NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — An expectant father nearly had a heart attack after delaying his trip to the doctor because he was worried about getting COVID-19.
For months, 33-year-old Zak Jablow had been suffering from chest pain. At first, he was told by a medical professional it was indigestion. But then it got worse.
“I woke up feeling like a car had parked on my chest, I had never had it that bad,” Jablow said, “The thought of exposing my 8 and a half month pregnant fiancée to coronavirus by going to a hospital such an emergency room was absolutely paralyzing.”
He was scared to go to the doctor, but during a telehealth appointment he was encouraged to go see a cardiologist immediately. An artery was blocked.
Jablow said, “The cardiologist told me after the stint had been put in my heart that ‘If you hadn’t come, you would have had a heart attack.’”
According to Zak’s Cardiologists Dr. Brian Jefferson and Dr. Tom McRae, many patients are avoiding medical facilities at the expense of their own health.
Dr. Jefferson said, “It’s a safe place to be, and please don’t delay.”
Everyone who enters the buildings at TriStar Centennial Medical Center go through screenings where their temperature is checked. Then, they are given wristbands which confirm they’ve been screened. In addition, everyone is wearing masks.
Dr. McRae said, “At Centennial we have one intensive care unit which is for coronavirus, and rule-out patients, and the rest of the floors are separate.”
Jablow said looking back, he would have gone to the doctor sooner because he felt safe at Centennial, even in the waiting room. “All the chairs were a great distance from each other, there was plastic guards, everyone was in gloves.”
He hopes by sharing his story, it could potentially help save lives.
“Don’t be too proud and don’t be too scared to go see a doctor,” Jablow said.
Jablow is now filling much better as he waits for the birth of his first child.
