Real Housewives of Orange County star Heather Dubrow and her husband Dr. Terry Dubrow had a scary situation last week. On August 3, they were enjoying dinner at The Ivy with their son Nick, when Terry had a medical emergency.
In the middle of their meal, Heather noticed that Terry suddenly began slurring his speech. Although the impediment lasted for less than a minute, Heather was immediately concerned.
She told Nick to call 911, despite Terry’s insistence that he was fine. When paramedics arrived and checked Terry out, they assured him everything seemed fine. Nevertheless, Heather was adamant that he should go to the hospital. Rightly so, as slurred speech can be a sign of stroke or other brain malfunction. TMZ has the story, as Terry now credits his wife for saving his life.
Terry stubbornly refused medical assistance
But Terry, embarrassed by the attention, refused to go, calling an Uber to take him home. Typical “tough guy” reaction. My husband could break his arm in six places, and he’d be insisting he’s “fine.”
Still concerned, Heather immediately phoned all of Terry’s doctor acquaintances and filled them in. As a result, Terry’s phone blew up with calls during his ride home, all insisting he needed to go to the ER. His physician friends were more convincing than his wife, and he finally decided a stop at the ER wouldn’t hurt.
A hole in his heart
Once Terry arrived at the emergency room, doctors ran a series of tests, discovering that Terry had experienced something called a “transient ischemic attack” (TIA). A TIA occurs when the flow of blood to the brain is briefly interrupted and can cause stroke-like symptoms. It’s usually temporary and doesn’t cause permanent damage. But it can be a warning sign and shouldn’t be ignored, as it can indicate other problems. FYI: stroke symptoms are the Fast Pass into the ER and will instantly move you to the front of the line since time is of the essence with a suspected stroke.
In Terry’s case, the medical team discovered the Botched star had a “patent foramen ovale” (PFO), a hole in his heart that didn’t close correctly after birth. Doctors believed a blood clot had passed through the hole, traveled to his brain and caused the TIA. Fortunately, they were able to close the hole right away, he’s already back to working out and performing surgery.
Terry’s TIA was a warning that something more serious was happening. If Heather hadn’t been so insistent about him going to the hospital, he never would have known anything was wrong with his heart. He could have had a full-blown stroke down the road, one which could have been life-changing or even fatal.
As Heather posted on her Instagram, “I love this man with my whole heart. I’m beyond grateful that Terry’s okay. This could have gone very differently.”
See Heather and Terry on Real Housewives of Orange County, Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
TELL US – WOULD YOU HAVE KNOWN TO SEEK MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IF THIS HAPPENED TO SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY?
