Coronary Artery Disease: A Champion Swimmer’s Story

By Trip Hedrick, arsenic told to Janie McQueen

One time successful 2000, astatine property 46, I was successful the excavation doing a hard acceptable erstwhile a jolt of thorax symptom and radiating limb symptom stopped maine cold. I’ve been swimming astir of my beingness -- I was a subordinate of U.S. Masters Swimming for much than 40 years and person participated successful nationalist and satellite championships -- truthful I’m nary alien to a twinge of pain. This felt different, but I assumed it was asthma oregon that I’d strained my triceps.

The discomfort eased and I finished the remainder of my workout. But erstwhile the symptom came backmost 2 days later, I instantly called my doc and went successful for a treadmill accent test. I’ve been periodically having stress tests since the mid-1980s; aft witnessing the yet fatal cardiac events of precise acceptable and progressive swimmers, I wanted to beryllium vigilant.

I passed the trial “with flying colors,” yet conscionable 2 weeks later, I coiled up astatine Mercy Hospital successful Des Moines. I was having a bosom attack.

The cardiologist told maine I had coronary artery disease (CAD), and that the near anterior descending artery (LAD) successful my bosom was 99% blocked. I was rushed to captious care, past the cardiac catheterization laboratory truthful I could person a stent enactment successful to unfastened up the blocked artery.

I had ever bragged to my inactive buddies that I’d beryllium the 1 to dodge bosom issues. I was truthful wrong.

In 2008, I had different bosom onslaught mid-swim. Doctors recovered different LAD blockage that required a 2nd stent. Then, successful 2015, an angiogram showed a large blockage successful the archetypal LAD diagonal branch, and I received my 3rd stent.

From Rehab to New Records

I completed cardiac rehab aft my archetypal heart attack, and I returned aft my 3rd stent was enactment in. In some instances, I was definite my carnal rehabilitation would beryllium beauteous easy, and not astir arsenic large of a situation arsenic my intelligence rehab. So I started seeing a intelligence wellness nonrecreational successful summation to participating successful an workout grooming programme designed to assistance maine regain my spot and support my information from worsening.

My intelligence needs and issues were piling up quickly. I was stressed, some from my ain self-driven property and my occupation arsenic Head Men’s Swimming Coach astatine Iowa State University and aboriginal arsenic caput of my ain aquatics schoolhouse (cycloneswimschool.com). I disquieted astir losing my competitory edge. I was besides disquieted astir however my bosom issues had affected my wife. She has ever been my changeless root of reassurance and calm, but I didn't privation to load her.

Counseling helped significantly, arsenic did carnal rehab. I had a large comeback successful the excavation successful 2016, swimming astatine a highly competitory level for my property group. In 2017, I acceptable different property radical satellite grounds successful the 50 metre butterfly.

Despite maintaining a precocious level of fitness, my conflict with CAD continued, and I needed treble bypass country successful 2018. Before I went successful for the procedure, I reached retired to 4 highly diversion friends who’d had bosom surgery. It was 1 of the champion things I could person done to beryllium mentally prepared for it.

Being successful fantabulous signifier astatine the clip of country helped, too. I’d conscionable started to taper -- meaning to standard backmost grooming -- to get acceptable for a large Masters swimming competition. My halfway spot and lung capableness speeded my recovery. I achieved a post-surgery extremity of mounting different satellite grounds successful the 50 metre butterfly for the 65-69 property radical successful August 2021.

A Full Life With CAD

If determination is 1 happening I’ve learned done my bypass country and CAD journey, it’s the astonishing resilience of the quality assemblage and however rapidly it tin heal.

Throughout these 20+ years, 1 of the keys to thriving with CAD has been seeing my cardiologist each year, not putting it off. I’ve learned to beryllium a amended listener to my body. If I ever get the astir subtle feeling that something’s not right, I present inquire myself if it mightiness beryllium my heart. Then I enactment connected it.

The azygous astir important happening to maine passim my CAD travel has been the enactment of my woman of 43 years, L’Louise. I consciousness it’s captious you person an advocator done immoderate heart-related situations -- these are life-and-death matters. L’Louise goes with maine to each assignment and each test. Sometimes erstwhile we get atrocious news, I portion out. I trust connected L’Louise’s acute listening skills to drawback everything. She ever asks questions and pushes for answers. And we’re inactive madly successful love.

L’Loiuse and I are some retired now. We emotion the h2o of the Mississippi River successful Winona, MN, which is wherever we archetypal met. We walk arsenic galore days of each summertime arsenic imaginable hanging retired connected a sandbar successful the backwaters of the river. We besides emotion surviving successful the vibrant assemblage municipality of Ames, Iowa. We’re avid Iowa State diversion fans and bask the galore things surviving successful a assemblage assemblage offers.

My mantra remains: “Defy perceived limitations.” I ever similar to judge that I’m astatine 100% of what I’m susceptible of doing, adjacent with the compromised bosom relation I’m truthful thankful to have.