For most of her life, Barb Hess was an active, healthy woman. That changed in November 2018, just after her 45th birthday, when what started as an ordinary evening out ended with her experiencing crushing chest pain. What followed was a long, frustrating journey until she found the one person who refused to let her go unheard: cardiologist Dr. Andrea Lavoie, at Regina’s General Hospital.

That November night, Barb’s husband insisted they go to the emergency room, where doctors performed standard heart tests, all of which came back normal. Barb was told she likely had anxiety and was sent home with breathing exercises. However, her symptoms persisted. Fatigue and shortness of breath became a daily struggle. Walking mere blocks left her gasping for air. Yet, each time she sought medical help, Barb’s diagnoses remained the same. This did not change even when her husband experienced similar symptoms and was promptly scheduled for a stress test.

Months later, she finally had her own stress test, an appointment she nearly cancelled, convinced it was all in her head. However, just four minutes into the test, the doctor shut it down. The base of her heart was not getting enough blood. Within an hour, she was in an ambulance, being rushed to the Mosaic Heart Centre at Regina’s General Hospital for an emergency angiogram.

Despite extensive testing, doctors initially found no obvious blockages. The answers to her mysterious condition remained out of reach until she met Dr. Lavoie, cardiologist and cardiology division lead, at Regina’s General Hospital. For the first time in Barb’s journey, she felt heard. Dr. Lavoie listened to Barb’s story and recognized the signs of microvascular disease (also known as small vessel disease) and cardiac vasospasm (coronary artery spasm).  These conditions disproportionately affect women and can be missed in traditional cardiac testing.

In March 2020, Barb underwent a specialized coronary reactivity test that confirmed the severity of her condition. The test showed that all her arteries, including her main coronary artery, were spasming so severely that they disappeared from the screen. It was a turning point in her diagnosis.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for these conditions, so cardiologists can only provide management of the symptoms. Today, Barb continues to live with chest pain, fatigue and shortness of breath. She takes multiple medications and wears a slow-release nitroglycerin patch to manage her condition.  As she reflects on her journey, she acknowledges how different things could have been if she had not found a doctor who listened. Dr. Lavoie changed her life, by simply listening and believing in her.

“We are fortunate to have excellent cardiologists, like Dr. Lavoie, in Regina,” says Dino Sophocleous, president & CEO, Hospitals of Regina Foundation. “They provide life-saving, life-changing care every day to the people of southern Saskatchewan, right here at home.”