‘They Saved My Life Twice’: Man Survives Heart Attack, Rare Tick-Borne Illness
In late June, Barry Williams was struggling with a 103-degree fever that wouldn’t break. The Galena Territory, Ill., resident visited his local hospital’s emergency department, where doctors performed a battery of tests.
“They ran tube after tube of blood, ruling out just about everything,” Williams said.
Despite days of evaluation, there was no diagnosis. Eventually, a tick-borne illness was suspected, and he was treated accordingly. It wasn’t until July 7 that a positive test for anaplasmosis, a rare and potentially deadly disease carried by ticks, was confirmed.
By then, Williams had already survived what he calls the most dangerous two days of his life.
Chest Pain Leads to ER Visit, Heart Attack Diagnosis
In the early hours of July 2, Williams woke up with chest pain. He immediately returned to the ER near his home, where an EKG diagnosed a heart attack.
He was prepped for transport and raced by ambulance to UnityPoint Health – Finley Hospital.
“I could tell everyone was worried,” Williams said. “I’d had a heart attack before, and this one felt different, worse.”
His EKG and blood enzyme levels were so abnormal that his primary care doctor saved the results to use as teaching material for medical students.
When Williams arrived at Finley’s cardiac catheterization lab, he said the team worked together like a “finely tuned watch” as they quickly prepped him for the emergency procedure.
“The whole cath lab team was so efficient, and also kind and calm,” he said. “They kept talking to me, letting me know what was going on, and still worked like clockwork.”
Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Tauseef Khan discovered a 100-percent blockage in the number two branch of the left anterior descending artery. A stent was placed, and Williams was stabilized.
A Second Heart Crisis
The next day, as Williams was 15 minutes from discharge, telemetry monitoring caught a troubling heart rhythm: serious atrial fibrillation (AFib).
“They came running into the room and asked how I felt,” Williams said. “I said I felt fine, just a little dizzy earlier that morning. I had no idea my heart rhythm had gone so far off track.”
He was rushed back to the cath lab, where Dr. Khan confirmed all his arteries were still clear and the stent was working. However, his heart was out of rhythm.
There was no time for anesthesia.
“Dr. Khan asked if he could perform a cardioversion, basically shocking the heart, without putting me under. I said, ‘Go for it.’”
After two shocks, Dr. Khan administered a heart rhythm medication. Twenty minutes later, Williams’ heart began to fall back into regular rhythm, stabilizing fully over several hours.
He was finally discharged on July 4.
“I call it my Independence Day,” he said.
A Tick-Borne Mystery
The diagnosis of anaplasmosis came days later and opened new questions. Barry’s primary care provider suspects the tick bite and illness may have triggered an inflammatory response that accelerated his cardiac condition.
Even his Milwaukee-based cardiologist, who had previously identified only a 30-percent narrowing in that artery, was baffled by the sudden 100-percent blockage.
“How it jumped to a full blockage with my otherwise healthy lifestyle is a mystery,” Williams said. “But the infection is the likely culprit.”
Williams participated in a cardiac rehabilitation program as part of his recovery and is now back to enjoying retired life. He and his wife, Philippa, have been married for over 50 years and have three children and nine grandchildren.
He is happy to be able to continue the things he loves – gardening, traveling, attending church and cherishing time with his family.
“I’m convinced the team at Finley saved my life twice,” Williams said. “If I’d been discharged just 15 minutes earlier on July 3, who knows what might’ve happened on the way home.”