Patient Spotlight Michael Simpson, Open Heart Surgery Michael Simpson, a lifelong resident of Knoxville, lives with his wife and daughter and serves as a magistrate in the Knox County judicial system. He described himself as dedicated to a healthy lifestyle: eating right, exercising frequently and keeping his weight down, along with check-ups with his primary care physician every six months. But during a work-out at the gym in September 2022, he felt something wasn’t right. “My breathing wasn’t normal. I felt like I was going to throw up, and then I thought maybe it was just heartburn,” he said. As the discomfort eased a bit, he drove home, took an antacid and called his wife. After talking to him for a few minutes, she said, “You don’t sound like yourself, I’m calling an ambulance.” The EMTs told Michael that he was actively having a heart attack. They rushed him to the Emergency Department, where the medical team quickly performed a heart catheter procedure. There, he received the unthinkable news. The blockage in his heart was in an area where a stent was not possible, and they would have to perform open heart surgery the next morning.
“That night, I was just in shock. Total shock. I couldn’t believe that it happened to me,” Michael said.
The medical team performed a single bypass open heart surgery the next day. After a short stay in the hospital, Michael was released to go home with new restrictions and medications, as well as a comprehensive recovery plan. As Michael’s cardiac rehab program began, he said, “It was comforting to be back in the gym again, this time, with a heart monitor and nurses guiding me along the way.”
Still tentative and weak from the surgery, the rehab team worked to rebuild his strength so he could resume his normal, day-to-day activities. “It built my confidence,” Michael said. “I did 36 sessions, and it was a great experience. The staff was really good and worked with me personally. I credit them with getting me back to the point I was before.” Michael’s heart attack caused a considerable amount of personal reflection. “It can happen to anybody,” he said. “Now, I want to live my life. Of course, I want to be careful, do the right things, and eat right. But I want to go back to racing, camping and traveling abroad. I want to do all the stuff I dreamed of.”
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