Rita Barringer: On the MendRita Barriner had surgery in mid-February. How is Rita doing? Rita is doing well. But if you think bypass surgery is easy, think again.
“I really didn’t know what to expect. I was scared I wouldn’t make it at first. I talked with Pastor Kent Seldal at Memorial Medical Center, and he helped me think through things that were troubling me. My Pastor, Larry Schelke, from Zion Lutheran Church, prayed with me as well. He also came to visit me in Duluth. I decided I could make it through surgery and it wouldn’t be so bad. I must say it was more difficult than I thought it would be,” said Rita.
The surgery, performed at St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth, was indeed more difficult than expected and lasted six hours. “I liked my doctors, they didn’t talk down to me and I was pretty confident I would make it through. I got to meet everyone in the operating room before surgery began. They told me I was the star of the day,” said Rita.
Doctors knew that multiple bypasses were needed, perhaps five. Rita required six bypasses. The surgery reroutes, or "bypasses," blood around clogged arteries to improve blood flow and oxygen to the heart.
The arteries that bring blood to the heart muscle (coronary arteries) can become clogged by plaque (a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances). This can slow or stop blood flow through the heart's blood vessels, leading to chest pain or a heart attack. Increasing blood flow to the heart muscle can relieve chest pain and reduce the risk of heart attack.
Rita had a heart attack New Year’s Eve. Stents were placed in her arteries and bypass surgery scheduled. Surgeons took a segment of a healthy blood vessel from her leg and make a detour around the blocked part of the coronary artery.
After surgery, the Rita’s heart rate and blood pressure was continuously monitored. Medications that regulate circulation and blood pressure were given intravenously. A breathing tube (endotracheal tube) was in place when she woke up and kept there until physicians were confident that Rita was awake and ready to breathe comfortably on her own.
Rita felt groggy and disoriented after surgery. The breathing tube hurt her throat. Disoriented, she tried to chew through the tube and severely bit her tongue in the process. The sites of incisions — both the chest and the leg, were painful.
But as she started to come around, Rita realized something else. Before surgery, Rita felt sicker every day. That very “sick” feeling she had before surgery was gone. She felt the effects of surgery but her body also felt healthier. Two weeks after surgery, Rita was back in Cardiac Rehabilitation at MMC.
“The first day back in rehab, I exercised for eight minutes. Five weeks later, I’ve increased that time to 30 minutes, I’ll keep going until I’m up to 50 minutes. I am also eating entirely different – lots of fruit and vegetables – a low fat diet. That’s what I have an appetite for,” said Rita.
“Most patients in rehab recovering from open-heart surgery feel better and stronger as time goes on and they progress. We are very happy to be seeing that happening in Rita's recovery. She has worked hard at taking care of herself throughout this whole process and we are glad to be a part of her health care team, of which she is the most important member,” said Mary Defoe, RN, Cardiac Rehab Services of MMC.
“I really feel like I have a new lease on life. I am back to my life – I’m cooking, doing the wash, walking. Every day I feel better. I view things differently now. I know my life was in the hands of the Lord and I was given a second chance,” said Rita.
Click here to return to the previous page