Mike Fitzgerald rarely has been at a loss for words.
A station manager and DJ for a New Jersey radio station, Mike's never had a problem making conversation. but now he had even more to talk about: He considers it his duty to raise awareness about heart health and prevention of heart attacks after he got a second lease on life.
As his interventional cardiologist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Michael A. Wappel, M.D., FACC, told him recently, "You're the only patient I have where I can just turn on the radio to get an update on their condition."
Coming home from a Fourth of July fireworks display in Long Branch, Mike felt pain and pressure in his chest similar to feeling he had been experiencing during the week. During a summer where he had just turned 60 and was going through a divorce, the pressure was nothing new.
But when the feeling did not go away that night, he called 911. He was taken by ambulance to Jersey Shore. Blood tests confirmed a heart attack. With medication controlling his blood pressure, Mike was admitted to the hospital and a cardiac catheterization was scheduled.
"The catheterization helped us pinpoint the diagnosis," explains Dr. Wappel. "Then, angioplasty was needed to clear blockages and restore blood flow to the heart. Several stents were placed in the arteries to maintain these openings."
Mike adds, "I watched the whole procedure on the screen and Dr. Wappel explained everything he was doing. When he inserted a stent, he could show the artery opening right away and told me why he was adding two more on my left side and one on my right."
The angioplasty and stent procedures were a success, and Mike noticed an immediate change in breathing. He was diligent about his two weeks of cardiac rehabilitation, but even rehab didn't stop him from calling in to the radio station.
"I felt a responsibility to share what had happened," he says. "A lot of people shared their stories with us."
"Now I'm in the zone. I honestly feel like I'm 30. But it's important for people to take preventive measures -- the heart attack did cause damage to my heart. I maybe could have avoided this or at least had it happen later in life."
About the Doctor
Michael A. Wappel, M.D., FACC
Board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases
Red Bank | 732-219-9300
