GREAT FALLS — On cold winter days, you can find Barb Neuwerth and her friends Jan and Renee walking the Holiday Village Mall. In June of last year, while the trio was walking outside and Barb was recovering from an upper respiratory infection, she felt something wasn’t right.
“I got about three quarters of a mile in that day, and I said, “Oh, pressure in my chest. I don't feel good. I think I'll just go home” said Neuwerth.
She hit the trail the next day, but the pressure came back and at the urging of her friends, she went to the clinic and underwent a blood test, an EKG and an x-ray.
“They came back after the blood test and said, my troponin enzyme, level was elevated, meaning something had happened with my heart,” said Neuwerth. “And I just had that flush that goes over your feeling like you're dumbstruck.”
That led to a trip to the ER, where the healthy 71-year-old told doctors heart issues did run in her family. The next day, doctors performed a heart catheterization.
“They found three blockages. They put three stents in my heart, one of which was called the Widowmaker,” said Neuwerth. “So, I could have very easily passed in that event.”
Barb was able to make it home in time for a family gathering.
“I got home just in time for my cousins to drive into my driveway,” said Neuwerth. “So we had the party, and then I left the next day and went on my annual barbecue event at the family farm and outside of Havre.”
Later, while visiting a friend in Hawaii, Barb felt more pressure in her chest. She came back home and resumed her cardiopulmonary regimen at the Benefis Cardiovascular Institute which includes stretching, cardio, and regular heart rate checks.
“You do your cycling, you do your treadmill, you do your new step, you come in and do weights here so that you can strengthen your upper body,” said Neuwerth.
“We're kind of a small but mighty program, and we can definitely help get people back to good energy and stamina after a cardiac event,” said Pam Crisp, a registered nurse who is the coordinator of the Cardiopulmonary Rehab Unit.
February is National Heart Month and the week of February 9 through February 15 is National Cardiac Rehabilitation week.
Barb says her heart problems did lead to some bouts with depression, which isn’t uncommon. She continues to rack up miles at the mall, as well as attention from the folks in cardiopulmonary rehab.
“It’s not only the exercise and the observation of our staff that's beneficial, but it's also camaraderie because they're exercising with other folks who have had similar activities<’ said Crisp. “And they become a bit of a group that look out for each other.”
Pam says Barb did the right thing by being proactive and seeking help when something didn’t feel right.
“She was very proactive and knew something was wrong,” said Crisp. “She's very alert to her symptoms. And another thing that's so important is knowing your body. Knowing when to act on that and not just ignoring symptoms.”
When it comes to heart health, Crisp says there are some simple steps people take to get started.
“Doing the heart healthy diet and exercise, regular exercise,” said Crisp. “150 minutes a week is kind of a baseline. So it doesn't like it doesn't have to be two hours a day or that type of thing. Start somewhere, start with a 15-minute walk, and then gradually increase that.”
Barb says she’s not ready to hang up the walking shoes anytime soon.
“I have more things to do, more people to see, family to gather with. I mean, it's important to me,” said Neuwerth.
