How To Prepare for Open Heart Surgery

Douglas is on deck for open heart surgery and decided to join the show just minutes before air time to inspire others by sharing his courageous journey. He heard that Dr. Mehrzad Zarghouni, Interventional Radiologist with Houston Vein & Vascular, was going to be on the show as co-host since Dr. Phillips was on call and taking care of an urgent heart patient at Ohio Health, and he popped on just before our producer Aikman did the final countdown. Douglas wanted to thank Dr. Z, who was named U.S. Vascular Doctor of the Year 2022 by advocacy nonprofit The Way To My Heart, for saving his life. Douglas had shown up to see Dr. Z a few months ago for a procedure to unblock arteries in his legs because of a disease known as Peripheral Artery Disease, which is defined by plaque build-up in mainly the leg arteries which restricts blood flow, causing debilitating pain. Douglas seemed off that morning and was complaining of fatigue and chest pain. Dr. Z sent him immediately to the emergency department and called a friend, an Interventional Cardiologist, who was on call that day who was able to get diagnosed and stabilized. Douglas has a very rare apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is when the walls of the heart become thicker than they should be. This excessive thickening can cause the heart to become more stiff and leaves less room for blood to fill the heart. Douglas is now on deck for open heart surgery next week to improve his prognosis. During the show Douglas was able to ask our guest panel questions to ease his fears about the procedure and the aftermath. The Way To My Heart Nurse Practitioner Kay Smith was able to provide an in-depth explanation of Douglas' situation. Then Nurse Practitioner/CRNA Kathryn Walker, who's also CEO of Revitalist, a group of mental wellness treatment centers, walked Douglas through what to expect from the moment he's wheeled down to the operating room clear through recovery. Dietitian Melissa Hooper (www.dietitianmelissa.com) answered Douglas' questions about how to improve his health following open heart surgery. Also, in the show's Save My Piggies segment, Dr. John Corl, Interventional Cardiologist with Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio is joined by his patient Marcia to talk about how the right doctor and "modern medicine" changed her life and made her "new" again.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.