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Change of Heart
To her surprise, Deborah Simpkins had to experience the services she promotes firsthand.
“I’m responsible for making sure that people know our promise — that we treat the whole person,” said Deborah Simpkins, vice president of marketing for Loyola University Health System. “Now I am living proof of that.”
Five months ago, Deborah was as active as any healthy 44-year-old woman. And then the coughing began.
“I developed a cough that would occur in the middle of the night,” Deborah recalled. “I couldn’t breathe lying down.” With no family history to indicate otherwise, her doctor first thought it might be related to gastric reflux or a sinus infection.
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Deborah Simpkins is successfully recovering from unexplained congestive heart failure with the help of medication, cardiac rehabilitation, a low-sodium diet and low stress levels. |
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Later, she became fatigued easily. “I felt like I had the flu,” she recalled. “I hardly had the energy to walk to the bathroom.”
She went to an ear, nose and throat specialist, and at that appointment, her heart rate was twice as fast as it should have been. The doctor suggested that she see an infectious disease specialist.
Deborah, who usually maintained a healthy weight, recalled weighing 20 pounds more at that third appointment. This surprised her because she had not been eating much. The doctor listened to her heart as she recounted the events of the last three weeks. What he said next also surprised her.
She had heart failure and was admitted into the hospital immediately.
Out of Left Field
A team of Loyola doctors immediately started Deborah on medication to stabilize and strengthen her heart and to eliminate excess fluid. Angiogram results showed no previous evidence of heart disease. Still, Deborah’s left ventricle was functioning at only 5 to 10 percent. A heart defibrillator with a pacemaker was implanted to monitor and regulate her heart rate.
“In about 50 percent of patients, we don’t know the cause of heart failure,” said Alain Heroux, MD, associate professor, medicine, cardiology; medical director, heart transplant unit.
Congestive heart failure is a serious, chronic condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood to the body efficiently. As a result, fluid builds up in the organs, which explained Deborah’s coughing and weight gain.
Although she was once on the heart transplant list, Deborah was discharged after 13 days. Today, her left ventricle is functioning at 40 percent (55 percent is normal).
Change of Pace
“I feel great. I would say 85 percent of the time, I feel like I used to,” said Deborah regarding her progress.
Listening to her body is now a priority. “I think everyone should have a primary care physician who knows their body and family history and who can refer them to a specialist if needed,” she said.
From less stress to a low-sodium diet, Deborah’s life changed considerably for several months. She now participates in cardiac rehabilitation three times a week. “I’m doing level seven on the elliptical. I’m probably working out better than I did before,” Deborah joked.
Although it has been a trying five months, Deborah has seen what Loyola does for its patients. “The nurses took great care of me,” she said. “And it wasn’t because I was a vice president, it was because I was a patient.”
Your Heart on the Line
To make an appointment with Loyola’s Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine, call (888) LUHS-888, and ask for extension 6-4059. Visit www.LoyolaMedicine.org/heart to learn more.
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