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Dodging a Bullet

LenDentonThrive Letter #49

Hey Brothers!

Welcome to the LenDentonThrive Letter!

I’m on a mission to help Guys over 50 get fitter, stronger, and live longer by building thriving, healthy lifestyles. I call it the ThriveLife!

In this week’s edition, I’ll share a personal story I experienced over the recent Easter weekend. It’s a story about my health and my ThriveLife. I’m sharing this story because, if you’re an Over-50 Guy like me, there’s a good chance that you’ll have a similar story someday. And, if you don’t have a ThriveLife, your story might have a different ending.

Read on to see what I mean.

Don’t Ignore This…

I was on my treadmill at 6 in the morning…like I am every morning. It started with the slightest pressure in my chest…almost unnoticeable. And, I was just a little short of breath.

I checked my heart rate on my Fitbit. It was right where it was supposed to be. But the pressure lingered, so I stepped off the treadmill and waited for my heart rate to slow down. As it did, the pressure sensation went away. After about a minute, everything felt normal again.

So, I got back on the treadmill and finished my session with no further issues.

“That was weird,” I thought to myself. I didn’t think about it again as I went through my day.

The next day… the same routine. And, the same thing happened again!

As I was finishing my workout, a little voice in my head told me, “Don’t ignore this!”

So, I thought to myself, “If this happens again tomorrow, I’m calling the doctor.”

Day 3… same routine. And the same slight pressure in my chest. This time, I stepped off the treadmill and walked into my office. I sent a quick note to my doctor explaining the situation.

He called me as soon as his office opened, and walked me through a quick emergency protocol:

Was I having chest pains? No.

Was I short of breath? No.

Was I dizzy? No!

I told him that I felt fine and the only issue I had experienced was the pressure and shortness of breath on the treadmill.

While this was happening, I was thinking…I’m in great shape. My weight is right where it needs to be. I watch my diet meticulously. My last calcium cardio scan came back clean. I’m very healthy, right?

He told me that he was referring me to a cardiologist.

Three hours later, I was sitting with my new cardiologist! He checked my charts and immediately zoomed in on my high cholesterol and terrible family history of heart disease. (As I’ve mentioned before, both my dad and my little brother died from fatal heart attacks in their 30s.) He ordered some imaging and lab tests. A couple of days later I went for the tests (a CT Scan and an echocardiogram).

The cardiologist called me an hour after I completed the testing. The results shocked me! I had a 90% blockage in my LAD (Left Anterior Descending artery, also known as the widow-maker because of its frequent association with fatal heart attacks.) He scheduled a stent procedure for the following day!

On Stent Day, my wife accompanied me to the hospital. The procedure went flawlessly. The most traumatic part of the day was the surgeon’s post-op debrief where he told us that the artery was actually 95% blocked and that I was lucky to be around. I went home that night with a small bandage on each wrist, my new stent, and feeling very blessed!

My family’s Silent Assassin had missed. I had dodged the bullet that got my dad and my brother.

My ThriveLife Saved My Life

Following the stent procedure, I had to take it easy for a few days. No treadmill or weights. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I had just been through, my ThriveLife, and the 10 years of effort I put into it.

Was that diligent effort all for nothing?

A couple of days later, I met with my cardiologist for a follow-up exam. Everything looked great. I was relieved.

At the end of the appointment, I asked him about my ThriveLife question.

Here’s what he told me:

• The blockage was inevitable. It was a direct result of my genetic predisposition to high cholesterol.

• Those years of working out made the difference for me.

• And, without that hard work, it would have happened years earlier.

And, he mentioned one last thing. I knew what to look for because I was focused on my heart health. That caused me NOT to ignore a subtle, but definite danger sign.

So, my ThriveLife saved my life!

Takeaways and Lessons Learned

I’ve now had a couple of weeks to think about everything leading up to Stent Day, and what that means for me going forward. Here are 4 things that I want to share with other Over-50 Guys:

1. You need to have an ongoing relationship with a good doctor. My doctor is my ThriveLife partner. He knows my situation. It saved a ton of time when time really mattered. My Medical Early Warning System actually worked when I needed it to! If you don’t have this, I urge you to start building it today.

2. In hindsight, I should have started taking statin meds to manage my cholesterol earlier. I debated this with my doc for years.

3. I’m more convinced than ever that every Over-50 Guy needs his own version of the ThriveLife. It protected me from my heart issue for years by making me strong enough to endure it. And, it prepared me intellectually to detect the danger before it was too late.

4. When something like this happens, it focuses your mind. For me, it wasn’t about stuff, or meetings, or which teams were playing on the

   weekend. It was about family, friends, and Over-50 Guys!

In Closing

Looking ahead, I’m encouraged about the future. I’m back to normal. I’m feeling great and feeling very blessed! And, I’m more focused than ever on making 75 the new 50!

I’m also more dedicated to sharing my message about the ThriveLife with as many Over-50 Guys as possible. I hope my recent experience is useful to you.

I’ll close out this week’s edition with a simple suggestion:

Don’t Ignore This!

Smarter, not harder!

Thanks for reading this week.

I write this newsletter to make a positive impact on the lives of Over-50 Guys and and their families. If you found this information useful, please consider subscribing to receive new editions each week.

If you’d like to share a thought or comment with me on how I can better support you, you can simply reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you!

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