I Trained For Quadruple Bypass Surgery


“Do as I say not as I do,” a statement that we are all too familiar with. My dad was a WWII
veteran and came home from the service with malaria, tuberculosis, and of course post-traumatic
stress disorder. He was not athletic, but his eating habits would be those that would make any
keto dieter proud. A protein, a vegetable, and a baked potato, that was dinner and nothing more;
except for his desert which would be two Lucky Strike cigarettes. Yes, he smoked about a pack a
day. But, he preached to me to never ever even think about smoking those cancer sticks. I
listened even though many of my friends were already into the cigarette habit. The other thing
that he made very clear was that exercise was essential for good health, even though because of
cigarettes he had trouble walking a flight of stairs. The service, stress, and cigarettes took him
from us at 68 years old because of a stroke. Hold those thoughts.
Forty years go pretty quick, at 66 I began to wonder if 68 was going to be the end of the line
for me. My sister died of a stroke at 67 so I questioned my cardiologist about what could be done
proactively to prevent my early demise. He told me that we should start with a coronary artery
calcium scan, a simple test to measure the amount of calcium in your coronary arteries, which is
a predictor of heart attack and stroke. A high score is 400, mine was 4,000. I was catheterized
and it was discovered that much of the calcium was in the distal arteries of my heart, which was
a good sign, I was put on a statin medication, and was told by my cardiologist that I had to be
brutally honest with him regarding any chest pain that might come my way; I had no symptoms.
That was February 2022.
I told my wife Pat that I was not going to get away with this. Now I was always an athlete,
walking, weightlifting, jumping rope (yes jumping rope) and stretching were all part of my day
and I was always looking for ways to get in extra steps or do a few push-ups. But knowing what
I now knew, embarked on a high intensity program that included weighted jump ropes, dead
lifts, weighted squats, rowing motion and walking 5 miles per day. July of 2022 I was working in
the yard and got a pain under my sternum that felt like I just ran a 100 yard dash in 10 degree
weather. It passed, and it didn’t return until September; at that point I began to experience stable
angina, which is pain on exertion and usually stops when you are at rest. I continued my intense
exercise regimen and this went on until the end of the year. In January I visited my cardiologist
and explained my symptoms. That was January 11, 2023. He immediately scheduled me for
another catheterization on January 18, 2023.
On January 15, 2023 I went out for my walk, and after about one mile my stable angina began,
which I was used to. The problem was it didn’t stop after I was through exercising and got
significantly worse. I texted my cardiologist (He has been my doctor for 20 years) and he told
me to go to the emergency room. I made the risky decision to wait until the following morning.
At 4 am I woke my wife and had her drive me to the ER. This was January 16 and I was
scheduled to be catheterized on January 18. I was admitted to the hospital on the 16th and waited
for the procedure.
 

I met with the doctor who was going to perform the procedure, he had also catheterized me the
first time and we were both figuring on a stent or two. Not so, he came out of the cath lab and
informed me that I was 99% blocked in the main artery of the heart along with 80-90% blocked
in 3 other arteries of my heart. The only solution was coronary artery by-pass surgery. In reality,
he was more disappointed than I was. I was sent back to my room, and the process began.
I had plenty of time to think. To think about my family history and how 20 years ago when I
was going through a divorce smoked 5 packs of cigarettes a day. That was only for a short period
of time but it was enough to cause such arterial inflammation that the only thing my body could
do was to draw calcium to the site, which acted like spackle to protect the artery from rupturing.
I also watched video after the video to help me understand what to expect throughout the
process, ultimately surgery, and then post-surgery. I went into surgery around 3:30 pm on
January 23, 2023.
I woke up the next day and knew from my research that I was going to have to cough up the
oxygen tube in my throat which was going to hurt my chest a bit. One hard cough and it was out.
I got up out of bed, with no problem, and stood up on my own with no problem and walked
1,000steps first time out while I was still in intensive care to the amazement of all staff.
I trained for a quadruple by-pass, and it worked. My squats (getting out of the chair), 5 mile
walks (leg strength and muscle memory). Not to mention I was able to get out of bed on my own
and walk around the cardiac ward on my own, and I was sent home 5 days after surgery. Once
home I walked almost 1 mile my first time out and was up to 1.5 miles in 2 weeks.
Before I left the hospital my surgeon came in and informed me that the intense exercise that I did
protected my heart and allowed it to create a collateral blood supply. He also informed me that
my heart was in great shape and that the arteries and veins that were used for the grafting were
also and these are his words, pristine. He informed me that the exercise that I did strengthened
my heart and with the new vessels should give me another 20-25 years. Exercise is truly a new
medicine.
My desire for intense exercise hasn’t changed. I am back jumping rope, weightlifting, and
walking all pain free. It saved my life. Exercise doesn’t have to be intense though, walking and
lite weights can make all the difference in a person’s health and wellbeing. Having a personal
trainer that understands the needs of those who are looking to grow young can truly be the
missing piece to those who want to sustain a successful exercise program.

 

My name is Jim Burns and at 68 years old I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. My goal as
a CPT is to help those who are a bit older (my age) and want to grow a bit younger through
exercise. I enjoy working with groups and individuals alike and I provide three very important
components that I believe are the back bone for those who are our age.
1. Companionship Support
Having someone available to help motivate you and give you a little nudge when the desire for
exercise just isn’t there is so important. It keeps you from falling off the wagon of exercise and
helps you meet your goals. I initially provide that companionship and will exercise with you until
you get the hang of it, get on schedule and then help you discover others who are like minded
and who will continue your exercise journey.
2. Instrumental Support
Instrumental support is when someone receives accurate information regarding behavior and a
topic. Giving sound advice about how to achieve optimal health and fitness and providing
education about the current recommendations for physical activity. Understanding what works
and what doesn’t at our age can be a daunting task. Things like how much time I need to walk
each week, what exercises give me the greatest benefit in the shortest period of time, or how to
walk in doors. I will provide that information for you and supply you with reading material that I
have critiqued and would be appropriate to help you meet your goals. I also will critique
equipment for you, things like exercise bands, weight equipment, and at times novelty items. If
you like going to the gym I will schedule time to go with you and instruct you on how to use
select pieces of equipment that I believe would benefit you in your journey.
3. Social Support
Exercising in a group can help create camaraderie and can be fun and at times a bit competitive.
It points people in the same direction and provides an atmosphere of love, caring, and empathy.
It also can help with the development of new friendships, interests, and create some positive
habits.
Micro Workouts
Micro workouts’ involve performing short, sharp bursts of resistance training, just ten minutes in
length, multiple times throughout the day. Well that’s the dictionary definition anyway. My
thoughts, if you are waiting in your car for your spouse instead of sitting, take a walk. If it takes
3 minutes to brew your coffee do a set of squats, or do ten pushups off of a counter. There are
many variations but the bottom line is to always keep moving.

 

So Many Ways
There are so many things that can be done at our age to stay in shape and experience good health.
It just has to be made a priority. There are skill related activities like bowling, pickle ball, and
walking with the use of hand weights (power walking), swimming or maybe just playing with
your grandchildren.
It is your health, so don’t wait for something to go wrong, anyone can exercise at any age.
Before you start check with your doctor to make sure that you don’t have any silent issues going
on within your body that would prevent you from exercising. Once cleared let me help you find
your exercise niche, I will provide you with a brief physical assessment, and get you on the path
to growing young.
Jim Burns
NASM CPT. MA, DHL
732-773-9855
besimplyfit23@gmail.com