Heart of the matter four years later–don’t be next – kwwl.com – kwwl.com

Four years ago today, on the Monday after Tom Brady's 5th Super Bowl victory, I found myself in a very unusual situation, but, also in very good hands. (You can view the story from 2017)

The Patriots had just beaten the Falcons in that classic Tom Brady come from behind victory in Super Bowl LI.

I had watched the game with my family from a hospital bed at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

I was there because, only hours after that Brady victory, I would undergo quadruple bypass, open heart surgery at University of Iowa Health Care.

For me, it would be a life-saving operation, but, certainly one I never imagined I would ever need, especially as someone who had completed ten marathons and was still very active.

I will always be grateful to the dedicated staff at University of Iowa Health Care and Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Dr. Mohammad Bashir, for their amazing talent and skill. https://uihealthcare.org/

The surprise operation became necessary because I had experienced a series of personal events, originating from the aftermath of a light dusting of snow, which had fallen on our sidewalk in Hudson.

It was the last snowfall of January, 2017, and it wasn't much at all.

As I recall, it was barely more than an inch, though it was a very wet and heavy snow. It was so wet and heavy it even clogged up my always reliable 1996 John Deere snow blower, forcing me to clear my sidewalks using my metal snow shovel.

As it turned out, that snowfall, and that shoveling experience, would have a profound impact on my life.

As I mentioned in a previous article, I love shoveling snow. Just like I love to mow my lawn. Just basic tasks, which give me a sense of daily accomplishment. I can look and see exactly what I've done. In my business of television news, I really can't see the results right away. You send the signal out there not really knowing who's watching, or if anyone really cares.

As I started to shovel, that January snow just seemed so heavy for some reason. I just attributed it to the wet nature of the snow. But, I really struggled to finish that sidewalk.

When I was done, I drove to downtown Waterloo to work out at the Cedar Valley SportsPlex for an hour or so. Following my workout, I drove back to Hudson and finished our other sidewalk, which is considerably longer than the sidewalk I already shoveled.

Again, I truly struggled to move the snow and remember saying to myself at the end, I'm never doing this again. This is for young people. I was literally exhausted, like never before. It never occurred to me that something might be wrong.

A couple of days passed, but, in the back of my mind, I was still thinking about how difficult it was for me to move that little bit of snow. I decided to tell my wife about it and she ordered me to go to the doctor right away for a checkup.

An EKG revealed what appeared to be an abnormal reading, so, a stress test would be my next stop at Covenant Medical Center. (Now Mercy One) https://www.mercyone.org/northeastiowa/location/mercyone-waterloo-medical-center-1

A stress test is sometimes called a treadmill test, or graded exercise test. Formally, it's known as an exercise electrocardiogram. The patient walks on a treadmill (sometimes a stationary bike) to test the heart's response to the exercise. The walking gradually becomes more difficult, as the speed and grade increase throughout the test. Heart rate and blood pressure are tracked throughout the procedure, until the patient can no longer go on.

I was very excited to take this test, but never got the chance.

Nurse Practitioner, Tabetha Gehrke, and Stress Test RN, Erin Smith, had me all ready and hooked up to an Electrocardiogram machine with several electrodes, which would record my heart activity during the test.

But, when Covenant Cardiologist, Dr. Ahsan Maqsood, saw erratic electrical signals coming out of the Electrocardiogram machine and its video monitor, he immediately canceled the stress test, saying, This is a serious abnormality. I expect several blockages.

They sent me right to the Covenant (Now Mercy One) Cardiac Catheterization lab, where an examination of my heart revealed four major blockages, which meant I would need open heart bypass surgery right away.

That successful surgery took place four years ago now, on February 6, 2017.

As I have mentioned before, I view my story is a cautionary tale for both men and women.

Somewhere along the line, unbeknownst to me or anyone else, I suffered a myocardial infarction, more commonly known as a heart attack. To say the least, I was totally caught off guard by this revelation, as I had never had any of the classic signs of heart attack, such as chest pain.

My official medical record still indicates the exact date of this heart attack as unknown, but, just the fact it occurred has been an eye-opening experience over the past year. It crushed six decades of feeling as if I was somewhat special and invincible. Clearly, that is not the case.

