Weight-loss surgery reverses heart failure in Spokane woman
In 2018, before turning 50, Petra Trammell ended up in the hospital with heart failure.
Trammell, who had been diagnosed with asthma in 2015, was struggling to breathe and went to urgent care to get medication.
“My blood pressure was very, very high — at stroke level,” she says. “They couldn’t get it under control, so they transferred and admitted me to the hospital.”
Providers at MultiCare Valley Hospital took care of her blood pressure, but she was diagnosed with heart failure.
“The denial is so strong. Even though the physicians were telling me I was in heart failure, I couldn’t hear it,” recalls Trammell. “What I heard was that my asthma was acting up.”
To be released from the hospital, she needed a primary care provider (PCP). Her PCP had recently left MultiCare, so she didn’t have one. A social worker contacted the office where her provider had practiced and connected her with Charles Haigh, MD.
Trammell came out of the hospital needing oxygen 24 hours a day.
“I was retaining so much fluid, my body was drowning itself. Everything was so saturated — that’s why it was hard to breathe,” she says. “Now I know it wasn’t asthma; I had had heart failure for the past three years.”
“From the beginning [at the bariatric clinic], it was a different conversation. I was able to talk about being overweight with people who didn’t look away.”
Soon after release from the hospital, she went to see Dr. Haigh.
“He told me my life expectancy was less than five years,” she says. “It was scary to hear, but l knew I had to face addressing my health.”
Trammell, who had been overweight and affected by severe obesity the majority of her life, said doctors have told her over the years she needs to lose weight, but haven’t offered help.
“Dr. Haigh was one of the first doctors to talk to me about a solution and do it in a kind way,” she says. “Lucky for me, Dr. Haigh is interested in and knowledgeable about bariatric surgery.”
Trammell then made an appointment at MultiCare Rockwood Weight Loss & Bariatric Surgery Center.
“From the beginning [at the bariatric clinic], it was a different conversation. I was able to talk about being overweight with people who didn’t look away,” she says. “And they have created an environment so you can keep your respect — they have bigger chairs, larger doorways. You don’t have to feel weird and walk in sideways.”
“While our current location was being built, we were very intentional with doorways, chairs, blood pressure cuffs and exam tables,” explains Megan Vulcan, ARNP, a nurse practitioner at the clinic. “We wanted to make sure our patients feel comfortable while they are here.”
Trammell met with bariatric surgeon Andrew Bright, MD, and decided to have surgery.
After fulfilling insurance requirements, she underwent bariatric surgery in 2019 — nearly a year to the day after she was diagnosed with heart failure.
“I had to change my life, and surgery was the tool that allowed me to change it,” says Trammell. “After surgery, the staff at the clinic teaches you how to eat, which is amazing. It wasn’t easy, though. I had to focus 100 percent on what I was eating.”
She says it’s easier to stay on track when she does meal preparation, rather than coming home from work and having to figure it out.
“You can undo this and sabotage yourself, but I’m never going back,” adds Trammell, who is now 55. “I never thought meal prep would be part of my life, but now it’s something I do, and it really helps me.”
Medical problems disappear after weight loss
Before surgery, Trammell was 480 pounds. Now, she’s 294 pounds lighter.
“Petra went from a starting BMI of 74 to 28,” says Vulcan.
Because of the weight loss, Trammell’s medical problems disappeared.
“I no longer have asthma, high blood pressure or sleep apnea,” she explains. “But here’s the most incredible thing: I no longer have heart failure. At one point, it was found I had aortic stenosis and an enlarged heart. Those heart problems are gone, too.”
And her fitness and mobility have improved. Before losing weight, Trammell had difficulty walking from her desk at work to the elevator and then to her car.
“I’d get home from work and go to sleep; my body was physically exhausted,” she says. “That’s all my body could physically do. Now, I can walk stairs and go for walks with friends, which was my goal. I didn’t have a certain weight in mind; I just wanted to go for walks with my friends.”
Trammell says she’s grateful to everyone she has encountered at the bariatric clinic, including Dr. Bright and Vulcan.
“I meet with Megan every year for my checkup,” she says. “She is such a kind human being and has always been supportive. At my appointment last year, she gave me the greatest news: She said I have a normal life expectancy.”
Vulcan’s admiration is mutual.
“Petra is a resilient person,” adds Vulcan. “Last time I saw her she said, ‘I refuse to take this chance, this life for granted.’ I think that is such wonderful insight. I could see the transformation in her confidence. It was a beautiful thing to witness. She stands tall, holds her head differently and feels strong in her own body.”
