To
say Daphine Nielsen is lucky to be alive is
an understatement.
“When I first came to Methodist Charlton
Medical Center, I didn’t have a teaspoon of
blood running through me,” the 41-year-old
Red Oak resident says, remembering the morning
of July 6, 2013.
She had noticed unusual pressure in her chest.
As a survivor of a previous heart attack and with a
family history of heart problems, Nielsen knew that
she needed help fast. She had her friend call 911.
A matter of minutes
“As soon as I was out of the ambulance, there were a
dozen people helping me,” Nielsen recalls. “I couldn’t
have been there for more than a few minutes before
they had me in the cardiac catheterization lab.”
Cardiologist Manishkumar Patel, MD, part
of the team responsible for Methodist Charlton’s
award-winning heart attack treatment times, quickly
determined Nielsen was having a severe heart attack
and called a code STEMI, short for ST-segment
elevation myocardial infarction.
“Most patients I see have a blockage of one artery,
but Daphine had a 100 percent blockage in both,”
Dr. Patel says. A minimally invasive procedure called
balloon angioplasty would open the blocked arteries.
In
living
color
“But as soon as we began trying to clear the
blockages, her blood pressure dove and we lost her
pulse,” Dr. Patel says. “After performing CPR for two
minutes, we were able to revive her and quickly restore
blood flow to her heart.”
Prescription for hope
After four days under the watchful eye of Methodist
Charlton, Nielsen left the hospital with a life
renewed and a prescription for survival.
“Dr. Patel said that I had to quit smoking
immediately; cut down the salt; and take my
medication every day, no excuses — and believe
me, I wasn’t looking for them,” Nielsen says. “When I
was back in for my checkup, Dr. Patel told me that as
long as I followed that healthier routine, I most likely
would never have another heart attack.
“To go from no pulse to living life free of future
heart problems, well, it’s unbelievable.”
With a fresh lease on life, Nielsen has a new sense
of purpose and enthusiasm.
“I’m back to work at the paint shop, and I’ve
even started painting some cars,” she says. “It was
a hobby at first, but now I feel like it can be more
than that.
“I feel like I’m actually me again, and I’m just
glad to be back to it.”
After Methodist Charlton saved her from a heart attack,
Daphine Nielsen found a new lease on life
When a heart attack
happens, many of us
expect to be warned of its
arrival with pain down the
left arm, tightening of the
chest, and dizziness. But
you may not expect these
distress triggers that are
just as important to know:
w
w
Fatigue
w
w
Indigestion
w
w
Acid reflux
w
w
Sleep disturbances
w
w
Shortness of breath
w
w
Anxiety.
“The most important
thing to remember is
that you need to listen to
Tricky ticker
Pay attention to these unexpected signs
6
Methodist Charlton Medical Center
•
❁
Spring 2014
