THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 11, 1996 TAG: 9602090208
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Long : 172 lines
DANNY SHANNON had a change of both heart and attitude when a New Year's Eve heart attack sent him to the hospital.
What could have been a fatal incident instead led to a healthier lifestyle, giving the 50-year-old man more energy than he had had in years.
Guy L. Moore was alone on the sixth hole of the Suffolk Golf Course, on an 86-degree day last September, when he was overcome with nausea and dizziness.
That coronary event led to bypass surgery in which a blocked artery was surgically bypassed with a vessel from another part of the body, again allowing blood to flow freely to the heart again. After several months of cardiac rehabilitation, Moore, 69, has a new lease on life.
``Before this happened, I felt 70. Now I feel like 40,'' he said. ``I am ready to play golf again as soon as the sun shines.''
It took two mild strokes and constant fatigue to convince Carolyn Slovick to consult a cardiologist and agree to triple bypass surgery.
Six weeks of cardiac rehabilitation moved Slovick, 51, into a new lifestyle - ``All the stuff I could have done years ago to prevent this,'' she said - and put her back to work full time.
Thomas Earl Stephenson has had coronary problems for the last 20 years. Even after two bypass surgeries, in 1977 and 1985, his condition was so bad in 1991 that his doctors said he needed a new heart.
Early last December, a donor was located. Stephenson, 58, underwent a heart transplant.
Less than two months later, Stephenson is walking two miles a day, riding a stationary bike and praising cardiac rehab sessions for making him feel safer and better doing it all.
Outpatient cardiac-rehabilitation programs have become a lifestyle enhancer, as well as a lifesaver, for heart disease patients. Since September 1989, Obici Hospital's program has been educating, encouraging and reassuring coronary patients that they can lead active, full lives after cardiac events.
Patients join a rehab group for at least six weeks and, with individualized and monitored exercise programs to improve their cardiovascular fitness, get a good start building up their cardiovascular systems. Six classes of four patients each meet three times a week.
The primary benefit of cardiac rehab, according to cardiologist Edward M. Lynch, is its social aspect. ``Patients oftentimes, after the first heart attack or bypass surgery, are under the impression that they are the only one it happens to and that it is the end of everything,'' Lynch said. ``They come in for their first visit, see other patients, of the same age and with the same disease, walking the treadmill and it gives them a new mindset.''
Dr. Lynch also noted that post-cardiac depression that used to be seen commonly is seldom a problem with rehab patients. ``The social aspects . . . prove to them very quickly that they are going back to a normal life,'' he said. ``Once you get that mindset, everything else just works excellently.''
Lynch said the exercising done in rehab could be done at home but that the group environment and individual monitoring make it much less frightening, especially for transplant patients. ``Once the fright is gone, the rest is just fun,'' Lynch said.
Danny Shannon, a locomotive engineer and stock car racer who lives on Manning Road, had gone out New Year's Eve morning to bury the family cat, which had just died. He almost lost his own life.
``I came back in the house and had a problem breathing and pain in my chest,'' he said. ``Next thing I know, I'm in the hospital - heart attack, blood clot.''
Like many other coronary patients, Shannon had experienced warning symptoms: shortness of breath and fatigue, but had ignored them.
``I don't like to go to the doctor,'' he said.
Shannon underwent angioplasty, better known as balloon surgery, in which a catheter with a balloon at the tip is inserted into an artery to widen the passageway and improve blood flow to the heart.
He gave up his pack-a-day smoking habit and modified his diet to avoid fatty and fried foods.
Near the end of January, Shannon joined Obici's cardiac rehabilitation program. ``I wish I had done it as soon as I had gotten out of the hospital because I feel so much better,'' Shannon said as he strode briskly on a treadmill. ``I breathe better and am getting in better shape.''
He added, ``Now that it is over, I am glad this happened. It made me realize that I am not in the condition I thought I was, and it's going to make me get into the best condition I have ever been in.''
Guy Moore grinned when told how much younger than his 70 years he looks.
``They got me in shape,'' he said, nodding toward Obici rehab staffers Tracy Porter and Gayle Banks-Jackson. ``It is really something to see the progress other people make in just two or three visits.''
Moore's progress has been equally as impressive. A retired electrical superintendent, he has been part of the rehab program since November and is up to three hours a day on his treadmill at home on Carolina Road.
Carolyn Slovick, who has returned to her job as a service represenative for Social Security and as statewide coordinator for the American Federation of Government Employees, finds it difficult to maintain an exercise regimen but knows she should.
``A positive attitide is three-fourths of the battle,'' Slovick said. ``The best thing about rehab is learning that regular exercise will make you feel better.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
A MATTER OF HEART
Staff illustration by JANET SHAUGHNESSY
Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Thomas Stephenson underwent a heart transplant recently and must be
careful to avoid germs.
Gayle Banks-Jackson monitors patients in the cardiac-rehabilitation
section of Obici Hospital.
Tracy Porter, left, gives guidance to William Key as he exercises on
a treadmill at Obici.
Danny Shannon, left, and his son Joey work on a Camero that they
plan to race. Danny had a heart attack on New Year's Eve. After
undergoing angioplasty, he joined Obici's cardiac rehab program.
``I wish I had done it as soon as I had gotten out of the hospital
because I feel so much better,'' Shannon.
PROGRAMS FOR THE HEART
It's My Heart, coronary artery and heart disease support group,
meets four times a year at Obici, offering continuing education and
encouragement to patients and their families.
Particularly popular are programs on heart-healthy meal planning:
low-fat, low-chloresterol diets.
The next session is March 28, at 7 p.m., in the hospital's
multipurpose room. It is free.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) group meets the first Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday of each month at 2 p.m. in the patient
education classroom on the third floor of Obici Hospital.
The three-session class emphasizes lifestyle changes to lower
blood pressure and manage hypertension.
Call Med Match at 934-4999.
Women and Heart Disease, a ``Prime Time'' program, will meet
April 18, at 6:30 p.m., at Nansemond River Baptist Church, 2896
Bridge Road (U.S. Route 17), Suffolk.
It is presented by Dr. Bhavdeep Gupta, cardiologist, and Dr.
Lynne Stockman, family practicioner.
Wellness program is held the second Tuesday of each month at 7
p.m. in the auditorium of Southampton Memorial Hospital, Franklin.
The free programs include coronary care. Call 569-6182.
KNOW THE SYMPTOMS
Although cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death
and disability in the United States - with 925,000 deaths from it
each year - the typical heart attack victim waits at least one hour
before seeking medical help.
Often the victim is afraid to face the possibility of something
as serious as a heart attack or is afraid to risk the embarrassment
of a false alarm.
Survival and post-attack quality of life can depend upon how
quickly the victim receives medical attention, so it is critical to
be aware of the warning signs of heart attack and stroke and act
upon them quickly.
HEART ATTACK
Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center
of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and
comes back.
Pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck or arms.
Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea
or shortness of breath.
STROKE
Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body.
Loss of speech or trouble talking or understanding others.
Sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye.
Sudden, severe headaches with no apparent cause.
Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness or sudden falls, especially
along with any of the symptoms mentioned above.
Source: American Heart Association, Virginia Affiliate
by CNB