Barbara Weese
PEOPLE AT THE HEART OF THE MATTER
Barbara Weese's story: Barb is a wife, homemaker and mother of six grown children. She has always been extremely active and loves gardening. She says, "I love using my big muscles." She is involved in projects around the house and home repairs. She spends her leisure time with her family at their cabin and snowmobiling in the winter. She is active in her church, and for ten years she volunteered her time at girls' camp.
Ten years ago, Barb was going to get her hair done and couldn't get her car started. She looked and noticed that her hand wasn't touching the key. She went back into the house and, while getting a drink of water, dropped her glass. She was in denial that something was seriously wrong. She couldn't talk and went to her neighbor, who drove her to the hospital. Luckily, it was a TIA, a transient ischemic attack, or small stroke. She felt very fortunate that it was not a major stroke.
Barb learned a lot through that experience. She would like to give some advice to others: everyone should keep their emergency contact's name and address in their wallet.
In July of 2006, Barb was out for her regular walk of 3-1/2 miles a day, when she noticed her eye was acting funny. She says it was like "looking through seaweed." Her children took her to the doctor, who initially thought Barb had a torn retina. Her doctor saw hemorrhaging behind her left eye. She was referred to Dr. Vitali at Moran Eye Center, who told Barb that she had a stroke behind her eye. At that time she was referred to Dr. Elaine Skalabrin, a neurologist, whom she and her husband fell in love with. Dr. Skalabrin, in order to determine the cause of the stroke, sent Barb for a specialized echocardiogram, which showed that Barb had a PFO (patent foramen ovale). The PFO is a heart defect that is found in one of five people. PFOs are found to be the cause of stroke in less than 1% of the people with this defect. Dr. Skalabrin referred Barb to Dr. Andrew Michaels, an Interventional Cardiologist who specializes in closures of PFOs with a minimally invasive procedure.
Barb and her husband said they really loved Dr. Michaels and his staff. She said, "Have you ever noticed the amount of letters he has behind his name?" She told him he was an over-achiever. "I can't believe how genuinely interested he and his staff were in me. Renee has been outstanding at returning phone calls. Carrie met me in the front lobby to make sure I found the lab."
Barb had her PFO closed and went home the next day. She was a little surprised at how tired she felt the day following her procedure, but she recovered well. Barb and Dr. Michaels are very positive about Barb's outcome. She will stop taking her blood thinner six months after her PFO closure. She has a follow-up appointment with Dr. Michaels in May. When asked how she is feeling now, her response is, "I no longer feel like I am sitting on a box of dynamite, wondering when it will explode. Wondering if, with the next stroke, I would be sitting in a wheelchair the rest of my life."
