Story of Success with Susan Poltar

January 18th was like any other day for Susan Poltar. She went to work where she is a patient representative at The Cardiovascular Group; and what a great place to be employed not only in general, but this day in particular. About lunch time, Susan began “feeling funny”, with pain in her jaw, indigestion and shortness of breath. She had been having shortness of breath for several months and didn’t think much of it; but the other symptoms signaled some red flags. She immediately went to the Urgent Care pod in the practice and saw Dr. David Truitte. Her blood work and EKG results showed no signs of distress to her heart. However, the stress echo Dr. Truitte ordered revealed a large mass covering the whole left atrial of Susan’s heart. Dr. Truitte had found an extremely rare “Myxoma”, which is an intracardiac tumor.

Susan was immediately sent to Lynchburg General Hospital, where Dr. David Frantz performed open heart surgery to remove the mass. Susan spent a week in the hospital, and is very grateful for the care she received while in Cardiovascular Recovery Unit. She had her own private nurse, Lee, which is an employee at The Cardiovascular Group.

Post surgery, Susan went through the cardiac rehab program, located in the lower lobby of the Cardiovascular Group. Cardiac Rehab provides a safe way to exercise with a team of nurses, physicians and exercise physiologists. She found the program to be a great improvement to her attitude and energy level. Susan was off work for three months following her surgery, and the cardiac rehab program gave her the confidence she needed to return to her normal routine.

When asked to offer advice to others, Susan says, “don’t ignore your symptoms and listen to your doctor!.” Since this life changing experience, Susan is following her own advice. She exercises three times a week, eats healthy and in moderation, takes her medication as prescribed and keeps up to date on her check-ups.

Today you can find Susan Poltar happy, healthy and humbled by her experience. She is a perfect example of the comprehensive cardiac services offered at Centra.

When you see Susan during your visit, stop and say hello - she’s always willing to share her experiences!