~Tom Hagg
Congestive heart failure is a scary sounding name for a disease.
However, a Yachats man with this diagnosis has learned that by following doctor’s orders, having an excellent care team, relying on good support at home and keeping a positive attitude, not only can he manage his symptoms for the long run, but he’s seeing improvement in his heart function, too.
“I’m lucky to be alive,” said Tom Hagg (pronounced Haig), when talking about his medical journey these past few years. “I received excellent care from Samaritan, from the first symptom until today. I could not have had better care.”
Hagg’s story begins one day in 2018. Hagg and his wife, Lori Stevens, had recently returned permanently to their oceanfront Yachats property, after a 16-year teaching adventure in Okinawa, Japan. He was puttering around the home and yard one day when he became extremely fatigued.
“I was having trouble breathing,” he recalled. “In fact, I was gasping for air for two nights and had to sleep sitting up in a chair.”
He contacted his doctor at Samaritan Waldport Clinic the next day. She connected him to a telehealth visit with a Samaritan cardiologist in Corvallis, who urged Hagg to come to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center the very next day. There, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, or CHF.
In simple terms, CHF is a chronic condition in which the heart does not pump blood as well as it should. When this happens, blood and other fluids collect in the lungs and legs over time.
Hagg was hospitalized for five days, receiving intravenous medications and other drugs that helped drain 30 pounds of fluid off his body. He recalled that three cardiologists gathered at the foot of his bed to discuss his case. Among the orders after leaving the hospital were for him to participate in cardiac rehabilitation at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital, attend weekly classes and to follow a low-sodium diet.
“I’d eat an old leather shoe if it had enough salt on it,“ Hagg joked. “Good thing my wife is super supportive and makes me good, tasty meals.”
As soon as he was enrolled in the hospital’s cardiac rehab program, the staff designed an exercise program specific to Hagg’s diagnosis and needs. Twice a week for one hour at a time, Hagg participated in monitored exercise in the cardiac rehab gym. Following the Wednesday exercise session, he would attend a 30-minute class on a variety of important topics related to his heart health – stress, sleep, nutrition, risk factors, medications and more.
Medical insurance covered the cost of 36 sessions. After insurance stopped paying for the rehab, Hagg paid out of pocket to continue the exercise regimen at the gym.
“The 50 miles roundtrip is well worth it. Those people (cardiac rehab staff) are good,” he said. “I appreciate what they have done for me and for others in the program.”
One tangible measure of success for Hagg is his heart’s ejection fraction. This is the total amount of blood in the heart that is pumped out with each heartbeat. This is determined using a variety of medical imaging tests, including echocardiography, CT and MRI. A normal ejection fraction is 55% or higher. Hagg’s was at 10% when he was hospitalized in Corvallis, was close to 35% when he left the hospital and is now at about 55%.
Hagg attributes this success to “following the medical professionals’ orders, eating the right diet and having a good attitude.”
Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center was recently recognized for its commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure through teamwork and adherence to the American Heart Association’s guidelines.
When a heart issue occurs, it takes a team of professionals to help you get better. Heart surgeon Edward Bender, MD, and Cardiologist Matthew Lindberg, MD, discuss the importance of patient-centered care.
