Living my best life: MercyOne healed my heart -- twice

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Kevin Konzen was living the dream; he’s been married for more than 30 years to his wife, Julie, they’ve raised three children and are active grandparents to four grandchildren. Kevin felt almost invincible. He was at the peak of his life and knew that he was going to be around long enough to enjoy his time with his family. If it wasn’t for his dog’s odd behavior at 2 a.m., Kevin may not be able to tell the story himself.

My dog was acting weird

“It was about two in the morning, and my dog came in and woke me. He sat there nudging with his nose and touching me with this paw. I sat up to let him out, and he just stared at me. He didn't act like he normally did when he wanted to go out, so I knew there was something wrong by his demeanor.”

“As I got up to move, my jaw started hurting and I thought this was strange, but I figured I must have a toothache or something. So, I laid down to sleep it off, but I couldn't take the pain. So, I got up to take some aspirin and, on my way to the medicine cabinet, I got cold sweats. I took my temperature, and it was fine, so I grabbed my phone and I looked up signs of a heart attack and all my pains were signs of a heart attack, so I woke my wife up, and we went to the emergency room,” he said.

I had a 100% blocked artery

Kevin recalls watching the doctors and nurses at MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center run their tests when he was told he was having a heart attack. Dr. Ramabadran was able to get him into surgery where a stent was placed in his 100% blocked artery. A second stent was placed three days later in an artery that was 95% blocked.

“I never thought I'd ever have to worry about this. I mean, I'm 54 years old. I'm physically active; yes, I was overweight, but I was never a couch potato. I work on my feet all day. I lift all day. I never dreamt this would ever happen to me. So, when the doctor confirmed that I was having a heart attack, I feared the unknown and I remember thinking ‘God, I hope I make it. I have too much to live for’.” he said.

How MercyOne healed my heart

Kevin recalled the support he received from his physician and nursing team at MercyOne during his time of uncertainty.

“I chose MercyOne for the great help and knowledge of the doctors. When I came here, everything was great. They treated you like you were a person not just a number and that's very important for the healing process. It's the comfort you experience because it gets lonely and boring sitting in a hospital room but they make you feel good, so it makes the healing process go a lot faster.

“My doctor was a super nice guy. He explained how my procedure was going to be done, how he does it and how simple and safe it was. He explained that there are risks but he always made me feel calm so there were no worries and that was nice,” he said.

Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab

Part of Kevin’s recovery process was joining the cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program at MercyOne that helps make lifestyle modifications to reduce risk factors associated with heart disease.

“The cardio rehab team are top notch. When you start the program, you are not just exercising, the team educate you. They have classes and they educate you on your diet so now I'll look at labels and I watch my sodium intake and it's just to get you on the right path to heal. It's really a steppingstone in how to heal after you leave and everybody should go experience that.

Visit your doctor and live your best life

“My advice for anyone is go to the doctor regularly, get checked up. It's simple and fast. A lot better than going through what I had to go through. Just little things could change your life. I never went to the doctor unless I had to and now, looking back, I wish I would have made a little more time to go to the doctor and was taking better care of myself, so this was a wakeup call,” he said.

In June 2022, Kevin experienced another heart attack. His care team discovered that there was another artery that was also 95% blocked. A stent was placed and Kevin confessed that he feels better than ever and will maintain his healthy lifestyle so he can continue to live his best life with his friends and family.

“You take things for granted, and now I don't anymore, and this experience was a blessing in disguise because it got me healthy. It’s like I was 20 years old again. I don’t wish this experience on anyone but part of me is kind of glad I went through this transition, now I feel I'm going to be here for a long time for my wife and kids and grandkids.

“I will not make that mistake again and now I'm living my best life with my family, my kids, my dog and I thank my lucky stars for him, because I do honestly feel if it wouldn't have been for him, I wouldn't be here right now. Without him, it could have been a lot different, and I truly believe he saved my life,” he said.

After a heart attack, with the proper guidance from our MercyOne heart experts, you'll likely return to a normal routine.