Grateful to Ride Again
February 08, 2022
Vince Jager had no idea he was about to have a heart attack in February 2021. He was 59 years old at the time, and he felt fine as he headed to a cabin for a weekend of snowmobiling with his wife, Brenda and some friends.
However, after a couple of days snowmobiling in the cold, Jager started coughing, and walking short distances left him winded. Jager suspected he had caught a cold or COVID-19. Or maybe the problem was the high elevation or his age.
When he woke up Monday morning, he felt bad enough that he asked Brenda to take him to the emergency room at Huron Regional Medical Center, where doctors delivered surprising news.
“I didn’t have a cold or COVID-19,” Jager said. “I’d had a heart attack.”
Richard A. Clark, MD,
FACC
Sanford Cardiovasular
Institute
As soon as his heart attack was diagnosed, Jager was airlifted to Sioux Falls for emercengy surgery at Sanford Health. "His heart had what is known as a widow-maker lesion," says Richard A. Clark, MD, FACC, cardiologist at Sanford Cardiovascular Institute. "Without timely treatment, he easily could have died."
Jager underwent quadruple bypass surgery and cardiac rehabilitation. He had also discovered a new perspective – a perspective that he hopes others will understand before it’s too late.
“It’s really easy to fall off the wagon – to go back to eating stuff you’re not supposed to and to not stay physically active,” Jager says. “But diabetes and heart health should be taken seriously. Your life depends on it.”
While the heart attack took Jager by surprise, his other health issue – specifically his diabetes – presented itself more than a decade ago. While at work, Jager felt his toes tingling and knew that something wasn’t quite right.
Jager’s primary care provider suspected a disc in Jager’s back caused the problem and performed an X-ray and other tests to confirm the diagnosis. But the results surprised everyone – and forecasted a comorbid heart complication in the future. “I didn’t have anything wrong with my back,” Jager says. “My blood sugar was 568. I was a full-blown diabetic.”
Jenny Reimer, BSN,
RN, WOCN, HRMC
Jager’s story is not uncommon. Today, more than 34 million Americans are living with diabetes, and 21% of them don’t know it. Those living with diabetes may also not realize that the condition puts them at higher risk for heart problems. The American Heart Association notes that individuals with Type 2 diabetes are two times more likely to develop heart disease and die from related events, such as heart attack and stroke, underscoring the critical importance of properly managing comorbid conditions.
Once diagnosed with diabetes, Jager took action to manage his condition with medication and changes to his diet. Soon, Jager’s blood glucose levels were healthy. But his efforts were a little too late to prevent serious complications related to Jager’s diabetes. The tingling he had once felt in his feet turned to numbness, and Jager was unable to feel when the arch of one foot had broken.
"The reality is that too often, a lack of sensation to the feet can lead to sores that the patient doesn't know are there," says Jenny Reimer, BSN, RN, WOCN, nurse at HRMC. “If a patient does not receive proper foot care early, infection can occur.” Although Jager began wearing special inserts in his shoes, the arch in his other foot also broke. This time, bone protruded through the bottom of his foot. When infection set in, Jager turned to the HRMC wound care team to treat his wound. Ultimately, the infection spread to his bone, requiring amputation.
A surgeon removed the lower half of Jager’s leg and fitted Jager with a prosthetic. Life changed – but it went on until 2021 – when it almost ended after that weekend of snowmobiling. “When your doctors advise you to manage your health through healthy life changes, you have to take them seriously, especially if you are facing diabetes and heart disease,” Jager says. “Know your family’s health history. Have recommended health screenings. These simple steps could save your life.”
Back to News Listing | Subscribe to News Alerts | Back to Blogs
