Florida Hospital Waterman | Waterman Wellness | Winter 2018

FHWaterman . com 5 Seeking care ahead of schedule can make all the difference Women’s LOVE YOUR HEART To find a local heart specialist and learn about February Heart Month events, visit FHWatermanHeart.com . When Joanne Phillipp, of Mt. Dora, went for her regular checkup with her primary care physician, she felt good with the exception of chronic acid reflux symptoms. “My physician had been treating my GERD (gastroesophogeal reflux disease) for a while with medication,” explains Phillipp. “All of my lab tests were coming back normal and my blood pressure was perfect, but he referred me to a car- diologist to schedule a heart catheterization as the definitive test. A few days before my scheduled cath, I started to feel a little off. I was worried and felt like I should go to the ER.” Thankfully, Phillipp listened to her instincts and went to the emergency department at Florida Hospital Waterman. An emergency heart catheterization showed multiple block- ages in her coronary arteries and immediate surgery was recommended by cardiothoracic surgeon Gary Allen, MD. The benefits of going off-pump “Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a surgical option for people who have severe coronary artery disease, a condition in which plaque builds up in the coronary arteries and reduces blood flow to the heart muscle,” explains Dr. Allen. Bypass surgery typically requires the chest to be opened surgically, and a heart-lung bypass machine is used to circulate the blood and add oxygen while the heart is stopped during the grafting procedure. For some patients, off-pump surgery may be an option. With this less invasive technique, the heart muscle is slowed with medi- cation but is still beating during the procedure, circulating blood and oxygen on its own without the need for a heart-lung bypass machine. “Dr. Allen assured me that the surgery would eliminate the blockages and since I had not experienced a heart attack, my heart muscle was in great condition,” says Phillipp. “I explained to him that I needed to be here for my six-year-old grandson. My son passed away earlier this year and I am now raising my grandson and we are both very active.” A return to form Phillipp had off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in early October and today she is back to playing catch with her grandson and planning to run in an Easter 5K sponsored annu- ally by her church. “I feel fantastic and I am very grateful,” says Phillipp. “I now know that women experience very different symptoms of heart attacks. The sharp pains and discomfort that I was attribut- ing to my GERD were, in fact, symptoms of an impending attack. I don’t care how foolish you think you are being, if you feel like things aren’t right then mention it to your doctor right away. My doctors saved my life.” I don’t care how foolish you think you are being, if you feel like things aren’t right then mention it to your doctor right away. My doctors saved my life.” –Joanne Phillipp Gary Allen, MD