I got a second chance, and I'm hoping you will, too, if necessary.

I'm not suggesting you rush to your local cardiologist in panic. But, I am suggesting you not live as I did, ignoring subtle warning signs and thinking you are in some way invincible from medical problems, which could possibly be prevented with earlier action and perhaps, intervention.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart attacks occur every 40-seconds or so, all across the United States. Most heart attack victims survive. But, 1 in every 5 heart attack victims don't even realize they are having a heart attack. The C-D-C says 210,000 of the 790,000 Americans who suffer a heart attack every year had a first heart attack earlier, but did not realize it at the time. That is what happened to me.

Heart attack occurs when there simply is not enough blood flow to the heart because of narrowed or blocked arteries. In my case, a cardiac catheterization at Covenant Medical Center showed the four main arteries in my heart had significant blockages. That meant I would require open heart surgery very quickly, or face the possibly of having what doctors often refer to as the 'widow-maker.' That's when the heart attack occurs so quickly and dramatically, there is no chance of saving the patient's life.

Again, my symptoms were not classic heart attack signs. They were quite subtle. I should have been much more self aware that something negative was happening to my health over time. For some reason, I chose to ignore those subtle hints. That was a mistake, and one I want you to avoid, should you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

The first subtle sign happened during a Holiday Vacations, KWWL sponsored trip to Hawaii with some of our loyal viewers in early 2015. My wife, Candy, whom spent three decades as a cardiac rehab specialist, and I hiked the popular trail to the top of the famous Diamond Head Volcanic crater. The summit is just 763 feet high and the hike is fairly easy. However, I was a little winded pretty much the entire hike. I had a difficult time keeping up with my wife. When we got to the top, Candy looked at me and said I looked 'terrible.' She suggested I should sit down for a while, which I did. It was not what I would call a life-altering experience, but one which now jumps out at me as a warning sign, which I chose to totally ignore.

Another unheeded warning sign came in October of 2016, when the KWWL News operations moved from the first floor to the second floor of our renovated building. KWWL installed a new elevator, but I would always take the stairs. There are 31 steps. Looking back, I remember wondering why I was slightly tired after climbing just 31 steps. Now I know. Another subtle warning sign completely ignored

Even after four years, Candy says I am still in denial that I even suffered a heart attack. She is right. I admit that.

It's still hard for me to believe, given the years of exercise and running which have always been a huge part of my daily routine. That regiment of exercise continues to this day.

If something just doesn't feel right involving your health, check it out. Doing so can at least give you some peace of mind, and could end up being a life-saver. It certainly was for me, and, with some Divine intervention, I came out of it without any hear damage.

Heart attack is often viewed as a man's health problem, but, heart disease is the number one killer of women. However, according to the American Heart Association, women often ignore warning signs, and associate their symptoms to less life-threatening conditions, such as acid reflux, normal aging or having the flu.

Dr. Nieca Goldberg, Medical Director for the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Heatlh at New York University's Langone Medcial Center, says, They do this because they are scared and because they put their families first. There are still many women who are shocked that they could be having a heart attack. Many women, she says, often think they are just experiencing a case of the flu.

Chest pain is the most common heart attack symptom for both men and women, but a woman's symptoms can be different.

Dr. Goldberg adds, Although men and women can experience chest pressure that feels like an elephant sitting across the chest, women can experience a heart attack without chest pressure. Instead, they may experience shortness of breath, pressure or pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen, dizziness, light headedness or fainting, upper back pressure or extreme fatigue.

Dr. Goldberg says, when those signs are subtle the consequences can be deadly, especially if the victim doesn't get help right away.

The AHA says the most common symptoms include uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of the chest. The pain can last more than a few minutes, or it can go away, and then comes back

Other symptoms include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/warning-signs-of-a-heart-attack

There can be shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort, light headedness, clammy skin, breaking out in a cold sweat and nausea should also be of concern.

The A-H-A says women, more than men, are likely to experience some of those symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting and back or jaw pain.

If you ever experience any of those symptoms, you should call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away.

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Heart of the matter four years later--don't be next - kwwl.com - kwwl.com