Heart Surgery-Double Bypass-I Dodged The Widow Maker Heart Attack at 47 years old.

November 2021 was life changing. I found out I had 80% blockage in my left main due to a rare heart defect causing turbulent blood flow to the left main. I needed a double bypass right away. How could this be? I just finished a hard 24 hour Goruck fitness event with no sleep in August, another 12 hour Goruck event in September for the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and returned from 3 days of hiking in Colorado a week before my diagnosis. Shocking!! I was told “You have 80% blockage in the left main. You need a double bypass. Exertion can kill you! You won’t have more than 5 years to live and won’t survive a heart attack!” Well then….this doctor did not know anything about my active lifestyle. I pretty much would not have lived past the next weekend as I had a really hard fitness event to participate in-The Chad. Exertion was my middle name. I was feeling really strong and building up my endurance. I was, however, experiencing a rapid heart beat for two years. I even passed out from walking up my stairs with a lot of groceries last year. The doctor said I was dehydrated; I was. I thought I was just getting older! I lost my endurance base! Thought I pretty much sucked at endurance compared to my friends. I needed to run more yet anything I did to train did not help. Well…now I know why. This rare heart defect was restricting my blood flow. My artery is located in the back of the left coronary cusp. It was is the wrong place and really narrow which means I’ve had restricted blood flow all my life. I can’t help to think how that affected the 140.6 mile Ironman I did or any of the other events. I’m usually one of the stronger ones, yet the slower ones. I am 3.5 weeks into recovery and feel great. 100% blood flow is a thing! I’ve been operating with 20% blood flow in that area for a long time. I’m one of the lucky ones! The Widowmaker heart attack has a 4% survival rate. Now I understand why the doctor said I would not survive a heart attack. I am also lucky because I don’t have coronary heart disease even though I had to have open heart surgery. That gives me a lot of peace of mind. Because I am very active and take care of of myself, I had zero blockage in my arteries at 47. That’s so good to hear. Movement is my jam!! Movement and my lifestyle saved me. I barely drink and I move a lot. I can go back to my regular diet and exercise very soon with zero restrictions. God is so good! I won’t take this life for granted! I will Cherish this second chance to be better than yesterday every day and to leave a legacy of helping people. Live has always been pretty amazing. I’m excited to see what God presents next. I’m not done yet! This has zero to do with the jab as I did not get it. Thank God I didn’t ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 Listen to your body. Heart disease is the #1 cause of death for women. Get checked and know the signs. Women’s signs are different. #TanyaVanRickley #LifeReset #ItsYourLuckyDay #MoveMoreToBeMore