After surviving an incredibly stressful year, Claude Earp and Dave
Earp are adopting a healthier lifestyle thanks to the education they
are receiving through Monitored Exercise Testing Services (METS)
at Sarah Bush Lincoln. Both the father and son suffered heart
episodes months apart and now appreciate growing together in
their improved health and fitness. “I was petrified to start METS,” Dave said. “I was literally
making myself sick thinking, ‘What if something happens while
I’m there? Is my heart going to hold up?’” Dave said. “It helps
knowing there are medical professionals monitoring you at all
times. After a while, you start to realize, ‘Hey! I’ve got this! It’s
working and I’m going to be fine,’” Dave said.
“I actually feel better than I have in a long time,” Claude said. His
son, Dave, agrees. “The confidence this program has given me to
stay active and workout without worry is unbelievable,” he said.
“I feel great.” “I run in there now, and I’m going as fast as my legs will let me
go,” Dave said. “It’s a strain sometimes, but it feels great. I have
a new level of energy.”
Dave suffered several bouts of heavy breathing, dizziness and
numbness in his arm that sent him to the emergency rooms of
various hospitals when he was on the road with the Lake Land
College men’s basketball team. Doctors initially thought the
assistant basketball coach was suffering from panic attacks.
When an emergency room physician in St. Louis reluctantly
released Dave after he promised to seek further care at home, Dave
immediately called his trusted Family Physician Gary Mikel, MD,
at SBL Family Medical Center. Dr. Mikel arranged for Dave to
see Prairie Heart Cardiologist Thomas Cahill, MD, at Sarah Bush
Lincoln the same day. Dave was immediately impressed with the
attentive care. “Dr. Cahill is one of the most personable doctors
I’ve ever met,” he said. “He’s extremely thorough, and he doesn’t
seem like he’s in a huge hurry. He’s there for you to address your
concerns throughout the visit.”
Claude added, “It’s not just an exercise program. It’s a training
opportunity – a learning opportunity. You don’t just go out and
get on a bike or a treadmill. They’re actually instructing you on
things you need to know and do.”
At 44, Dave is thankful for the wake-up call. “I’ve lost 16
pounds and changed my eating habits. It’s given me a chance
to change my lifestyle and, hopefully, to extend my life.” As a
diabetic, he has also cut his insulin intake in half and reduced his
cholesterol medications.
For further assessment, Dave had a cardiac catheterization the
following day. During the procedure, Prairie Heart Interventional
Cardiologist Amit Dande, MD, FACC, FSCAI, discovered a 75
percent blockage in Dave’s left anterior descending artery, and he
inserted a stent – a tiny metal mesh tube that improves blood flow.
A month earlier, Claude had had a stent placed in the same artery
to open an 80 percent blockage. He had been busy tending to his
wife, who was battling cancer at a St. Louis hospital, when he
started experiencing chest pains. He recounted staggering to the
emergency room and then undergoing both a stress test and an
emergency cardiac catheterization within hours of the onset of
pain.
Sadly, both men’s episodes occurred just weeks before they
experienced tremendous personal losses. Claude’s wife (Dave’s
mother) succumbed to cancer, and 30 days later, Dave lost his
mother-in-law to cancer as well. “It was a stressful time for the
family,” Dave said. “My wife, Lisa, rushed from my bedside to her
mother’s bedside in St. Louis on the day that I got my stent.”
While still grieving, Claude and Dave are also now paying
more attention to their health. They are grateful to METS staff
members, whom they credit for giving them the strength and
confidence to stay active.
“ The confidence this program has given me to
stay active and workout without worry is
unbelievable.”
Claude Earp (left)
“ It helps knowing there are medical professionals
monitoring you at all times. After a while, you
start to realize, ‘Hey! It’s working and I’m going
to be fine.’”
Dave Earp
To learn more about The Heart Center, call 217-238-4960.
For more information about METS, call 217-258-2177.
november 2017
healthstyles
5