Lisa's Story
Heart attack–not heartburn
“Give me some Prilosec and send me on my way,” thought Lisa Elbaum when she visited her doctor in March of last year. The active 49-year-old mother of two had better things to do than to be at the doctor’s office–and while she hoped it was heartburn, she learned that she had a “broken” heart.
A stress test showed abnormalities, so, she had an angiogram. But they couldn’t complete the angiogram due to the clog.—the stent would not go in. The next morning, she had triple bypass surgery. Cardiac surgeon, Dr. Gregory Fontana performed the surgery.
“Lisa’s story is common. A woman with atypical symptoms in her chest cast–off as the result of anything but her heart,” says Dr. Fontana. “Surgery was her best hope for quality and quantity of life. These days bypass surgery is kinder and gentler than ever with smaller incisions and less chest spreading. We use a scope to follow veins and arteries to use for the bypasses. The goal is a less traumatic operation that can last decades.”
“I actually had not been feeling well for a couple of months,” says Elbaum. “I was walking with my arms crossed—now I realize it was because my arms were in pain.” Elbaum’s arteries were nearly 100% clogged. Elbaum was on the verge of a widow-maker heart attack. Elbaum had many subtle signs—indigestion, fatigue, sore arms, lightheadedness and loss of breath when she walked quickly—but like so many women she brushed them off.
Elbaum thought that maybe her heart failure had something to do with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which she had in her 20’s—she had heard that those that have radiation to the chest are at higher risk for heart disease. But she learned otherwise. The cause of her heart attack was likely hereditary. Her grandfather died of a stroke and her sister had a stroke at the age of 50–she fit the high-risk profile.
“I don’t know how older people get through this,” says Elbaum. “Looking back I recall coming out of surgery and barely being able to pick up a cup of water.” In Coronary Artery Bypass—open heart surgery–a 6-8-inch incision is made in the center of the chest. The breastbone is divided and the ribcage is opened. The patient is put on a heart-lung machine and blood thinners to prevent clotting. Recovery is gradual—but the outlook is good for many people – including Elbaum. “Almost a year later I still don’t feel like I have all my energy back, She says. “But I recently traveled to London and walked more than 20,000 steps a day—so, I am not complaining.”
“I live my life differently now,” says Elbaum. “I’m living my life to the fullest and paying attention to my body’s signals a lot more. I’m here and I’m watching my boys grow, traveling and taking it all in. I value each and every day!”
