Bryan Heart doctors in tune with these musicians

Janice Jillson sings the praises of Bryan Heart physicians, who found a lessinvasive option for opening an artery that had slowly become blocked from years-ago cancer therapy.

Janice Jillson and her husband, John Pierce, know a thing or two about teamwork. Years ago, when they met at a bluegrass festival, she was more of a “classical piano” type of musician, and he played banjo.

After a few lessons from John, Janice learned to play the upright bass, and the two have been making music together ever since in their bluegrass band, the Burnt Biskits.

When they each needed cardiovascular care within a year of each other, they appreciated the team approach they received from Bryan Heart doctors.

Here’s how it happened. In late 2020, Janice began noticing her right arm had become weak and achy, and a few months later, her pinky finger turned cold and purple.

Strange symptoms

“I had the weirdest symptoms,” she says. “I couldn’t even lift my arm up to get a hanger down off of the bar in the laundry room. I had to use the other hand to lift my

Janice says when she and husband John Pierce experienced health issues, collaboration among Bryan Heart physicians made all the difference in their outcomes. The musicians are big fans of cardiologist John Steuter, vascular surgeon Sarah Ongstad and cardiologist Chad Travers.

arm. And vacuuming the basement steps — there are only 12 — I couldn’t finish them.”

After several months of sleuth work, Janice learned that her symptoms were caused by a severe blockage in her right subclavian artery. Janice had received radiation therapy in the early 1980s for breast cancer, and it had damaged normal tissue as well, leading to the blocked artery. She wasn’t sure what her options were.

“That was so scary,” Janice recalls. “Having my chest split open was something that I’ve feared my whole life, and I was freaking out at the possibility.”

MyChart to the rescue

Using Bryan’s online patient portal MyChart, Janice reached out to cardiologist

John created a home recording studio during the pandemic, so that he and Janice could keep sharing their music. Want to hear them in action? Go to http://burntbiskits.com.

Chad Travers, MD, and sent him a message to explain the situation.

“Immediately, he replied, ‘Don’t worry, I’m following this,’” says Janice. “His response was amazing.”

Dr. Travers asked vascular surgeon Sarah Ongstad, MD, to look at Janice’s scans. He called Janice back to see if she would talk with Dr. Ongstad about having a procedure that would be less invasive.

“I just thanked him profusely,” says Janice. “It was like an elephant got up off my chest when he told me that.”

Resolving complications

Dr. Ongstad says, while Janice’s case wasn’t rare, she did face several complications.

“Cancer treatment has changed an insane amount since Janice had it — we’ve gotten a lot savvier over time — but it was a lifesaving maneuver back then for her,” explains Dr. Ongstad. “Unfortunately, she’s dealing with the long-term effects of it. Normally, it’s a very limited area that has that blockage. In Janice’s case, the disease pattern was far more extensive. Where other patients in her position could have a stent or something minimally invasive, there were no easy options for repair.”

Dr. Ongstad suggested a carotid to axillary artery bypass to restore blood flow to Janice’s arm.

“It’s not a common bypass, and success was going to be contingent on whether I could find a healthy artery to plug the bypass into,” says the vascular surgeon.

In July, Janice had the procedure. It took an hour and a half and required two small incisions.

“I noticed immediately that my arm had increased strength, and my finger wasn’t cold and purple anymore,” says Janice. Within a couple of weeks, she was able to get back to her regular activities, including music.

“John joked with the doctors that we had to get this fixed, because I was the best bass player in his price range — meaning free.”

This wasn’t Janice and John’s first interaction with Bryan Heart doctors. In May of 2020, John woke up feeling fatigued.

“I just felt beat up, like I’d run a marathon or something the day before. I was having a little trouble catching my breath, which was unusual for me,” says John.

John decided to go ahead with his usual six-mile morning walk, but he began struggling to breathe after one block. He made it back to the house and asked Janice to drive him to the hospital.

When they arrived, emergency staff brought out a wheelchair, and Janice asked where she could park the car. Because of COVID restrictions, she learned she wouldn’t be able to come in with John.

“I just started bawling,” she remembers.

John adds, “I think that worried me more than the heart attack, because I knew she was going to be stressing out at home.”

In the emergency room, John saw cardiologist John Steuter, MD, who determined John had a 99 percent blockage in his right coronary artery and would need a stent. Throughout John’s stay, Dr. Steuter called Janice to give her updates. “His willingness to stay in touch with me, knowing that I was at home worrying, was just the best thing in the world for me. I think I would have lost my mind, taking my best friend there and leaving him, if that communication had not been there,” Janice says.

Two weeks after John’s stent was placed, he was back to walking six miles a day.

Enduring gratitude

“We’re so fortunate to have Bryan here with these bright doctors. They really are concerned and go the extra mile to get involved when they see that their patient is in crisis,” says Janice.

She says the doctors at Bryan Heart have earned some fans.

“I felt like it was such a blessing that Dr. Travers chose to get involved, and as for Dr. Ongstad, she’s my rock star.” n

To contact Bryan Heart, call 402-483-3333.

To find out how you can support the work of Bryan Health, call 402-481-8605.