By: Frank Vento with Robert Avsec
I was having a good career at my department. I put in a great deal of time working on projects and studying hard for that lieutenant promotion that I really wanted.
Well, I got it! Now I am some months away from retirement eligibility and looking to see what’s out in the world to do next. But life has its moments.
I began noticing that I had large lump in my neck, and while I wasn’t getting sick, it won’t go away. I’d noticed it about a week earlier, and now I’m going in for a check.
No one’s really worried at this time, but I want to know what this is and why it doesn’t go away. The doctor says all she can do at this point is draw blood and run the labs. No problem. As luck would have it, my wife’s boss is a surgeon and he’s always interested in our well-being. He asks to see me.
My labs came back “normal”, but my wife’s boss says he would like to run a CT scan to see if anything comes back. I don’t think he is really concerned at what he sees in the labs, but I know he is just trying his best to help out and put me and my wife at ease.
However, this all gets me thinking about another medical problem that this “healthy guy”, me, had a few years back. I got to work one morning on a swap shift, wasn’t feeling 100 percent myself, but I figured if I got to the station and got a coffee and a bowl of cereal I would get the needed fuel to get going.
I sat down next to one of the medics and asked him if during his morning check of the ECG monitor could he wire me up and “take a look.” I just wanted to have some piece of mind, since I still wasn’t feeling all that well.
So 20 minutes later I’m being prepped at the station for a ride to the ER. The medics all came in to look at my ECG, which is showing 8-10 PVC’s (Premature Ventricular Contractions) a minute. The District Chief is standing across the room, arms crossed with his chin on one hand and shaking his head. He comes over to me and says, “Frank, you can’t be on-duty with this, you will need to go get checked out.”
After a weekend hospital stay and two stress tests the department physician did not want to clear me. Following several visits to the cardiologist we find out I need surgery.
So there I am, three weeks after the station episode, having open heart surgery at a children’s 
hospital for a birth defect in my heart. Had it all my life and never knew it! But I didn’t like what I was feeling so I had to find out why.
When it came to this episode with my heart, I didn’t have any stereotypical male attitude that “this was nothing and it will go away.” We’ve all heard it time and time again at every continuing education medical class regarding heart problems. This new lump in my neck was going to get checked out the same way.
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So the CT scan came back and it was questionable and we wind up making an appointment with an ENT (Ear, nose, and throat) specialist for the next day or two. Initially, the ENT office said they had an appointment available in six weeks. However, my darling wife said, “No”, and she does her “little thing” that she does with the scheduler lady. She finally has to “drop” her boss’s name and state that Doc wanted me seen in the next day or two. We got the appointment.
So the day before this past Thanksgiving I met with the ENT who scoped my nose, and didn’t see anything that concerned him, but he recommended doing the biopsy to be sure. As soon as he started the biopsy he sighed and stated that some white puss came out around the needle, and that this was most likely an infection. A good sign or so I thought…
To be continued…
About the Author
Frank Vento is a Lieutenant with the City of Seminole (FL) Fire Rescue where he’s currently assigned to the Truck Company at Station 29. Lieutenant Vento has been a firefighter since 1989. He also served his country in the U.S. Army and the Florida Air National Guard.
Battalion Chief (Ret.) Robert Avsec served for 26 years with the men and women of the Chesterfield County (VA) Fire & EMS Department. Contact him at robertavsec@fireemsleaderpro.org
Robert, what an interesting post – after 48 years in the fire service, many of them prior to every one having an SCBA, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and sent to a hospital to have it removed. This is one of those things that is supposed to happen to others, and not me, after all, I am now the Fire chief of a small City and don’t go interior that much any more. The take away from all of this is that the “youngsters” need to mask up EVERY FIRE EVERY TIME” if they want to avoid having their brain worked on.
Keep up the good work in keepping all members informed, especially about safety (job #1)
Greg Petersen
Great comments, Greg. Thank you for contributing to the conversation. I’m stunned everyday as continue to see firefighters and officers needlessly breathing smoke–with their SCBA on their back and facepiece hanging from their neck. And even more stunned when I read a comment about such a photo that “takes the firefighters to task” over their unsafe behavior and then see a dozen other “commentators” who “pile on” to the first comment with phrases like, “You weren’t there!” or “It’s easy to Monday Morning Quarterback!” or (especially if the original comment was made by a chief officer) “What do you know desk-jockey? When’s the last time you were on a job?”
Very interesting. I have been a career firefighter for some 35 years now, and up until a week or two ago I thought I was pretty healthy. My cardiologist did not like the results of my stress test and said he needed to “go in” and have a look at my heart. Now, I have not experienced any type of chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, swelling, or any other type symptoms one might associate with an impending cardiac emergency. However, what he found after doing the angiothing was a real eye opener. My right coronary artery was almost non-existent and my left anterior descending artery did not look much better. I was a heart attack waiting to happen, albeit, symptom free. I am now the proud new owner of Resolute integrity 3.0mm x 22 mm stent in the RCA. In a couple of weeks I will be going back to have the same procedure for LADA. Routine testing and a Dr. who recognized an immediate need for care, care and compassion above and beyond are all that saved my life. Thank you Dr. Kiesz. I will be forever indebted to you and and your team. I guess the take-off here is this: Even if you feel like you are O.K. and you don’t have any symptoms, a routine physical and check by your Dr. should be done, each year.
Ric, thanks for sharing your story with my readers! “An ounce of prevention is worth more than an pound of cure” is an adage that only gets better with time. Glad to hear you’re on the road to good health–and ready for another 50,000 miles!
My wonderful, loving husband lost his battle with cancer. He was the love of my life and this is too much to take. He passed on Feb 3, 2014. His services will be on Friday Feb 7 at the Seminole Recreation Center 9100 113th st. Viewing is 10-12. Service begins at noon. He will be dearly missed by all who loved and knew him.
Lisa Vento, wife of 23 yrs.
I’m truly shocked at the news of Frank’s passing.
I was so looking forward to working with Frank on additional posts to my blog, Talking “Shop” 4 Fire and EMS, chronicling his battle against cancer. Though I’d only spoken with Frank by telephone once, that was enough to let me know that this was a “stand up guy” who was committed to do whatever he could to ensure that the next generation of firefighters knew and understood that to serve others they must first serve and protect themselves.
You have my deepest sympathies for your loss. May the hand of Providence guide you and your family through this difficult time.