CINCINNATI — Thomas Likely had unbearable chest pain for days. One night last October, he couldn’t take anymore.
"It was the worst pain, and I got up and drove myself to the emergency room to the VA, praying all the way Lord don’t let me kill nobody," Likely said.
The VA monitored Likely for four days. They ran several tests but sent him home. He saw his primary care physician the following Monday, and his sister took him to the emergency room at Christ Hospital that night.
"Well, I came here through the emergency room not voluntarily," Likely said. "I believe I had a heart attack when I was in the emergency room, which was on Monday, and on that Tuesday I was going into heart surgery."
It all happened so fast.
"I was overwhelmed. I was scared. I thought I was going to die and went into panic mode," he said.
Likely was diagnosed with coronary artery disease, which is caused by plaque building up in the wall of the arteries, limiting blood flow.
"I do remember a conversation we had when he first came to the hospital and how nervous he was to have to have surgery and he wasn’t looking forward to it, but he did it and he made it through," said nurse practitioner Nicole Mullins.
Likely’s surgery was successful and he’s currently in rehab.
"A lot of my patients come in complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath, but several of them sometimes they’ll just say I felt more tired than usual,” said Mullins. “Sometimes they have very classic symptoms like jaw pain, arm pain, very acute on-set sort of things."
Thomas Likely had chest pain for days and was always tired. He thought it was depression, but it wasn't.
— Jessica Hart WCPO (@JessicaHartTV) February 22, 2023
He went the the ER at Christ Hospital and was diagnosed with coronary artery disease. His surgery was a success, and now he's warning others about the symptoms. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/sGzpBWongv
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women and most racial and ethnic groups, reports the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the CDC's Office of Minority Health, Black Americans were 30% more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic white Americans.
“African Americans are at higher risk for developing coronary artery disease simply because of the fact that they are often times diagnosed later in the disease process,” Mullins said.
Mullins noted this is because of a lack of access to health care or waiting too long to get help.
"You can prevent some things, but you can’t change your genes," Mullins said.
She said some preventative measures include exercise, seeing a doctor regularly, controlling stress levels and eating right.
"There are some things that I would do differently like eating more fruits and vegetables, not smoking," Likely said.
He’s now eating more fruits and vegetables. Since his surgery, Likely said he feels much better.
"Before, I couldn’t walk a block," he said. "And now I can walk maybe a half mile or a mile."
Likely didn’t want to go to the hospital at first, but said now he’s grateful he did.
He and Mullins encourage people to get help if they feel something feels off.
"The biggest thing that I tell people is don’t be afraid to seek out care because you can’t run from it for very long," said Mullins. "If something is wrong, it’s wrong."
