This Cyclist Came Extremely Close to an Undetected Widowmaker, But Riding Saved Him
Age: 55
Occupation: Content Strategist
Hometown: Sparta, New Jersey
Start Weight: 220 pounds
End Weight: 170 pounds
Time Cycling: 18 years
Reason for Cycling: I just love it—it doesn’t feel like exercise most of the time. When I first started, it was to lose weight and now, it’s to keep living.
In 2002, I weighed almost 220 pounds (I was 36 years old, and am 5-foot-10). I had health issues, and even though I have a family history of heart disease, I was very sedentary. My wife told me I was too young to be in such rough shape and that I needed to be around for our young kids.
So, I started exercising and eating better—healthier, whole foods and more fruits and veggies—but it wasn’t until I rediscovered cycling that everything really changed for me. I owe most of my health improvements to cycling. But most importantly, it was responsible for boosting my cardiovascular health and even protected me from being another victim of a widowmaker.
In March 2020, between the stress of the pandemic and some other things happening in my life, I started having chronic heart palpitations, so I went to my cardiologist to get checked out. Tests showed I was was overproducing adrenaline, so I was prescribed some medication and my symptoms went away after that. However, my cardiologist said since I had a family history of heart problems, I should have a full cardiac work-up, including a stress test and an echocardiogram.
Since my symptoms went away, and the coronavirus pandemic had put a halt on many non-urgent procedures, we decided to wait on doing the stress test until the office reopened in June. It showed an abnormality, so I was sent for a nuclear stress test. Still, I had no symptoms. While this was going on, I kept riding. I did a 60-mile charity ride—I live in northwest New Jersey, where there are some monster hills. But there were no abnormalities with my heart rate during these climbs.
For a while, I had to go back and forth with insurance to get further testing approved since I was asymptomatic, and at one point almost gave up.
Finally, I was able to get a heart scan in late October 2020. The cardiac CT scan showed 95 percent and 70 percent blockages in my lateral anterior descending (LAD) artery. A full blockage of that artery causes what’s known as the widowmaker heart attack. I had to get two stents put in immediately, so I went in for surgery on November 3. My cardiologist told me that cycling was most likely the reason I survived until my condition was discovered.
After about two weeks of recovery, my doctor okayed some moderate exercise, and I was able to get back on the bike. Since it’s cold where I live now, I haven’t been out for rides as much as I will in the spring and summer. I’ve ridden about 170 miles since my procedure in November.
My treatment going forward is complicated. Since I was never symptomatic, I don’t have the typical markers—I don’t get out of breath, get chest pain, and my heart rate doesn’t spike, so I have to be monitored more closely by my doctor.
He did say that I can keep cycling, even in the cold. I don’t notice much difference, maybe I can recover more quickly at the top of hills after hard efforts, but nothing else has changed.
I don’t think I have any centuries in my future although technically probably could, I don’t think I will take that risk. My wife and I have a biking vacation planned in Vermont, and we plan to ride like we did in 2020—out a couple days at lunch for a ride and 30 to 35 miles on weekends as well as a few charity rides.
I really want to stress the importance of getting your heart checked out if you have a family history of heart problems. Even if you are active and have no symptoms—don’t assume you’re fine. It could quite literally save your life, like it saved mine.
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