Experiences: Julie Williams

Julie's Cardiology Story

Last summer 48-year-old Julie Williams was not where she'd normally be found on such an ideal afternoon for gardening. Instead, she was trying to rest and make sense of the events of the previous day. Her morning at work had been going along much like any other, until her heart rate suddenly soared from a normal 60 beats per minute to 170 beats per minute. Her accelerated heart beat continued for nearly four hours and the longer it lasted the more intensely fatigued she became. Continue Reading

Julie Williams

Although Julie had suffered from SVT (what many describe as “heart flutters”) for more than 20 years, she had never experienced anything as frightening and intense as this. She called her primary care physician, Dr. Renee Fischer, who referred her to Martha Jefferson's Device Clinic for a Holter Monitor. Results from two weeks of constantly monitoring Julie's heart led Dr. Fischer to refer her to cardiologist Dr. William Freedman.

The first plan of treatment for Julie was medication management. However, the medication proved ineffective in regulating her heart rate. In the meantime, Julie didn't have the energy or strength to do many of her normal activities and hadn't stepped back into her garden for weeks. Dr. Freedman referred Julie to Dr. John Zakaib. Having just moved his practice from the Cleveland Clinic to Charlottesville, Dr. Zakaib was Martha Jefferson's newest Electrophysiology (EP) cardiologist and had advanced training in the treatment of atrial fribrillation.

After additional testing, Dr. Zakaib offered Julie the answer to her heart problem: She could take various medications for the rest of her life to try and control it - or he could cure it with a procedure called ablation.

“I was nervous but my family offered me a lot of support,” said Julie. “We decided that if this procedure could cure me, I had to have it done.”

On October 10, 2008, Julie underwent treatment in Martha Jefferson's EP procedural lab. With Julie relaxed under the mild sedation of Versed and Fentanyl, Dr. Zakaib conducted diagnostic tests to determine the precise causes of her irregular heart rhythms. He located a focal location in the electrical system of Julie's heart that caused her arrhythmia. He performed ablation targeting problem area successfully, effectively stopping the harmful impulses that were being generated there and terminating the arrhythmia.

And with that, Julie was cured.

“I don't have enough kind words to say about Dr. Zakaib and the staff,” said Julie. “I was very emotional going into the surgery, but they kept me as comfortable as possible. One nurse even held my hand throughout the entire procedure. I'd refer anyone having problems like mine to Dr. Zakaib. I'm so glad he's at Martha Jefferson.”

This spring Julie will, for the first time, return to her garden completely free of her arrythmia. It will be a place to further celebrate her healing experience and promises to be her best garden yet.

Julie first shared her story with us in February 2009.