
Years ago, I had to wear one of the old ones with all the leads and the box for 48 hours. It was a pain in the ass.

A couple of years ago, I got one that just was a flat flexible "sticker" that adhered directly to my chest. I had a little box that I had to carry in my pocket or put on the bedside at night. I couldn't get more than a 100 feet or so from the box.

I had to wear it for seven days, but half-way through I had to peel it off and put another one on. I could shower briefly as long as I didn't have water directly spraying on the device; it was ok if it got a little wet.
 
I've not seen the week long ones - but where I work we fit 24 hour ones for patients.

The new ones are quite small, and has the main body, quite light and about half the size of a computer mouse which sticks i n the centre and 4 electrodes which stick in sort of a square around that - 2 on upper chest and 2 on abdomen. There is no separate box, that is it.
They are not waterproof and patient is told this beforehand - so can't shower from when it is put on, usually i n the morning, until after it is taken off the next morning
 
I had to wear one of those about 3 months ago. It was pointless and no useful information was derived from it. My technician was pretty good about telling me how to use it, but she gave me too much information to commit it all to memory. I think I was doing it right, and it probably is useful sometimes. For me, it was a waste of time.
 
debodun said:
What also miffed me was, after I asked questions, she said, "People older than you have been able to figure it out." Maybe she was having a bad day, but they shouldn't have impatient people explaining equipment usage.
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They don't behave that way when applying for the job-of course. Then they are all compliant smiles and courtesies.
 
debodun said:
What also miffed me was, after I asked questions, she said, "People older than you have been able to figure it out." Maybe she was having a bad day, but they shouldn't have impatient people explaining equipment usage.
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I just asked my Wife about her experience with a Halter monitor, and she has done it 3 times in the past, for 3 days each time . I have done it 3 times in the past, for 7 days at a time. Both of us had a 6 lead set up, with detachable leads connected to chest discs. The Halter is secured in a durable cloth bag, hung around your neck on a strap.

It is perfectly OK to disconnect the leads, so you can wash your self, provided that you replace the leads in the correct position. Ours have numbers, so you reconnect number one lead to number one chest disc, and so on. RECORD the time when you disconnect the leads on the time sheet that the technician gives you at the hospital. For sleeping, I tied the monitor carry bag around my chest with a belt from my dressing gown.

Obviously when I had a seven day Halter monitor, the battery did NOT need to be recharged every 12 hours. I think you misunderstood a lot of what you were told. The hospital that both my Wife and I go to gives every patient a printed explanation about the Halter monitor and it's functions and how to take care of it. They do that for every type of medical procedure or testing experience, for all of their patients. JIMB.
 
debodun said:
What also miffed me was, after I asked questions, she said, "People older than you have been able to figure it out." Maybe she was having a bad day, but they shouldn't have impatient people explaining equipment usage.
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Not only impatient but extremely rude!
 
debodun said:
What also miffed me was, after I asked questions, she said, "People older than you have been able to figure it out." Maybe she was having a bad day, but they shouldn't have impatient people explaining equipment usage.
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That really ticks me off. What a little b%@ch! I don't care if she was having a bad day, she's crap.

This is why I hate medical, so called care. I have a lot of astigmatism and when I go for eye exams I have to have them repeat the "which one is clearer" request, sometimes 3 times. Once a nice woman had an orientee and explained that due to my astigmatism, they can look very similar. Another time, I had some snit who huffed at me. It's BS!
 
Murrmurr said:
Maybe it's just me, but I would have told her off. You don't have to be more polite than your doctors and nurses just because they're doctors and nurses (probly a technician in your case). If they give me attitude, I give it back.

Friendliness, courtesy, respect, empathy - those are all extremely important aspects of their profession and they all know it.

I got into it with one of my mom's doctors and someone paged his security guy. My mom and I were asked to leave, but we were already on our way out anyway.

The doctor was reprimanded, sent to a mandatory seminar on patient relations, and transferred to another clinic.
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I have really bad white coat hypertension. I view these people as having power over me. I mistrust and fear anyone with power over me.

When I had my one and only hospital surgery, I was so nauseated afterward, everything made me sick, including the IV medications to help with that. I threw up in the bucket. The nurse (she gave me a really bad feeling) just walked out, so I got up and emptied it myself. When the stupid hospital called later to check how my "care" was, I said everything was fine. No way would I say anything. Those people can access your personal information.
 
Remy said:
I have really bad white coat hypertension. I view these people as having power over me. I mistrust and fear anyone with power over me.

... Those people can access your personal information.
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And do what with it?

Since you and they are equal under the law, they face the same consequences that you would if you stole or tampered with their personal information. Difference is, they are under way more scrutiny than you.

They're surveilled their entire work day. Their card-keys record and time-stamp every door they open. Everything they do and fail to do is recorded on the nurse's-station log. And their employee records are available to every clinic and hospital in their county, their whole state, and even the whole country. Countless people have power over them.
 
My wife wore one last year after a SVT event. She has nickel allergies and had an awful time for 30 days. Nothing showed up during the 30 days. I got a Kadiamobile device and caught the SVT events a number of times. She started having them more often early this year, so decided to have an ablation. It worked great and she’s had no more issues. The electrophysiologist found the bad pathways almost immediately after inserting the catheter. She was in surgery less than an hour. Went home two hours later. They no longer use the heavy sand bag to make sure the artery doesn’t leak, now a collagen plug is inserted in the artery.
 
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