Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Todd Stevenson is an active guy who loves working on his garden and spending time with family.
During a trip out west to visit family in 2023, Todd began experiencing shortness of breath. He went to the local hospital while on vacation and was told he had a cold or the flu.
When Todd arrived home in Beaver County, he decided to see his primary care provider about his symptoms. After examining Todd, his doctor sent him straight to the ER.
At the emergency room, Todd underwent a CT scan which revealed a pulmonary embolism, or blood clots in his lungs. Doctors explained that the blood clots most likely developed during Todd’s long flight to the west coast.
Todd’s pulmonologist recommended he take a blood thinner to reduce his blood clots.
“They said I should be fine after taking the medicine, but I wasn’t. I slowly got worse and worse,” says Todd. “My local pulmonologist recommended I see the experts at UPMC.”
In June 2023, Todd began seeing UPMC pulmonologist Belinda Rivera-Lebron, MD.
“I brought a CD with my scans to the appointment. Dr. Rivera-Lebron spent a whole hour discussing my condition with me. That’s the first time a doctor has ever taken the time to walk me through everything. I was blown away by her expertise,” says Todd.
Dr. Rivera-Lebron diagnosed Todd with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). This condition is caused by chronic blood clots in the lungs. These blood clots cause scar tissue to build up in the lungs and block the pulmonary arteries, causing high blood pressure in the lungs.
“Dr. Rivera-Lebron told me that I could either live with the condition and continue to worsen or undergo a surgical procedure. She recommended the procedure,” says Todd.
After a month of doctor’s visits, Todd was scheduled for surgery in late August 2023 with UPMC cardiothoracic surgeon Danny Chu, MD.
Todd underwent surgical pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) to remove the chronic blood clots from his lungs. He was one of the first patients with CTEPH to undergo this procedure at UPMC.
Following surgery, Todd spent nine days in the hospital recovering.
“I returned home and experienced a small complication. I called Dr. Chu’s office and was told to go to the ER,” says Todd. “They ran tests and found that my pericardium, or the sac around my heart, was full of fluid.”
Todd was sent to UPMC Presbyterian to have the fluid drained.
“Ever since then, I’ve been doing great,” says Todd.
Todd’s doctors highly recommended he attend pulmonary rehabilitation to strengthen his heart and lung function.
“I go to rehab twice a week at UPMC Jameson and they monitor my heart and lungs while I do circuit exercises. I’ve made great progress,” says Todd. “My respiratory therapist is absolutely wonderful.”
With his pulmonary rehab sessions ending, Todd plans to stay active at his local gym and through senior fitness classes.
“I was active up until they found the blood clots. By the time my surgery came, I was so short of breath. I had trouble going up stairs… I had trouble parking the car and walking into the store. All that’s changed now,” says Todd.
Now, six months since his surgery, Todd has returned to maintaining his six-acre garden. He spends a lot of time outdoors with his wife of 50 years and enjoys traveling to visit his two daughters and three grandsons.
“I never would’ve been able to do these things if it weren’t for UPMC. I was truly blown away by the medical technology and collaboration between the teams,” says Todd. “I decided to leave my former PCP and found a PCP with UPMC in Elwood City. Now, my PCP can talk directly to my specialists. I’m all in on UPMC.”
