BOTHELL, Wash. — A Bothell Family says it was just a trip to the dentist for a regular appointment, but the routine visit saved them from a huge loss that would have devastated their family.
They shared their story with KIRO 7′s Ranji Sinha to convince people that the sometimes annoying step of checking blood pressure could be lifesaving at any medical appointment.
Elena Gayduk says she shuttles her parents to their medical appointments, and back in April it was time for a visit to the dentist. She says a simple blood pressure check by a dental assistant on her father Igor, changed everything.
“He had high blood pressure and the dental assistant said, ‘It’s a little too high for us,’ so they said, ‘You have to check your blood pressure with your doctor,’” Gayduk told KIRO 7.
Gayduk says the dental appointment didn’t happen— a trip to their doctor did and it led to an alarming discovery that sent them on a months-long journey: Igor had a faulty valve.
“One test led to another, and it turned out that he had a very bad heart valve that would need to be replaced,” Gayduk said.
The family had seen signs in Igor; he’d get tired or winded quickly often too quickly. The family chalked it up to older age and certainly did not think it could be any kind of heart condition.
Gayduk says the discovery was jarring for her, especially since she thought the appointment at the dentist would just be for a simple look at her father’s teeth.
“You don’t really think you have something really major going wrong in your body. it was such a rare chance that one of the nurses stood up for something very important,” she said.
Gayduk told KIRO 7 that surgery in October at Overlake Medical Center saved her father.
“The doctor did say when they checked the valve that if he did not come for these appointments and tests and just let it go he could have had 1-to-2 years of lifespan,” she said.
“The American Heart Association asked us if we would do some basic lifescreening,” Darren Greenhalgh told KIRO 7.
He owns and practices at Pacific Northwest Smiles, the dental practice that did the blood pressure check on Gayduk’s father. He says the push to get more medical professionals screening blood pressure makes sense, since people really do see their dentist more often than their doctor.
“Teeth will always kind of be there,” he said. “It’s not life-threatening usually, very very few times is it life-threatening. Heart conditions are something different.”
Greenhalgh and Gayduk know many people find blood pressure screenings mildly annoying. Gayduk initially questioned why it was needed at the dentist of all places. She does know now that the routine check yielded far from routine results. After the surgery she says her father has his health, more energy and vitality, maybe a little too much for her mother Valentina.
“They’re going for a walk every evening but now my mom is losing breath saying he slow down you’re going too fast.”
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