It was the day after Thanksgiving in 2013 and Janette Basantes wasn't feeling quite right. She thought it might have been something she ate and when she woke up during the night vomiting, she figured she had food poisoning.
But she also kept getting very hot and very cold. So hot, at one point, that she went into her kitchen to sit on the cold tile floor to try and cool down. That's when she started feeling some pressure in her chest and a little short of breath. She knew she needed to get to the emergency room.
"I thought I might be having a heart attack - both my parents died from heart attacks and I knew heart disease ran in my family," Janette said. "Once I felt the pressure in my chest, I realized it wasn't a reaction to any food I ate."
She woke her boyfriend, who brought her to Holy Name Medical Center. After several tests, staff members quickly diagnosed Janette and told her she was having a heart attack. They explained how they were going to treat her, with a stent that would open up the blockage. But it wasn't until Janette was on the threshold of the cardiac catheterization lab, where they were going to insert the stent, when she realized the gravity of the situation. She was only 41 years old and in otherwise good health.
"It wasn't real until I was being wheeled into the cath lab," she said. "Then I thought, I'm having a heart attack - this is really happening."
Holy Name cardiologist Dr. Tariqshah Syed treated Janette by threading a catheter through her wrist to her heart to first locate the blockage causing the heart attack and then inserting a stent to keep the blood vessel open. Her procedure went well and Janette was able to move around after it fairly quickly.
Janette's recovery, which included some cardiac rehabilitation, went smoothly. She resumed her daily activities within two months and felt totally recovered just a couple of months after that. She believes her successful treatment and recovery were due to the expertise and compassion of the staff at Holy Name.
"Everyone at Holy Name was great - they were so nice, explained everything to me and were very efficient," Janette said. "My brother had a heart attack and went to a different hospital. After he was released he needed to be readmitted. I think it was because of the care I was given at Holy Name that I did so well."
