Why do I have an appointment to see a cardiac surgeon? If you have had a CT scan or MRI looking at your aorta and other blood vessels, a cardiac surgeon will review it with you and discuss what it means for you. If your aorta is perfectly normal you may never need a surgery on it.
Why do I have an appointment to see a psychologist? Your psychological and emotional wellbeing is an important part of your health. We routinely check in with you over your emotional wellbeing at every follow up visit. If all is well, it will be a short discussion. However, most of our patients at some time or another feel stressed or upset about their medical situation. When this occurs you will have a chance to discuss your feelings with someone you already know, and who is very familiar with the concerns that can go along with your condition.
How long will I have to wait to see a doctor for an initial visit? It all depends on your situation. We ask your doctor to send along any information that helps us to understand your particular situation. If your situation requires urgent assessment or testing you will be booked quickly. If your situation is more stable you will wait longer. You can call the CTC for an estimate of your expected wait time.
After my first visit I was given a list of tests and appointments. Is all this really necessary? I feel perfectly well. We do not recommend tests and appointments unless we think they are important for your health. Unfortunately, with many of the conditions that we treat, how you feel may not be a good indicator of your risk of serious health problems. If you initially agreed on a plan for follow up testing but are now having second thoughts, please discuss this with your family doctor as a first step.
How often does the average patient need to take time off work for testing and clinic visits? Although everyone is different, for most of our patients, after the initial diagnostic testing is completed, as long as they are doing well, they only need to see us about once per year. It may be more or less than this depending on the specifics of your health needs.
What happens if I miss my appointment? Your CTC appointments are very difficult to coordinate and there are a limited number of appointments each month. It is very important to advise us well in advance if you need to reschedule your appointment. If you miss an appointment you may have to wait a significant amount of time for another appointment. You may also be required to get another referral from your family doctor in order to be seen.
Do my family members need a referral to come to the CTC? We encourage at-risk family members to be assessed at the CTC. We do ask for a referral from their family physician and we have letters here at the clinic that you can give to the family physician to explain why and how a referral can be made. If the family member does not have a family physician, please have them contact our office to inquire about how to make an appointment.
I’m not a CTC patient but I think I have a connective tissue disorder and I have some questions. Can your doctors correspond with me by email? We are sorry but we cannot provide medical advice by email. Please discuss your concerns with your family doctor as a first step. Your questions can best be answered after a full specialist connective tissue clinical assessment.
