|
Age: 51
Sex: Female
Race: Caucasian
Occupation: Retired HR Assistant
History
- Active, worked out 3x per week
- Diabetes
- Smoker for over 25 years
Turning Point
Debbie had started feeling tired and began getting headaches regularly. As a diabetic she ignored these symptoms and assumed it was her diabetes.
In June of 2000, Debbie began having some problems with her jaw aching. She had been swimming a lot and blamed the pain on an ear ache. Her ear, nose and throat doctor couldn’t find anything. She visited her dentist and he thought it was classic signs of lockjaw but pictures showed no results. The pain had subsided so she did not think about it.
Each summer Debbie and her girlfriends planned a summer girl’s trip. In August of 2000, they went to Key West. When they arrived in Key West Debbie had notice some discomfort in her chest, but chalked it up to excitement.
This first day of the trip was full of drinking and smoking. The next day was a charter fishing trip and that’s when the problems began. The chest discomfort and jaw pain had returned but Debbie kept quiet and dealt with it.
By the time they arrived in St Pete the next day, Debbie was experiencing pain in her right arm. The next day, she started feeling tingling in her feet and hands while sitting at her desk. A headache was coming on and she thought she better go home to rest, smoking cigarettes the whole time. About 6pm, the world came to a stop. Pressure in her chest accompanied the tingling in her arms and jaw pain. She started to sweat terribly and vomiting. She was having a heart attack.
Blockage was discovered in three arteries. Debbie received three stents and started rehab after a few weeks of healing. Feeling normal again, she made a trip to New York for the Holiday’s. She experienced all the same symptoms as before, all on the right side. She was rushed to the hospital, on January 8, 2001 she received a double by pass.
Today
She has had Coronary Heart Disease for the last 7 years and it has been quite the journey, but she keeps a positive outlook at life, and takes care of herself. Debbie is a member of a support group called Mended Hearts to let people know that “It’s great to be alive and help others”. |
