State of the Heart continued
but Mrs. Hyer says she continued to deny
her disease. “I would exercise for a while
and watch my diet and then go back to old
habits,” she says.
Eventually, at age 58, she had a mild
heart attack. Gregory J. Dehmer, MD,
director, Division of Cardiology at Scott &
White Healthcare, inserted a stent to open
the blocked artery and restore blood flow.
This finally got Mrs. Hyer focused on an
exercise program, but eight months later,
shortness of breath and fatigue signaled a
new problem. A heart catheterization
procedure to detect additional blockages
revealed that she needed bypass surgery
immediately. While the medication and
the stent therapy had worked, new
blockages had developed and Mrs. Hyer
was among the few people who develop an
allergic reaction to the stent, causing
inflammation in the artery.
“Probably the turning point for me was
the talk I had with one of my cardiologists,
Dr. James M. Schmitz, before surgery,”
says Mrs. Hyer. “He told me that once I
had my bypass surgery, there was no reason
I couldn’t live a long, normal life as long as
I exercised and closely watched my diet. I
literally took his recommendations to
heart and have felt better than I have in
almost 20 years.”
Free online risk assessment
The magnitude and far-reaching
consequences of heart disease in women
are clear. At the Women’s Cardiovascular
Health Clinic, Dr. McNeal educates
patients about the importance of heart
health. However, more screening and
treatment for women are needed,
especially for high-risk groups, such as
African American and Hispanic women.
The Scott & White Institutional Research
Committee awarded the hospital a grant of
more than $35,000 to implement a free
online risk assessment program called
HeartAware.
A HeartAware session takes only about
five minutes of your time (go to sw.org and
search “heartaware”). After completing
the assessment, you will receive a
confidential report describing your current
cardiovascular health and your risk for
heart disease. The personalized report lists
medical reasons or lifestyle conditions
that could contribute to heart disease
down the road. “One of the things people
SIGNS OF A HEART ATTACK IN WOMEN
While both men and women experience some type of pain and pressure or
discomfort in the chest, it’s not always severe or even the most prominent
symptom, especially in women. Women are more likely to have signs and
symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:
• Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sweating
• Light-headedness or dizziness
• Unusual fatigue
If you experience any of these symptoms or even think you’re having a
heart attack, call 911 immediately.
26
THE CATALYST Winter 10 | sw.org