After completing intensive cardiac rehab at Sentara Jewel Bass now places self-care first

Jewel Bass thinks a lot about winding down a long career as a Human Resource professional in the retail industry. Her multifaceted position working for a large department store entails onboarding new employees, supervising customer engagement, running payroll - and opening and closing stores on a daily basis.

'Old Jewel' didn't miss a day. Even when her body was shutting down. Physical warning lights flashed from head to toe: Persistent cough. Body aches. Extreme fatigue.

'New Jewel' lived to tell the story.

She ignored all the feelings, writing them off as "Long COVID". In February 2023, when her cough was so bad that she couldn't hold her grandbaby, she visited an urgent care center.  She thought she would get a quick check-up and be on her way with an inhaler. 

Instead of heading home with a care package, the 65-year-old grandmother and banana pudding lover was informed that her lungs were filled with fluid, and she had congestive heart failure.

"I fully expected to go home with some meds. When they told me I needed to go to the ER, I said I would drive my own car." 

Knowing the seriousness of her diagnosis they advised against that.

Instead, Jewel was taken by ambulance to be admitted to Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, Virginia. Irritated and scared, she texted her husband, not just to report her condition, she also wanted him to know where she left her car! 

During her admission to at Sentara CarePlex Hospital, she was treated by Dr. Petra Lynch, Cardiologist at Sentara Cardiology Specialists, who performed a heart catheterization.  The result showed no heart blockages but did indicate that she had severe heart failure.  Dr. Lynch's goal for treatment was to stabilize Jewel's heart failure and to provide treatments and medications to help her heart function more efficiently to help remove the excessive fluid that her heart was not able to pump effectively.  However, an x-ray revealed excessive fluid around her heart and lungs, typical of stage 4 heart failure. Her heart was functioning at 15%.  Normally, the heart function is between 55-70%.

To keep her alive and get her heart functioning normally, Jewel needed the fluid drained and the proper medication.

Jewel's brother and father had both died prematurely from heart disease at ages 55 and 64.  They were heavy smokers. She believed fervently that her tobacco-free lifestyle was her saving grace and would spare her the same fate. Until that day, cardiac symptoms and risk factors were not on Jewel's radar.  

Patients who have been diagnosed with a heart event, including a heart attack, coronary stent, angioplasty, heart surgery, and also heart failure are referred to the Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Sentara. This is considered a vital part of their recovery plan. The Pritikin program teaches patients how to manage their risk factors for future events and how to make healthier lifestyle changes.  

Patients like Jewel want to see another birthday. They show up to do the work. 

The Pritikin program bundles tools, education and support enabling cardiac patients to adopt a new suite of behaviors around food, movement, stress management and interpersonal relationships. Pritikin covers pretty much every aspect of a human's life and lifestyle . 

Jewel had multiple epiphanies during her twelve weeks working with nurses, exercise physiologists, registered dietitians - and interacting with fellow patients also trying to live their best and only life, beyond the saltshaker.

Upon entering, she didn't feel great. Her heart was not functioning at an optimal level, but she was stable. 

For one, she started to treat her body like a precious jewel. The kind of meticulous care she reserved for her new red Nissan Sentra was re-focused to her one body for life.

"I wouldn't dream of putting diesel in my car or ignoring even the most minor signs of distress. But I thought nothing of what kind of junk I fueled my body with," she says. "I had no problem writing off my constant cough and a complete lack of energy to work or Long COVID."  I listened to pings in my car and took it in for maintenance without hesitation. My body had all kinds of pings that I ignored. Instead of going to the doctor, I kept moving and masking my symptoms with cough drops and cough syrup, even when I was vomiting on my way to and from work. 

In mid-August, Jewel Bass transformed herself from a grandmother who couldn't move from one room to another, to a tofu-loving, salt-replacing, treadmill-walking and blood pressure-checking graduate of the Sentara Pritikin ICR Program. She believes her success was a result of the program's strong and focused partnership of better nutrition and safe, appropriate, and monitored exercise.

"I wouldn't have dreamed of eating tofu but when our nutritionist made it for us, it was so delicious.  I can't tell you how many things I wouldn't go back to eating the same way. I couldn't believe she made silken chocolate mousse with tofu!  I will never eat mousse any other way.  The Pritikin eating plan emphasizes whole and minimally processed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains with moderate amounts of seafood, and lean meats."

"Denise showed us that even foods like hot sauce and cornflakes contain sodium and that these things we didn't consider before must be factored into a healthy plan. While stressing Pritikin's principle of 'progress, not perfection,' she made it fun with her live cooking demonstrations! She took our different food biases into account and worked with them without chastising us. Going on my own, post-graduation, is like taking off the training wheels. It's going to be a little wobbly at first, but they've prepared me. They were always there to look for signs that I will have to watch for now. Like when my blood sugar was low the other day, they picked up on it right away."

'Old Jewel' was a stranger to exercise.

She graduated on August 16 with a membership to the YMCA. 

The patient portal gives her peace of mind. With the information gathered from the ICR Cardiac Rehab team, her follow-up providers have access to the information they need to address future needs.  

"My mantra has always been, 'Do it with fear and go as far as you can go.'" 

"New Jewel" has more to think about than what to eat and where to work out.

Will she stay on the treadmill at work? Will she reduce her hours and go part-time? Will she finally retire knowing she's leaving everyone behind in great shape and ready to take on new challenges?

Those decisions are on her plate, next to the tofu tater tots.  

"I will miss the program so much. I'm so glad I ended up here. I thank God that it was in place when this happened to me."