Being the Patient Instead of the Nurse - Having a Heart Attack Put Susan Anderson on the Other Side of Cardiac Care

A picture of good health – Hickory resident Susan Anderson, 69, never anticipated the role reversal that occurred when a heart attack put her on the receiving end of cardiovascular care at the CVMC Heart Center on May 8, 2016.

Now retired, Susan spent over 40 years as a registered nurse with career experience working alongside cardiac care professionals at both Hickory hospitals. In an unexpected twist of fate, she found herself receiving balloon angioplasty and two heart stents in the same heart catheterization lab she helped open at CVMC years ago.

“It was Mother’s Day, and I was staying with my parents,” said Susan. “I woke up at 3am and felt like I had swallowed a pill that just wouldn’t go down. At first I thought it was just indigestion. I started vomiting, my vision narrowed and I started experiencing intense pressure and pain in my chest. I called 911 and, when the emergency personnel arrived, I asked to be taken to CVMC, believing that’s where I would receive the best standard of care.”

An EKG revealed Susan was having a heart attack. The cardiac catheterization indicated a 100% blockage in her right coronary artery. Fortunately, an emergency angioplasty with placement of 2 stents cleared the blockage and saved her heart from excessive damage.

Just two days later, Susan returned home and has been closely following the orders of her cardiologists at Catawba Valley Cardiology. She goes to cardiac rehabilitation at CVMC’s outpatient rehabilitation center three days a week and hopes to be a model patient, enthusiastically following the individualized program established to help monitor her progress as she slowly regains energy and safely returns to her active lifestyle.

“The heart attack certainly changed me,” Susan says, “I’ve been taking life a little slower, resting more, listening to my body….and keeping the nitroglycerin prescribed for me nearby at all times.”

Susan has always maintained a healthy weight. She doesn’t smoke or drink alcohol. However, she does have a family history of heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the #1 killer of women, regardless of race or ethnicity, and accounts for a third of all deaths among women. Typically developing over decades, many people don’t even know they have heart disease until it suddenly causes a problem. For Susan, the heart attack she had on Mother’s Day was the first sign of a problem.

Susan says, “Not only can a heart attack cause sudden death, it can rob you of your quality of life by taking away the ability to do even simple activities. Many people who have heart attacks never fully recover. So, my message if for everyone – have a plan to protect your heart. Listen to your body. Trust your instincts. And insist on the best care for your heart. I’m very thankful for the quick action taken by the whole team at CVMC who cared for me. Everyone there was so good and so efficient.”

The CVMC Heart Center serves patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Covered by an experienced team of physicians at Catawba Valley Cardiology and our Heart Center team of nurses and technicians, CVMC’s Certified Chest Pain Center is prepared to meet cardiology care needs in the Hickory community whether on an emergent or non-emergent basis.

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