LIVE WELL
Change in a Heartbeat On Tuesday, February 7, I watched the love of my life and my best friend be wheeled away to have his heart stopped. And for the next 6 hours, my in-laws and I waited with our stomachs in knots, wondering if we’d ever speak to him again.
“The doctor would like to see you in the consultation “He’s off the pump. The surgeon will be out to speak area.” with you shortly.” Hearing those words at Florida Hospital Orlando made my stomach drop. My husband, Gary, had been in for a routine heart catheterization procedure, but I knew that good news was never delivered behind closed doors. As I sat with my in-laws waiting for the cardiologist to come into the room, my mind raced. What would they tell me? Gary is a young, healthy guy. Surely, there wouldn’t be anything wrong. There couldn’t be anything wrong. “He needs bypass surgery. And we need to do it as soon as possible. If he doesn’t have the surgery, he risks heart failure, which would mean a heart transplant.”
Gary’s heart was back beating on its own. That was the best news I had gotten in years! The “pump” is the cardiopulmonary bypass pump (also known as the heart-lung machine) used to keep the body alive while the heart is stopped during open-heart surgery. A few minutes later, the phenomenally humble surgeon came out to report that Gary’s triple bypass had been a 100% success. He told us a lot of other things too, but honestly, I didn’t hear them. I was sobbing. My best friend was going to be OK.
As Gary improved and was moved from the Cardiovascular ICU to the Cardiovascular Progressive Care Unit, we had time to reflect on the Wow. Not what I was ex- wild ride we’d had in the pecting. But as it turned out, prior week. Gary had blockages in three of his main arteries—100% For the past several months, blockage, 96% blockage, and Gary had been having severe 70% blockage. This was sim- indigestion. We’d switched ply impossible. Gary is only from a vegetarian to a vegan 50, eats a primarily vegetar- diet in an effort to help him ian diet, and exercises ev- feel better. For a while, it ery day. In fact, this heart worked. But then, he started cath was supposed to rule feeling unwell after eating out heart issues so we could the blandest of foods. That’s move on and figure out why when I finally convinced him he’d been having such bad to go get checked out. Guideindigestion. And frankly, he Well Emergency Doctors had didn’t have the risk factors just opened not far from our associated with coronary ar- house. On top of being a preferred Florida Blue provider, tery disease. I knew they had a goal to get Except for one: family histo- patients from the door to the ry. Over the next few days, EKG machine in minutes— we would come to under- just in case his “indigestion” stand from his parents just was something more. Call it how powerful genetics can wifely intuition. be. Gary’s dad had a quadruple bypass at age 55, both of his grandfathers had bypass surgeries in their early 60s and his paternal grandmother had coronary artery disease.
Not long later, the GuideWell doctors and nurses had done an EKG and a chest X-ray and had drawn blood. Everything came back normal, but the doctor was insistent that Gary be seen Genetics overrule lifestyle, it the next day by a cardiologist. “50% of patients with seems. heart disease have a normal
EKG,” she said. “Better safe of that matters. Instead, I am grateful for the doctors, the than sorry.” surgeon, and the nurses that GuideWell Emergency Doc- intervened even when there tors made a cardiology wasn’t definitive evidence to appointment for the next tell them to do so. afternoon, at which Gary received additional tests that Because of them, I have my still were not conclusive. “I best friend—my love—and just don’t like what I’m see- we have a bright and healthy ing on the EKG during your future together. stress test,” the cardiologist told us. “I’m admitting you My lesson in this? Never to the hospital for further ob- discount your symptoms. Unless you’re a doctor, servation.” you’re not a doctor. What For what we thought was we thought were gastroinan overabundance of cau- testinal issues was actually a tion, Gary checked into Flor- ticking time bomb in Gary’s ida Hospital Orlando to be chest. In honor of February monitored until his heart Heart Health Month, if you cath procedure. We were feel something, do someupset, and we were irritat- thing. See your doctor and ed. We missed dinner with find out what’s really going friends, an art festival, and on. a Super Bowl party. Now, of course, I realize that none
