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Health Matters: Providence Humboldt County | 5 A medical scare earlier this year for Eureka resident Loren Fisher turned into a life lesson. It taught him that even though you're physically active and feeling good, hidden medical issues can be lurking in the background. The 73-year-old had always stayed busy running his European car repair shop in Arcata. After Fisher retired, he continued to engage in outdoor activities like hiking, walking and playing disc golf. So it was quite surprising that he ended up undergoing a TAVR procedure last spring to treat a serious heart problem. Fisher 's first hint of trouble came in February, when he was dancing at his grandson's wedding and wasn't feeling great. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and treated with antibiotics. But soon after, he began having trouble breathing and was tiring easily. These symptoms prompted a visit to Jessica Babare, DO, an interventional cardiologist at Providence Medical Group in Humboldt County. When some of the medications she prescribed didn't agree with him, he went back for an echocardiogram. The results were alarming. They showed that his heart's pumping ability was extremely low. Dr. Babare was concerned and promptly contacted interventional cardiologist Vishal Patel, MD, a colleague at Providence Medical Group in Santa Rosa. Fortunately for Loren and other patients in Humboldt County, Providence operates six hospitals in Northern California that offer high- quality, award-winning care. If patients need specialized care not available at their local hospital, Providence doctors can easily refer them to sister hospitals within its integrated system to ensure they receive the lifesaving treatment they need. Dr. Patel called Fisher right away, urging him to come to Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital as soon as possible. At this point, Fisher's breathing had become more difficult, so he made plans to have his granddaughter drive him to the hospital that day. It felt like time was of the essence. PREPARING FOR SURGERY Fisher has a lot of family living in the Santa Rosa area, so he stayed overnight with them and went to the emergency department the next morning. They immediately checked him into the hospital and started giving him the diuretic Lasix, to reduce the fluid that was collecting around his lungs. This treatment continued for the next several days because Dr. Patel couldn't perform surgery until the fluid was gone. The plan was to prepare Fisher for a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a procedure used to treat aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the aortic valve. The narrowing blocks the flow of blood to one's body and forces the heart to work harder. During this time Fisher says the physician assistant for Dr. Patel's cardiology group, Lesley Field, was wonderful. "Many family members came to visit, and Lesley spoke with every one of them. She answered all their questions, in addition to mine. It was very reassuring." Fisher was discharged four days later, and his surgery was scheduled for the following week. In that time, another complication arose. "I was feeling pretty good," says Fisher, "until I developed a nasty rash. It started on my legs, then went to my stomach and back. We didn't know at the time that it was a reaction to the meds." When Fisher went to the hospital that Monday for his procedure, he asked if the rash would affect the operation, but Dr. Patel said he could work around it. PROCEDURE GOES SMOOTHLY They proceeded with the TAVR right away, but "by then my heart was so weak, they didn't want to use much anesthesia, so I was given just enough to take the edge off," Fisher explains. This means he was basically awake the whole time. He could even feel the threading of the wires when they were putting in a temporary pacemaker. "Next thing I knew, it was over with. No problem." While at the hospital, he was walking a couple of times a day. The nurses encouraged him to keep moving. "All of the nurses at Santa Rosa were very attentive. They kept me informed about everything," says Fisher. And he was pleasantly surprised that the food was so tasty. "They had good salmon that they kept nice and hot." When asked if he was allowed to have dessert, he exclaimed, "Oh yeah. The chocolate pudding with fresh strawberries was wonderful!" Amazingly, Fisher says there really wasn't any pain afterward. He went back to his relatives' in Rohnert Park to recuperate. Fisher is very grateful to Dr. Babare for alerting Dr. Patel when she did. "I'm so thankful she could expedite the process by calling in other Providence physicians." BACK ON TRACK Everything is progressing normally, and Fisher now has his energy back. It took a while because of his particular situation. One surgeon said some people who have the procedure feel like their old selves within a week, but cautioned Fisher that he would not be one of those patients because of how weak his heart had become. However, the doctors were always optimistic about the outcome. The most surprising thing for Fisher was that it all happened so suddenly. "I went downhill so fast that it shocked me. A lot of people have sudden heart attacks, but I never had an attack." In hindsight, he explains that over that year and a half, he had gained weight but never realized it was mostly excess fluid. Two extra gallons of fluid had accumulated in his body. It wasn't until he got pneumonia that everything became too much. Recalling the experience, Fisher says he wasn't scared to have the procedure done even though it was frightening to have such severe heart problems. "Once I met Dr. Patel and talked with him, I knew I was in the right place. I could tell everyone knew what they were doing, and that was a comfort. I always felt I was in good hands." If you have unexplained chest pain or suspect a heart attack, call 911 immediately. If no ambulance or emergency vehicle is available, have someone drive you to the nearest hospital.

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