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Wednesday, October 2, 2024

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On pace to a better life

Vicci Biles noticed that she was short of breath, tired from walking to one side of the house from the other and was not able to work in her flowers like she used to. Her smartwatch notified her that her heart was 100% in A-Fib. After consulting her sister, who works in healthcare, she called her doctor to see what was happening. Vicci took action, and because of this, she was able to go on a two-week-long vacation with her husband, Lee Biles, like they used to.

Out of rhythm

Atrial Fibrillation, better known as A-Fib, is a diagnosis that Grant V. Chow, M.D., Fellowship-trained and Board-certified Electrophysiologist at the Genesis Heart & Vascular Institute works with most days. Dr. Chow immediately diagnosed Vicci with a heart flutter when he first saw her. Ultimately, he inserted a pacemaker to align Vicci's heartbeat.

Placing a pacemaker is a simple procedure. General anesthesia is used so you do not feel any pain during the procedure, it is similar to being in a light sleep. The doctors insert the pacemaker through a small incision and to make sure that the leads (wires) are placed in the correct spot they use a X-Ray machine.

"When your heart is out of rhythm, in A-Fib, it causes your body to not pump as much blood as it should," said Dr. Chow. "This is because there is a problem with the electrical system that controls the pumping of blood. The pacemaker can solve this problem by putting the heart back into rhythm, therefore enabling the electrical systems to pump a normal amount of blood."

Back on track

"I never would have been able to do everything on the trip if I hadn't received the pacemaker."

After the pacemaker procedure was complete, Vicci immediately felt better. She was up and walking that night. She could not thank Dr. Chow enough.

"The pacemaker made me feel like I was in my 50s instead of in my 80s," Vicci stated.

After Vicci returned home from the hospital, she and her husband immediately booked a two-week trip overseas to the Netherlands. One of the sites on Vicci's bucket list was to see the tulips in bloom in Holland. Every day on their vacation Vicci and her husband took about 12,000 to 15,000 steps.

"I never would have been able to do everything on the trip if I hadn't received the pacemaker. I became winded so quickly before. During our vacation, we were able to walk all day," said Vicci.

When she is not traveling overseas Vicci is active at home. She notices that she has a lot more energy. She recently baked 150 cookies and did not get tired while baking or icing them.

She and her husband have been married for 63 years, and now that Vicci has a pacemaker, her husband jokes that he wants one.

"I want a pacemaker now because I have seen how much better my wife feels," said Lee.

"This procedure is done to help you stay out of the hospital and live longer," Dr. Chow explains. "We are so happy to hear that Vicci is doing well and traveling the way she used to. Vicci is just one of the patients with A-Fib we have treated at Genesis. She is a great example that the pacemaker works for patients with A-Fib and that you can be more active after the procedure."