LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Watching Coach Paul Page work with his team in the Frenship High School gymnasium, you\u2019d never suspect what happened just months ago.<\/p>\n
This has been Page\u2019s routine for 30 years, and for 12 of those years right here at Frenship High School, coaching with the energy and intensity that define his coaching style. But that coaching career nearly came to an end last August.<\/p>\n
\u201cBe a dog,\u201d Page calls out during practice.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 26 during open gym, Page felt pressure in his chest. Not sharp pain, just tightness. Like many coaches, he did what came naturally, he pushed through it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really didn\u2019t know what it was. The fighter in me, I tried to fight it off like I\u2019ll be better later. That never happened,\u201d Page said.<\/p>\n
Five hours passed before he finally went home, where his wife immediately recognized something was wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like I was in the best shape of my life when it happened,\u201d Page said.<\/p>\n
An ambulance rushed Page to Covenant Hospital, where doctors discovered a 99 percent blockage in a major artery supplying his heart. That same day, they placed a stent to restore blood flow.<\/p>\n
Dr. Haley Hughston, a cardiologist at Covenant, treated Page and explains how his case illustrates a common misconception about heart attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t have any medical problems, he didn\u2019t take medication. He\u2019s a very healthy and fit man but because his symptoms weren\u2019t getting any better he went to the hospital and found he was having a heart attack,\u201d Hughston said.<\/p>\n
Just four days later, Page was back in the gym with his team.<\/p>\n
The experience gave Page a different message to share with fellow coaches about the demanding nature of their profession.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are the last ones that we worry about most of the time. We are so into these guys on a daily basis that we forget about ourselves,\u201d Page said.<\/p>\n
The stress, adrenaline and long hours that define coaching create a perfect storm, and heart disease doesn\u2019t wait for a convenient time to strike.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the biggest thing…cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in men and women, it\u2019s very common,\u201d Hughston said.<\/p>\n
Since sharing his story, coaches, including younger ones have contacted Page asking about symptoms and when to seek medical attention.<\/p>\n
His advice is straightforward: \u201cGo to your PCP, always tell people, know your numbers, know your numbers. It\u2019s important from your cholesterol to blood pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doctors emphasize that chest pressure, shortness of breath or pain that doesn\u2019t improve should never be ignored, regardless of age or fitness level.<\/p>\n
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