Lisa Dahl is a certified nursing assistant at Perham Living, and she loves her job and coworkers. So when the call came to pick up a shift on her day off on Christmas Eve 2022, she decided to help out.

There had been a blizzard the night before, so she was cautious on her way to work but still got stuck. With the wind chill at minus 40 and not wanting to be late for work, she dug herself out after much effort.

While at work, she noticed that her rib cage hurt when she turned her upper body to the right or left. She assumed she pulled a muscle from digging herself out.

After working a full day, she went home and felt extremely tired, more than usual. “I woke up at four in the morning and felt like an elephant was standing on my chest. It was very heavy, but there wasn’t any pain. The next thing I knew, my fingers started tingling, my arms felt funny, and my hands were going numb. I woke my husband up and told him that something was wrong. He took me to the emergency department, and by the time we got there, I couldn’t stand,” remembered Lisa.

The ED doctors ran some tests, and Lisa’s troponin levels were very high, which was a sign that something was wrong with her heart. They sent Lisa to Fargo, where they ran tests that revealed that Lisa had a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), which is different from a heart attack.

A SCAD is a decrease in blood flow due to the innermost layer of the artery wall tearing. Luckily, there was no damage to Lisa’s heart. The care team put Lisa on some medications and sent her to cardiac rehabilitation.

Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program to improve heart health. The program aims to help patients become healthier while managing their heart condition and preventing further complications.

Lisa went to cardiac rehab at Perham Health under the care of Evan Perala, Exercise Physiologist, and Katie Rosenthal, RN, Cardiac Rehab Nurse.

Cardiac rehab is done three times a week for up to 36 sessions over three months. Sessions are typically one hour and include exercise training, education, and nutrition consultations designed to improve overall heart health.

“Lisa exercised using equipment such as the treadmill, rower, and bike. We would monitor her heart and modify the intensity and duration of exercise based on her progression,” said Evan.

Even though Lisa’s job requires a lot of activity and movement, research shows that a regular exercise program outside of work-related activity leads to further health benefits and risk reduction.

Evan worked with Lisa on her eating habits. “We recommended dietary changes revolving around a heart-healthy diet, such as limiting saturated fat intake, portion control, protein prioritization, and watching how much salt she was using,” said Evan.

One of the most important lessons Lisa learned in cardiac rehab was that she needed to start thinking about herself. Lisa is a valued Perham Living employee dedicated to her job. She would frequently pick up extra shifts, even on her days off. Stress is tough on a heart, so Evan and Katie worked with Lisa on ways to reduce her stress levels.

“I’ve been a caregiver for 43 years. I worry about the care of the residents and my coworkers probably more than I worry about myself,” Lisa said.

“Lisa loves to help, whether it is family, friends, or coworkers. She mentioned that she had difficulty saying “no” to picking up shifts. We talked to her about making time for her own health and understanding that doing so is essentially helping her coworkers,” said Evan.

“They taught me to think more about myself and taught me how to say no at work. I don’t pick up shifts on my days off anymore. It’s hard sometimes, but I find other ways to help my coworkers. If they need help with the evening shift, and I’m working, I’ll stay until six, but I won’t stay after that. And so far, it’s been working,” Lisa said.

Cardiac rehab has been significant for Lisa. Her stress levels have gone down, she’s making exercise and sleep a priority, she’s watching what she eats, and she has lost 25 pounds and has kept it off.

“Cardiac rehab was really good for me. Sometimes, I would get down, and Katie would listen to me about work because that was my big stressor. Evan is very knowledgeable about everything. If I had any questions, he would figure it out and explain it to me,” remembered Lisa.

Now that I’ve completed cardiac rehab, I exercise at a gym near my house and plan to get a new bike this summer. Evan and Katie taught me what I need to do to take care of my heart, and I’m doing it,” said Lisa.

Learn more about cardiac rehabilitation.

About Perham Health 

Perham Health is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital with three primary care clinics, a 96-bed nursing home, home health care agency, adult day services, memory care assisted living, and senior housing.  The medical staff consists of 24 physicians, a nurse midwife, 14 advance practice clinicians, and three chiropractors. Visit perhamhealth.org to learn more.