Patient Testimonials

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A Racing Heart

On a March morning, Diane Jackson got back into bed after using the bathroom—but her heart was racing as if she'd just jogged around the block.

"I didn't have any pain. It was just beating really hard. So I told my husband to reach over and feel how hard my heart was beating," Diane said. "Statistically, a lot of heart attacks happen on Monday mornings at three. So I said, 'Why don't we go over to the ER so we can make sure that I don't die of stupidity?' Because if something happens, and your first reaction is to put your hand on your heart, you might want to get an evaluation by a cardiologist."

Diane's instincts were right. In Lake Granbury Medical Center's emergency room, she met Dr. Michael Ibe, an interventional cardiologist.

"They tested enzymes and stuff, and mine were astronomical. They were supposed to be 0 to 59, and they were something ridiculous like 500," Diane said. "So Dr. Ibe told me he was going to admit me. That I wasn't going anywhere without a heart cath to find out what was going on."

Dr. Ibe also conferred with Diane's cardiologist, Dr. Levi Rice, who had performed an earlier heart catheterization—a medical test that helps find blockages, checks blood pressure and looks for valve problems.

Diane had a 99.6% blockage in one area of her heart, while two other arteries were 20% and 30% blocked, so Dr. Rice placed a stent (a tiny tube that keeps a severely blocked artery open). Dr. Rice is now both Diane's and her husband's cardiologist.

"What I like most about Dr. Rice is he's really proactive. He doesn't go, 'That could be a concern. Let's revisit this in six months,'" Diane said. "You don't leave there with the stress and anxiety of not knowing what's going on with your situation. He explains things better than anybody else. And he listens to everything you want to say."

Since her stent was placed, Diane has worked hard to keep her 20% and 30% blockages from becoming worse. She's been successful by monitoring her cholesterol levels, eating more fish, taking her blood pressure medication and staying hydrated.

"Anybody who thinks that they have to go out of the area to get good cardiology care is just wrong. They just haven't had the pleasure of meeting these two doctors. If my health plan changed, I'd figure out a way to personally pay to keep Dr. Rice," Diane said. "These two cardiologists are great. When I see them on campus or in the parking lot, I wave and holler, 'Thank you for saving my life!' Dr. Rice always yells back, 'Thank you for living!'"

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