When I began going to American Family Fitness in early 2023, I thought I was in basically good health. My plan was to improve my stamina and lose a few pounds. The first year went fairly well. By January of 2024, as mentioned in a previous posting, I’d lost a little weight and was moving a bit better. Just hunky dory, eh?

The quick witted reader might notice a great lack of postings in 2024 and so far in 2025. There’s good reason for that. As 2024 wore on, it became more difficult to give my all at each workout. By summer I was constantly tired, sometimes short of breath, and even dizzy on standing from time to time. Doing simple yard work, or working in my shop became dreaded chores. Then, in early October, I nearly tipped over getting out of my car in front of a fast food joint. I got fast food anyway, but after lunch I stopped at the local medical “walk in”.

Surprise of surprises, they strongly suggested that I go directly to the Emergency Room. I was hospitalized and spent the next four days being tested and scanned for absolutely everything. They’d immediately diagnosed me as having heart issues, and they wanted to be certain of what procedure would be appropriate. It tuned out that the problem was something referred to as “the widow maker”. If you don’t know, that’s an issue with the LAD artery which, when blocked, frequently results in fatality. My anomaly would require “open heart surgery”. The surgical team deemed that mine wasn’t critical enough to necessitate emergency surgery, so they scheduled me for nearly three weeks down the road. I was cautioned to take it easy until the operation. (Hint: You cannot “take it easy”counting down the days to open heart surgery.)

November 26, 2024, I had the procedure and remained anesthetized until sometime on the 27th. My wife says it was scary seeing me lying unconscious with a large number of tubes and electrodes attached to me, and breathing via a ventilator. I missed that part, and my family had to visit me in the hospital on Thanksgiving. For six days I was in the Cardio Unit recovering enough to go home.

The recovery to assume fairly normal activity was short. I could drive, shop, have sex, etc. in a couple of weeks, but I had to stay out of the gym for three months. That meant I couldn’t work out until February 2025. It’s amazing to me how much strength and agility can be lost by taking a quarter of a year off from exercising properly. Part of my recovery was cardio PT, which got me back a good bit, but did little for strength or agility.

It’s been ten months since my major surgery, and I’m not feeling like I’ll ever be as fit as I’d like to be. However, I can live normally and I’m enjoying time with my loved ones while squeezing in as many outings as my wife and I can find time for.

I’d say the operation was a success. We’re back at the gym a couple of times a week and making it count. My advice to others is to exercise, have regular check-ups, and keep close track of your health. Beat the Grim Reaper to the punch.