Cutting Grass Helped Save my Life

In Frugal and Productive Exercise, I posted that cutting the grass enabled me to get the cardio exercise since it's one of the activities that achieves 120-130 beats/minute.   This week, I came to the realization that cutting my grass was a factor in identifying the health issue of blockages in my heart arteries.

Even though I played tennis, the activity didn't push my heart rate very hard, probably because my body was used to the exertion even though I would breathe hard.  Cutting the grass was something I only did occasionally.  Even though my breathing was normal, the work caused my heart rate to increase quickly.  It was during a couple of these times that I experienced a strange sensation in my chest, which went away in less than a minute when I rested.   I initially thought it might be minor bronchial spasms similar to the intense ones I sometimes experienced when running in very cold weather.

When I got the same sensation running in and out of a cold garage, I decided to see a cardiologists.  Through diagnostic tests, he identified several significant blockages in my heart arteries, which were later corrected with angioplasty.

I asked my cardiologist why I didn't experience more symptoms (such as chest pain or being out of breath) given the severity of my blockages.  His reply was that for 60% of people with blocked arteries, a heart attack was their first symptom.  Fortunately, cutting the grass caused enough symptoms for me to decide to see a doctor.

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