Heart Assist Doesn’t Assist?

John H.

Bloomington, MN

Four or five days prior to my 80th birthday, I noticed chest pain from walking more than five or six steps.  One of my daughters was here to celebrate my birthday with me and we would go walking. I noted pain on walking too fast. The day of my birthday in November of 2008, I woke at 3 a.m. with chest pain without exertion. This was a new symptom, although it felt similar to that when walking.

As I debated about my course of action, I remembered my brother’s incident with rather atypical symptoms sych as stomach discomfort that wasn’t relieved by antacids. He had waited 24 hours before consulting a physicians and then had to be air-lifted by helicopter from his small town hospital to a major hospital in the Twin Cities- Abbott Northwestern. He ended up having a quintuple bypass surgery.

As to my own symptoms, I depated a few minutes, then called my daughter (who also happens to be a nurse) and asked her to take me to the hospital. It turns out, I had a 98% blockage in my anterior descending coronary artery and needed a stent. The procedure was performed within an hour of my arriving in the ER, and I was sent home the next day so I could enjoy birthday pizza, cake and ice cream with my family.

The moral of my story is that when in doubt, get medical help immediately, don’t delay!

Cabell W.

Irvington, VA

On Monday, April 17, 2000, I participated in one of the most strenuous cardio workouts I’d ever been through in my life.  In hindsight, it probably saved my life.  During the workout, my calves severely cramped and as I massaged them out, my left hand did the same.  Eventually, my calves loosened up but the tip of my left index finger became cold and numb.

I went to Hennepin County ER Tuesday morning with my index finger symptom and was sent home with the diagnosis of Raynaud’s Syndrome.  The discomfort in my finger continued into Thursday and after reading up on Raynaud’s, I knew that wasn’t my issue.  I was able to get in to see an internist and he listened to my entire story and began examining my legs; he found no visible pulse.  After taking what he needed to run a few tests, the internist sent me to Dr. Alden, a vascular surgeon, for a follow-up opinion.

Dr. Alden was stumped as well since he could not find a pulse in my feet with a Doppler Ultrasound.  He registered me for a major ultrasound work-up the next day at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.  So on Friday, April 21st, I went to the hospital for my work-up.  Dr. Alden met me there, stating his fears that I was having blood clots and his desire to have me check in once the ultrasound was done.  It was Good Friday.

Saturday, the angiogram revealed blood clots in my legs and my left arm.  The echocardiogram on Monday revealed that I’d had a heart attack as images showed a blood clot and an aneurysm on my left ventricle.  Another angiogram on Wednesday revealed a dissection of my left anterior descending artery (LAD) and most likely the cause of the clot and aneurysm.

On May 1, 2000, Dr. Frazier Eales performed bypass surgery on my LAD using a mammary artery in my chest.  Additionally, Dr. Eales removed the blood clot and as much of the aneurysm as possible without having to restructure my left ventricle.

Oh yeah, did I mention I was 28 years old when this occurred?

That was just over 10 years ago.  It hasn’t all been easy.  Beyond the physical healing there is a mental aspect that must be taken into consideration.  While my body was healing physically, my mind was still pretty sharp and confident.  Once my physical healing began its final stages, I broke down mentally and emotionally.  This is when the real healing began.  Unfortunately, the doctors can’t prepare you for this stage.  At 28 years old, and probably at any age, I don’t know that any doctor can prepare someone for the feelings of vulnerability and fragility that follow such an event and the depression that follows.  Truth be told, I’m a competitive s.o.b. and I decided I wasn’t going to let this get the better of me.  That attitude combined with counseling brought me through the dark times.

But, I’ll always carry the physical and emotional scars with me.  When it happens at such a young age, I don’t know if you ever get over it.  What I do know is that I came away with a real appreciation of just how precious and fragile life truly is.  Believe me, it is something to be cherished.  The path wasn’t always easy, but going down it truly changed my life for the better.

Chris F.

Edina, MN

Dr. Foley is currently the Director of Preventive Vascular Services for Minnesota Vascular Clinic in Edina, Minnesota. Minnesota Vascular Clinic consists of four vascular surgeons and three interventional radiologists who treat peripheral arterial disease with either open operative treatment options or closed endovascular solutions.  Dr. Foley is board certified by The American Board of Internal Medicine as well as The American Board of Clinical Lipidology and brings passion, enthusiasm and expertise to the appropriately aggressive medical treatment of high-risk vascular disease patients.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Foley served on the medical staff at Fairview Oxboro Clinic in Bloomington, Minnesota, and was Internal Medicine Department Chair from 2000 to 2002. In that capacity, Dr. Foley developed a practice centered upon the quality-driven treatment of diabetic and other vascular disease patients. He authored the diabetic treatment protocols at Fairview Oxboro Clinic, which were instrumental in being recognized by Bridges To Excellence as the clinic providing the highest quality of diabetic care in the state of Minnesota in 2006, 2007, and 2008. He has also served as a question writer and reviewer for The American Board of Internal Medicine, and has participated in numerous clinical trials pertaining to diabetic and vascular disease management.
Dr. Foley completed his residency in Internal Medicine at The Medical College of Wisconsin and graduated from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

He is married with two daughters and enjoys spending his non-professional time with his family in the great outdoors of the upper Midwest. He is an enthusiastic kayaker and hopes to someday paddle across the Great Lakes.