Betty Batts is that grandma from central casting. You've seen her in dozens of heartwarming sitcoms. Those commercials for that stuff. And, if you’re lucky, at the neighborhood block party. She's funny, smart, has a warm, easy laugh and lives for her family, and they for her.
And she survived a serious blood clot that could have killed her.
Thanks to the right doctor, and Abbott's JETi All-in-One Peripheral Thrombectomy System, she is enjoying her recent retirement, spending time with her five children and six grandchildren, as well as her sister and husband.
This is her story, in her own words, with minor edits for clarity.
I am 62 and was getting ready to retire after working in a hospital for the last 34 years.
I've always kept busy between work and family, seeing the kids and my sister pretty much every day. We'd go shopping, walking around the neighborhood several times a week, have parties and barbeques. I've always liked being active.
One day, I felt a pain in my leg. It was warm and numb. It eventually got so painful that I could hardly walk on it. A few days in, I went to sit with the family, felt dizzy and started to throw up. My kids were terrified.
I ended up in the hospital for almost a week, diagnosed with a blood clot and put on blood thinners. The problem was that the pain continued, and I couldn’t walk without a walker. I still felt awful when I was discharged home.
It didn't improve. After a few days, I returned to my doctor who referred me to the person who turned out to be "the right doctor." He admitted me that day and scheduled surgery for the following morning to treat the blood clot.
Let's take a moment away from Betty's story to introduce you to Abbott's JETi All-in-One Peripheral Thrombectomy System, used to remove the blood clot in her leg. You can watch a video animation here. It shows how the clot is suctioned and completely fragments the clot, breaking it into pieces that will clog neither the device nor the vessel. Back to Betty.
They explained that the plan was to use a device to remove the blood clot and that a stent would be put in place to keep the vessel open, reducing the chance of another clot forming.
By the time I left the recovery room, the pain that I'd had for a few weeks was already gone and I could move my leg.
The pain has never come back. They wanted me to use a bedpan, or at least the walker to use the bathroom, but I wanted to walk. Felt good after all this time not being able to.
I didn't much like using the walker around the house or having my kids babysit me. While I've never been the grandma who babysits the young ones all the time, I definitely didn't want to be the grandma who used a walker. I was way too young for that.
After a couple of weeks, I started feeling more like myself. If I felt winded, I'd stop (but I wouldn't let them know I was winded). Soon after that, I returned to work where I finished my last two months before my planned retirement.
I absolutely love retirement.
Having the blood clot and learning later how it could have broken off and ended up killing me, I am even more grateful for my good health.
I realized: This is not the way I want to die. I don't want to die using a walker.
I know I have to be independent. That journey of going from walking to needing a walker to my return to walking was important. That device gave me my mobility back and I value that. That situation was not the life I want. I hate the idea of being a burden to anyone.
Nor is it the life she has. Betty Batts is accelerating in her retirement, adding fun and adventure to her steady diet of laughter and family. She's no one's TV grandma falling asleep in the doily-accented recliner.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
JETI™ ALL-IN-ONE PERIPHERAL THROMBECTOMY SYSTEM
Indications
The JETi™ AIO Peripheral Thrombectomy System is intended to remove/aspirate fluid and break-up soft emboli and thrombus from the peripheral vasculature and to sub selectively infuse/deliver diagnostics or therapeutics with or without vessel occlusion.
Contraindications
The JETi™ AIO Peripheral Thrombectomy System is contraindicated for use in:
Warnings
The JETi™ Peripheral Catheter, JETi™ AIO Suction Tubing, and JETi™ Pump Set contents are supplied sterile using EO. Do not use if the expiration date has passed or the sterile barrier is damaged.
Precautions
Physicians must read and understand the Instructions for Use (IFU) prior to using the device. The device must be used by physicians skilled in percutaneous, intravascular techniques in a fully equipped catheterization laboratory.
Potential Adverse Effects
Potential adverse events include, but are not limited to:
JETi™ is a trademark of Walk Vascular. Walk Vascular is a subsidiary of the Abbott Group of Companies.
Manufactured by Walk Vascular LLC 17171 Daimler Street, Irvine CA, 92614 USA
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