My Heart Story - Cabell W.

On Monday, April 17, 2000, I participated in one of the most strenuous cardio workouts I’d ever been through in my life. In hindsight, it probably saved my life. During the workout, my calves severely cramped and as I massaged them out, my left hand did the same. Eventually, my calves loosened up but the tip of my left index finger became cold and numb. 

I went to Hennepin County ER Tuesday morning with my index finger symptom and was sent home with the diagnosis of Raynaud’s Syndrome. The discomfort in my finger continued into Thursday and after reading up on Raynaud’s, I knew that wasn’t my issue. I was able to get in to see an internist and he listened to my entire story and began examining my legs; he found no visible pulse. After taking what he needed to run a few tests, the internist sent me to Dr. Alden, a vascular surgeon, for a follow-up opinion. 

Dr. Alden was stumped as well since he could not find a pulse in my feet with a Doppler Ultrasound. He registered me for a major ultrasound work-up the next day at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. So on Friday, April 21st, I went to the hospital for my work-up. Dr. Alden met me there, stating his fears that I was having blood clots and his desire to have me check in once the ultrasound was done. It was Good Friday. 

Saturday, the angiogram revealed blood clots in my legs and my left arm. The echocardiogram on Monday revealed that I’d had a heart attack as images showed a blood clot and an aneurysm on my left ventricle. Another angiogram on Wednesday revealed a dissection of my left anterior descending artery (LAD) and most likely the cause of the clot and aneurysm. 

On May 1, 2000, Dr. Frazier Eales performed bypass surgery on my LAD using a mammary artery in my chest. Additionally, Dr. Eales removed the blood clot and as much of the aneurysm as possible without having to restructure my left ventricle. 

Oh yeah, did I mention I was 28 years old when this occurred? 

That was just over 10 years ago. It hasn’t all been easy. Beyond the physical healing there is a mental aspect that must be taken into consideration. While my body was healing physically, my mind was still pretty sharp and confident. Once my physical healing began its final stages, I broke down mentally and emotionally. This is when the real healing began. Unfortunately, the doctors can’t prepare you for this stage. At 28 years old, and probably at any age, I don’t know that any doctor can prepare someone for the feelings of vulnerability and fragility, as well as the depression, that follows such an event. Truth be told, I’m a competitive s.o.b. and I decided I wasn’t going to let this get the better of me. That attitude combined with counseling brought me through the dark times. 

But, I’ll always carry the physical and emotional scars with me. When it happens at such a young age, I don’t know if you ever get over it. What I do know is that I came away with a real appreciation of just how precious and fragile life truly is. Believe me, it is something to be cherished. The path wasn’t always easy, but going down it truly changed my life for the better.

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