Texas Veteran ‘Riding off to see Sunsets’ after Successful Heart Surgery
Army Veteran Larry Scales has been living with heart issues for years. The 68-year-old Texan had his first heart attack in 1999 and over the years he worked hard to improve his health. Despite quitting smoking and watching his diet, he had a second heart attack in 2015 and got a pacemaker.
After having a third heart attack last year and exhausting all his medication options, he was feeling exhausted and fatigued when he sought help at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston.
“I came to the Houston VA sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Scales said. “I take pride in taking care of myself and I had no energy to do the things I love. When the doctors recommended an LVAD, I was a little anxious, but I jumped at the chance to get my life back.”
The left ventricular assist device is cutting-edge technology that involves a small, battery-operated pump that’s implanted into the chest and helps the heart circulate blood. Scales had this life-changing and lifesaving procedure at the Houston VA last summer and said upon waking up from the surgery, he knew immediately he had done the right thing.
“I woke up from surgery feeling hopeful and positive about the future,” he said. “The VA team gave me straight talk about what I needed to do to get better and they supported me through my recovery every step of the way. Now, I feel better than I have in years.”
One of the first people Scales met at the Houston VA was Dr. Steve Antoine, an advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist.
“Dr. Antoine spent a lot of time talking with me about my goals and educating me about my options,” Scales said. “It was obvious he cared about me as a person and knew I was ready to take ownership of my life….he is definitely a heart doctor with a real heart for his patients.”
As a board-certified specialist in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, advanced heart failure, cardiovascular nuclear medicine, and echocardiography and an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Antoine brings a comprehensive skill set to his Veteran patients and particularly enjoys getting to know them.
“When I meet Veterans, I love learning about them and all they have accomplished,” he said. “I knew right away Mr. Scales was an amazing guy. I met him right before his right heart cath, which is a procedure to measure cardiac output and pressures inside the heart. He told me that he likes cars, so I explained my findings to him in car lingo by telling him that I popped the hood and his engine was fuming and that we needed to do something immediately. He understood right away what needed to be done. His determination to live, courage and trust that he gave us over a short period of time made caring for him very easy despite how sick he was.”
Scales says his family, his faith and getting his mojo back were his biggest motivators during his LVAD recovery. He credits his wife, Peggy, a compassionate nurse with many years of healthcare experience, as also playing a key role in his recovery. Between them, the couple has five children and seven grandchildren.
“When I first met my beautiful wife, we bonded over our love of life and a love of dancing,” he said. “When I was in heart failure, I couldn’t dance with her at all. Since I got the LVAD, we listen to music around the house and even take breaks from our daily chores to dance.”
Mr. Scales and Peggy came back to the Houston VA earlier this month for a Heart Month Celebration, where they enjoyed sharing his story of recovery and meeting other Veteran patients. Their future plans include selling their home and purchasing an RV to travel, visit family and see the sights.
“We want to ride off to see the sunsets,” Scales said. “I have a lot of life left to live and I’m thankful to the VA for helping me get the chance to live it.”
According to Dr. Savitri Fedson, medical director of the advanced heart failure program, Houston VA is one of just a few VA facilities performing the LVAD procedure nationwide.
“As one of the largest VA cardiothoracic and cardiology programs in the country, we offer Veterans the full spectrum of heart care and welcome complex cases,” she said. “We are thrilled to offer Veterans like Mr. Scales the state-of-the-art care they so richly deserve.”