In a Heartbeat
/Two years after receiving a clean bill of cardiac health, Janie Wright underwent quintuple bypass
By Sarah Vammen
photo by shane darby.
Headaches and facial pain during increased cardiac activity were Queen City–native Janie Wright’s first indication that something was amiss with her health. She never guessed this seemingly random pain was actually the result of massive arterial blockages. “I was 48 years old, not overweight, and in what most people would consider great shape for my age, awaiting open-heart surgery,” Janie said.
Thanks to her Google Pixel Watch, Janie noticed a pattern to her symptoms. “If I didn’t stop activities that elevated my heart rate, such as walking long distances, climbing stairs, or exercising, the pain would escalate from a headache to facial pain, and eventually [I’d] feel like my throat was burning,” she said. Over time, this pattern began to occur daily, particularly as she walked to and from her car and office at Domtar in Ashdown, Arkansas. “One day in August, while leading clients through the mill at work, the pain became so intense that I had to stop walking,” she recalled. Unable to ignore her symptoms any longer, Janie made an appointment with her primary care physician that same day.
Janie was referred to the Arkansas Heart Hospital (AHH) Clinic in Texarkana to rule out any issues with her heart. “After checking in at the AHH Clinic, I waited for Dr. Andrew Henry to discuss my symptoms. When he entered the room, he asked if I was there with a grandparent, surprised to learn that I was the patient,” Janie said.
Having received a clean bill of health during a “Keep the Beat” heart screening at AHH in Little Rock just two years before, Janie did not suspect doctors would find anything wrong with her heart during this visit. Following her stress test and echocardiogram, Janie learned that her heart had several blockages, including in her left anterior descending artery—a blockage commonly referred to as a “widowmaker.” Her next step, Dr. Henry said, would be to undergo angioplasty (widening of the affected arteries) and have a stent placed in her heart.
“This surgery made me realize that health can be deceptive. I believed I was healthy, but I wasn’t.”
In the month leading up to her heart procedure, Janie was eager to plan for all contingencies. “I asked a nurse over the phone what would happen if they discovered I needed open-heart surgery,” she said. “[The nurse] reassured me that they would already know if that were the case.”
On October 16th, 2024, Janie’s cardiologist, Dr. Hamza Reyes, performed her catheterization at Encore Medical Center in Bryant, Arkansas. “When I woke up, I asked how many stents they had placed, and they told me none, which immediately signaled that something was wrong,” she said.
The catheterization revealed a 98% blockage in her LAD and another artery, as well as less severe blockages in other arteries.
“My sister, Amy Giles, who was with me, recalled Dr. Reyes saying that, when he saw the results of my heart cath, he called everyone over in the cath lab to look at it, as he was just incredulous at what he was seeing,” Janie said.
Feeling as though she had a ticking time bomb in her chest, Janie was transported by ambulance to AHH in Little Rock for bypass surgery. “To say I was shocked is an understatement,” she said. “However, the ambulance ride and the four-day hospital stay before my surgery gave me time to process.”
Doctors attributed Janie’s extensive arterial blockages to genetics, as well as the increased risk of heart disease facing postmenopausal women.
Janie waited in the four days leading up to her bypass surgery. Submitted photo.
After four days of waiting in the hospital, it was time for Janie’s surgery. “I was scared, but I had my husband by my side and the support of my family and friends,” she said. Dr. Michael Nolen performed Janie’s coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Following a successful surgery, Janie and her family were shocked to learn that she actually needed five bypasses, making it a quintuple bypass.
Then began Janie’s long road to recovery. “If you can avoid having your chest opened, I highly recommend it,” she said. “[After the procedure] I had numerous tubes and wires attached to me, which was overwhelming, but I understood they were necessary.” Janie’s nurses quickly got her sitting up and walking around, making each of her four recovery days in the hospital a little easier than the last.
Seen here on her first day post-op, Janie underwent unexpected open-heart surgery at Arkansas Heart Hospital in Little Rock. submitted photo.
Though she was happy to return home, Janie found her recovery frustrating. “I couldn’t prepare my own meals, do household chores, climb the stairs to my bedroom, or even shower on my own for the first couple of weeks,” she said. She was thankful to be surrounded by a community of family and friends eager to help in any way possible.
After six weeks at home, Janie felt more like herself than she had in a long time, and she began cardiac rehabilitation at CHRISTUS St. Michael in Atlanta, Texas—an experience she speaks highly of. “The RNs overseeing the cardiac rehabilitation, Shawn Pixley and Heather Robinson, are phenomenal at their jobs,” she shared. “I truly feel that the rehab helps me improve with each visit.”
Janie with her husband, T.D., six weeks after her quintuple bypass surgery. submitted photo.
Today, Janie feels hopeful. “I’m no longer constantly tired, and I have the energy to do things,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong: I’m still recovering, so I do get drained, but I don’t wake up exhausted like I used to.”
Reflecting on her health this past year, Janie said that she has learned valuable lessons. “This surgery made me realize that health can be deceptive,” she shared. “I believed I was healthy, but I wasn’t.”
Thanks to her proactive measures, Janie is able to enjoy moments like this one with her grandson, Calin Lewis. submitted photo.
Now Janie is learning to live well with coronary artery disease, is more aware of her body, and is grateful she was diagnosed before experiencing a heart attack. “I feel fortunate because coronary artery disease often presents differently in women; my symptoms of headache and facial pain could have easily been overlooked by both me and my primary care physician,” she said. Janie advises everyone, but especially women, to pay close attention to their bodies and get any unusual symptoms checked immediately.