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Health & Lifestyles
February 13, 2012
News From Parkwest, West Knoxville’s Healthcare Leader • TreatedWell.com • 374-PARK
Man has close call because of
atypical heart symptoms
Last June, a massive heart attack and
heart rhythm disorder erased five days of
Tom McCurry’s memory, and he didn’t see
it coming.
McCurry works night shift at Denso in
Athens. On a Friday night he wasn’t feeling
well and called in sick. A storm had knocked
a tree down across his driveway, so he figured he’d get some rest, have his son come
help him with the tree the next morning
and return to work Saturday night. When
his son arrived to help him with the tree,
McCurry was feeling worse. After about
40 minutes, he couldn’t breathe well and
had blurry vision. He sat down in his truck
while his son finished clearing the tree. Afterward, he returned to the house and lay
down for a nap.
McCurry vaguely recalls his wife and son
trying to wake him to go to a local emergency room and talking with staff, then he
draws a blank.
“I woke up five days later in an ICU room
in a different hospital,” laughed McCurry.
“But I remember feeling better right away.
I was up and walking as far as they’d let me
almost immediately.”
McCurry had experienced a massive
heart attack and shock, as well as liver and
kidney failure, which required invasive
heart assistance, blood pressure support
and dialysis. He is fortunate that his local
hospital knew Parkwest cardiologist Dr.
Robert Martyn. After receiving the consult,
Dr. Martyn orchestrated McCurry’s transfer to Parkwest and immediately began the
support measures.
“I was surprised when Dr. Martyn came
into my room and told me I’d only had
about a 10 to 20 percent chance of surviving,” said McCurry. “I hadn’t really thought
it was that serious until then.”
McCurry never displayed what he deemed
“classic heart attack symptoms.” He didn’t
have chest pain, he wasn’t nauseous and he
didn’t have any tingling in his arms.
Following his heart procedure, his platelet
count dropped so low that he had to undergo transfusions to replace them.
“Everyone at Parkwest took such good
care of me,” said McCurry.
His wife, Kaye, agreed, “Parkwest was so
good to us, especially the Critical Care staff.
When they were talking to us, I felt like we
were the only people on the unit at that time
and all of their focus was on us. It was so
comforting during such a scary time.”
McCurry described struggling with differences in how food tastes, likely because
of the liver and kidney toxins he experienced. “Pineapple tasted like it was soaked
in vinegar,” he said.
“It was the ultimate day of joy when I discovered Parkwest had popsicles,” he joked.
“They tasted decent and they kept me hydrated. I must have eaten my weight in red
ones.”
McCurry is no small guy. At 6-foot-4, he
weighed 248 pounds before his heart atFollowing treatment for a heart attack at tack. He lost 30 pounds, mostly from builtParkwest Medical Center, Tom McCurry enjoys up fluid, while at Parkwest and a few more
relaxing at home.
after he went home.
“When I went home none of my pants fit,
even if I used a belt. I had to wear lounge
pants everywhere for a while. I got some
funny looks when I went to the store; people must have thought I was wearing my
pajamas,” he said.
After three months of recuperation and
some outpatient therapy through cardiac
rehab, McCurry was able to return to work
last September. He has made changes to
“I’d been having GI issues for about two his diet and exercise regimen and is more
years,” reflected McCurry. “We tried ev- mindful now of his activity level. He is
erything to make things better. Then a few grateful for his co-workers who have picked
months before my heart attack, I started up more of the physically demanding jobs,
having respiratory problems. My lungs felt allowing him more desk time.
I do what I can do, and then I let others
heavy. I thought it was just a case of bronchitis, but it wasn’t getting any better, even help,” he said. “Thanks to Parkwest, Dr.
Martyn and cardiac rehab, my heart, liver
with antibiotics.”
McCurry spent three weeks at Parkwest. and kidneys have fully recovered.”
“Everyone at Parkwest took
such good care of me.”
– Tom McCurry
Justice family
What to expect
during an
echocardiogram
An echocardiogram (echo) is a common test using sound waves to map
out the shape and size of your heart.
This allows your doctor to see how well
your heart pumps blood and look for
abnormalities in the heart valves and
chambers. There are a few different kinds
of echocardiograms.
■■ Transthoracic: Your sonographer
will put a cool gel on your chest then will
move a transducer firmly through the
gel, sending painless sound waves to
your heart. The sound waves bounce off
your heart and echo back to the transducer. The sound waves are converted
to moving images of your heart muscles,
chambers and valves on a video screen.
■■ Doppler: A Doppler records
echoes from blood cells. The speed and
direction of the blood flow indicates how
well blood gets around inside your heart.
■■ Stress: A stress echo evaluates
images of the heart before and after
exercise, or following medication that
simulates exercise on the heart. Comparing your echo results before and after
activity provides your doctor with information about certain heart problems
that may only occur with exertion.
■■ Transesophageal: This type of
echocardiogram sends sound waves
through a transducer passed
gently down
your throat
while you
are under
sedation.
This test
provides
a closer,
more
detailed
evaluation
of your heart.
Red Dress crowd
The Red
Dress Gala
A red letter event
Sarah and Kelsey
Wiggins
Hundreds of area residents
turned out for Covenant
Health’s Red Dress Gala at West
Town Mall on Feb. 2. A fashion
show featured models wearing
the latest fashions – in red, of
course – and many of those in
the crowd were dressed in red
as well. Also taking part were
Covenant Health Red Dress
Gala Physician champion, Dr.
Todd Justice and his family;
Kelsey and Sarah Wiggins,
daughters of WATE-TV anchor
Lori Tucker and Steve Wiggins;
and former University of
Tennessee football coach
Phil Fulmer’s wife Vicki
and daughters Allison and
Courtney Fulmer Peace.
Gala models
The Fulmers
Knoxville’s Top Heart Hospital
is Parkwest Medical Center
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU:
• FewerComplications
• BetterOutcomes
• HigherSurvivalRates
Whenyouorsomeoneyouloveneedsqualitycardiovascularcare,
chooseKnoxville’sTopHeartHospital–nationallyrecognizedfor
almostadecade.