A Severe Needle Phobia Stopped Him From Getting His Cholesterol Checked. Then a Heart Attack Changed His Life.

5 min read

I KNEW MY eating habits weren’t great. Okay, scratch that—they were terrible. I blame my job. I worked in sales in the beer industry for 20 years, where I ate nothing but chicken wings and pizza in smoky bars every day. But I didn’t know just how terrible they’d become, since I’d never had proper blood work done before.

Why’s that, you might ask? Well, I have an extreme fear of needles. As in, I-can-barely-even-talk-about-needles-without-getting-nauseated type of fear. So while my blood pressure was good and my weight was fine, I didn’t know that my cholesterol numbers were off-the-charts bad. My LDL (bad) cholesterol was nearing 400 mg/dL and my HDL (good) cholesterol was around 20 mg/dL.

I found out the hard way after Thanksgiving dinner of 2017. I started getting strange pains in the base of my neck and chest. Now it wasn’t a new type of pain—I’d been having it on and off for about a year, and I figured it was just heartburn—but this time, it didn’t go away after a few minutes. When the pain lingered for at least a half an hour, I was convinced I needed to go to the emergency room.

When I arrived at the ER, they hooked me up to an EKG. They took one look at the machine, and told me I was having a heart attack. At first, I was in denial. The pains didn’t seem intense enough. And believe it or not, I was more afraid of the IV than the heart attack. Once they stabilized me, they took me to another hospital just outside of Indianapolis until the doctors figured out what to do.

The next day, the doctors tried putting in a stent. But when that didn’t work, I was told I’d need open heart surgery. The artery behind my heart was 100% blocked, and the artery in the front—the widowmaker—was 99% blocked. That Monday, I had double bypass surgery and spent the next 10 days in the hospital recovering.

I knew I had a long road ahead of me, so I started a cardiac rehab program. The first day was awful. I could barely walk on the treadmill, even at a pace of 1.5 miles per hour. I couldn’t lift even the light weights. Instead, I could only go through the motions with my arms. It was discouraging but I didn’t let it stop me.

I regrouped over the weekend and came back with a new attitude. I told the therapists, “I have 35 more sessions of cardiac rehab and by the time it’s over, I’m going to be running on this treadmill.” They looked at me like I was crazy. They said, “No one has ever done that before.” And I said, “Well, I’ll be doing it.”

It took me a few months, but by session 28, I was running at 4.5 miles per hour on the treadmill. It was tough at first, but I could feel myself getting stronger and stronger. In the past, I hadn’t exercised consistently. I spent most of my free time taking my two sons to their sporting events, neglecting my own movement needs. I also started researching nutrition and paying more attention to my eating habits.

Now, my lifestyle looks completely different. Here’s what I did.

I Cut Back on Fatty Meat

In the past, I would think nothing of eating two ribeye steaks for dinner. Now, I mainly stick to chicken and turkey. If I do eat red meat, I make sure it has less than 10 percent fat. I also try to do one vegetarian meal a week that can range from black beans with brown rice and corn to just a salad. I’m still a meat eater, but I’m more selective on the types of meat I put on my plate. I also prioritize eating a lot more vegetables, too.

I Stopped Eating at Work

Working in the beer industry meant a lot of eating in bars. That meant eating at any and all times of the day. But now, I just eat at mealtimes: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s less distracting that way, and I’m not tempted to grab a beer with my meal. Occasionally I’ll have a glass of red wine, but for the most part I’ve limited my alcohol intake. And I am better for it.

I Stay Active Throughout the Day

I’ve never been a cardio person, but now I try to take 15,000 steps a day. I also take on a lot of projects throughout the day. I have two classic cars I like to work on, and just this week I started building a deck on my house. I also travel a lot with my family, mainly to the Southwest, where I do a lot of hiking out there.

I Found a New Career

In the past, I managed my stress by knocking back a couple of beers. Now, I find other ways to unwind. A year after I had a heart attack, I quit my job in the beer industry and now work as a home inspector. It’s been a great change for me at this stage of my life. Instead of working behind a desk all day and going to smoky bars, I go into the office once a week and stay active on the job.

I’ve also drawn boundaries when it comes to work. Email was always a major source of stress for me so now I don’t check my email every day. Giving it up has helped my mental health tremendously.

I Tell Others About My Story

I’m an active volunteer with the American Heart Association, where I share my story with others. I talk about my story from what’s worked for me over the years and advise anyone looking for help.

I don’t want anyone to experience what I did, let alone die of a heart attack. Since my own heart attack, I’ve lost 45 pounds from the lifestyle changes I’ve done. Today, I’m 57 years old and I’m healthier now than I was in my 30s and 40s. I’m living a really good life right now.