At 47, Alisa Tongg was shocked to learn she had been living with a hole in her heart since birth. Tongg credits the excellent care she received from doctors, nurses and staff at St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network over the last six months that allows her to say with her whole heart: \u201cI am all good.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the Thursday before the Labor Day holiday. Tongg, who lives in Stroudsburg, was upstairs preparing to take her son Xavier to the school bus. \u201cI felt weird on the right side of my body,\u201d she recalls. She could use her limbs, but she \u201cdid not feel like I was in control of them.\u201d She was dizzy and lightheaded. Moving made her feel nauseous. Tongg had had a history of migraines, but she knew that wasn\u2019t the cause of her feeling \u201coff\u201d this time. She scooted down the stairs and asked her dad to drive her to the ER at St. Luke\u2019s Monroe campus.<\/p>\n
At the ER, she was given a \u201cmigraine cocktail.\u201d When she woke, she was still extremely dizzy. More investigation into the cause was needed. After a neurology consult, Tongg underwent two different CT scans, an MRI and an echocardiogram with bubbles. The later revealed a hole between her two atria, the top two chambers of the heart. \u201cIt is what\u2019s known as a patent foramen ovale (PFO) and is fairly common,\u201d says cardiologist Joe McGarvey, MD. About 25% of people worldwide have PFO, according to the American Heart Association.<\/p>\n
Dr. McGarvey recommended that he close her PFO to prevent a clot passing from the right heart to the left heart. Such a clot could clog a blood vessel in a major organ and cause a stroke or heart attack. Tongg agreed and the procedure was scheduled at St. Luke\u2019s Bethlehem campus about six weeks after her ER visit.<\/p>\n
A single-mother, Tongg, who owns her own business, was understandably concerned about undergoing a surgical procedure even if it was to be minimally invasive. Dr. McGarvey had explained he would go up through a vein in her groin and place discs on the right and left side of the heart to close the hole. Once it was closed, the risk of any embolization in the future would be greatly reduced.<\/p>\n
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Dr. McGarvey was confident of success<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIn Alisa\u2019s case,\u201d Dr. McGarvey says, \u201cI was quite confident we could close the PFO safely and allow her to get on with her regular life. I went through the procedure and risks thoroughly and I reassured her she was in the right place and institution and in good hands. I told her I was confident we would get her through the procedure safely and get a great result for her.\u201d<\/p>\n For added comfort, Dr. McGarvey gave her his personal cell number if she had any questions and needed to speak to him. \u201cFrom time to time, when I have a patient who I can tell is particularly nervous, I\u2019ll give them my personal number,\u201d Dr. McGarvey says. \u201cIn the many years that I\u2019ve been doing this, no patient has ever abused that trust.\u201d<\/p>\n The day of her surgery, Tongg was still worried. What if her body rejected the implant or did not heal as it should? To calm her, one of the surgical assistants recommended Tongg speak to the representative of the medical device Dr. McGarvey would be using to close the hole \u2013 the Amplatzer Talisman PFO Occluder. Not only did the device rep answer Tongg\u2019s concerns but she also gave her a demo device to keep. \u201cI still have it,\u201d Tongg says with a laugh. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n Tongg believes the encouraging words she received from everyone who treated her, including Dr. McGarvey, was a key to her quick recovery. \u201cThey kept reassuring me that I would be back to normal quickly,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I was. Two days after the PFO procedure, and one day after being discharged from the hospital, I was on my way up to Massachusetts for Parents Weekend at my daughter\u2019s college. And one week after the procedure, I was doing clean up and fall planting for my garden.\u201d<\/p>\n Tongg is a Life-Cycle Celebrant, officiating at interfaith and intercultural weddings and other life events. Life after the discovery of a hole in her heart and before the surgery was a bit of a juggling act \u2013 between work commitments and follow-up doctor\u2019s appointments and tests.<\/p>\n Nearly six months out, Tongg is \u201c100% ok\u201d and looks back with a good deal of gratitude. As a Celebrant, she says, \u201cI am being trusted to share in the most precious and important moments of people\u2019s lives and families. I knew before, but it really became clear recently, that the work we do in the wedding industry and the work of ministers and celebrants, in particular, is the work that people want to stay alive for.\u201d Thank you, St. Luke\u2019s, she says, for \u201ccaring about me\u201d and making it possible for her to continue to be there for others in their times of need and happiness too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n About St. Luke\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1872,\u00a0St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 300+ outpatient sites.\u00a0 With annual net revenue of $3.4 billion, the Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.\u00a0 In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school campus.\u00a0 It also operates the nation\u2019s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 45 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 400 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke\u2019s, a member of the Children\u2019s Hospital Association, opened the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.<\/p>\n SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare\u2019s\u00a0five-star<\/em>\u00a0ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.\u00a0 It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades\u00a0Top Hospital<\/em>\u00a0and a Newsweek World\u2019s\u00a0Best Hospital<\/em>.\u00a0 The Network\u2019s flagship University Hospital has earned the\u00a0100 Top Major Teaching Hospital<\/em>\u00a0designation from Fortune\/PINC AI 11 times total and eight years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY.\u00a0 In 2021, St. Luke\u2019s was identified as one of the\u00a015 Top Health Systems<\/em>\u00a0nationally.\u00a0 Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the\u00a0Most Wired<\/em>\u00a0award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. \u00a0The Network is also recognized as one of the state\u2019s lowest cost providers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: At 47, Alisa Tongg was shocked to learn she had been living with a hole in her heart since birth. Tongg credits the excellent care she received from doctors, nurses … Continue reading Stroudsburg Woman Grateful to St. Luke\u2019s for Helping her Overcome Heart Health Scare<\/span>
\nSam Kennedy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"