For a patient struggling with a heart condition, there is arguably nothing scarier than the accompanying symptoms. Shortness of breath, extreme fatigue and the like often leave the patient confused or lacking judgment. That is why it is so important to be in the care of doctors who take the time to listen and go the extra mile for their patient.
No one knows this better than Ruby Lowrey. In 2007, Ruby experienced a heart attack. She was taken to the hospital where her doctors performed a catheterization and put in two stents. Hoping this procedure would be the end of the scary episode, she returned to life as usual. However, her symptoms never quite went away. She was left with a shortness of breath that eventually left her unable to walk a few short feet across her living room.
“I found myself not being able to walk more than 15 steps before I was completely out of breath,” recalls Ruby. She continued to see her physician and relay her concerns. “My doctor just kept saying if I’d loose weight and walk more I would be OK, but nobody would listen. I couldn’t walk—I was too tired,” she says, recalling her frustration.
The doctor performed another catheterization with two more stents a few years following the first, but to Ruby’s dismay, there was still no change in her symptoms.
“They made me feel like I was crazy or a hypochondriac,” she says. “No one could understand that I wasn’t being lazy. I absolutely couldn’t walk.”
Finally, Ruby went to see Dr. Kumari at Marion Heart Associates. After reviewing her medical history and listening to Ruby’s symptoms, Dr. Kumari wasn’t convinced that Ruby’s heart was the problem. She consulted fellow cardiologist Dr. Singh, and together they came up with a plan for Ruby.
Dr. Singh found that Ruby’s real problem was her kidney function. He discovered that one kidney was completely dead while the other was only functioning at 5 to 10 percent capacity, and she was only three to six months away from needing dialysis.
“I couldn’t believe how close I came to being on dialysis,” says Ruby. “I knew something was wrong, but nobody would listen, until I came to Marion Heart Associates. They didn’t think I was overreacting. They saved my life,” she says.
Today, Ruby is back to her old self. After successfully unblocking her remaining kidney, Ruby can walk with ease and go on living her life.
“I’m a different woman,” she says, expressing her thankfulness to the doctors at Marion Heart Associates.
Her story is not unique. Doctors often see patients, not people. The team at Marion Heart Associates takes the time to listen to every single person who walks through their doors. Illnesses of any sort are scary. Marion Heart Associates’ doctors make it their priority to see you as a person, not a patient.
Marion Heart and Internal Medicine Associates
Heather Island
7578 Maricamp Rd. # 102, Ocala (in Publix shopping center)
(352) 680-0257
East Ocala Office 1805 SE Lake Weir Ave., Ocala (352) 867-9600
West Ocala Office (Jasmine Plaza) 7750 SW 60th Ave., Ste. B, Ocala (352) 873-8775
Summerfield Office 10369 SE 175th Pl. #200, Summerfield (352) 867-9600
