{"id":181246,"date":"2022-02-10T10:10:59","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T15:10:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=181246"},"modified":"2023-06-27T12:48:15","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T16:48:15","slug":"40-year-old-fathers-life-and-livelihood-saved-by-uconn-health-cath-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2022\/02\/40-year-old-fathers-life-and-livelihood-saved-by-uconn-health-cath-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"40-Year-Old Father\u2019s Life and Livelihood Saved by UConn Health Cath Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: black;\">Fred Veilleux, 40, of East Hartford and originally of Quebec, is a husband and father of three young children. He\u2019s the picture of youth and strength. In fact, he lifts 3,000 lbs. a day working for his cousin\u2019s <\/span>Friendly Drywall construction company.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-181250 alignleft img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-2-IMG_0259-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"188\" height=\"251\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-2-IMG_0259-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-2-IMG_0259-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-2-IMG_0259-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-2-IMG_0259-315x420.jpg 315w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-2-IMG_0259-499x665.jpg 499w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-2-IMG_0259.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 188px) 100vw, 188px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 188px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 188\/251;\" \/>But this spring he started to experience some slight chest pain and thought it was just muscle-related pain from his construction work. \u201cI didn\u2019t think anything of the light chest pain and just kept working through it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">But one evening weeks later his chest pain got very intense. \u201cIt was the sharpest pain. It felt like someone was punching me in my chest,\u201d he recalls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">He then sprang into action.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><aside class=\"grey-sidebar floating-sidebar col-xs-12 col-sm-4\">\n  <br \/>\n<strong>Stay Heart Healthy<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span>The Calhoun Cardiology Center at UConn Heath urges everyone to be familiar with the warning signs of a heart attack, never ignore these signs, and always seek medical attention right away. It could save your life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Heart attack warning signs<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sudden chest discomfort.<\/li>\n<li>Chest heaviness or tightness.<\/li>\n<li>Shortness of breath or constricted breathing.<\/li>\n<li>Sweating or lightheadedness.<\/li>\n<li>Nausea.<\/li>\n<li>Indigestion, heartburn, or an esophageal burning sensation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>7 cardiovascular disease prevention tips: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Do not smoke.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep a healthy body mass index\u00a0<\/strong>(BMI should be less than 25).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Be physically active\u00a0<\/strong>(Moderate exercise should occur 3-5 days a week even if just 30-40 minutes of brisk walking).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Maintain an optimal diet.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Control your total cholesterol\u00a0<\/strong>(Less than 200 is ideal).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Control your blood glucose<\/strong>(To prevent or manage diabetes a fasting glucose level of less than 100 is ideal).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Control your blood pressure<\/strong>(Less than 120\/80).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><\/aside><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cI\u2019m going to drive myself to UConn Health,\u201d he said to his wife Andreza but then the pain picked up. \u201cI\u2019m calling an ambulance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">The ambulance brought him to the closest area hospital as a safety measure but all the tests both in route to the hospital and at the Emergency Department surprisingly came back normal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">A week later Veilleux followed up with UConn Health for a checkup and his primary care doctor ordered a precautionary stress test to be safe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-181253 alignleft img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-heart-blockages-shared-by-him-176x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"228\" height=\"389\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-heart-blockages-shared-by-him-176x300.jpg 176w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-heart-blockages-shared-by-him-599x1024.jpg 599w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-heart-blockages-shared-by-him-768x1313.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-heart-blockages-shared-by-him-246x420.jpg 246w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-heart-blockages-shared-by-him-389x665.jpg 389w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-heart-blockages-shared-by-him.jpg 777w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 228px) 100vw, 228px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 228px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 228\/389;\" \/>\u201cDuring the stress test I started to have a heartburn type feeling in my chest, and the heart doctor told me to stop running after just 5 minutes,\u201d recounts Veilleux.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis stress test results were very concerning,\u201d says Dr. Peter Schulman his cardiologist at UConn Health\u2019s Calhoun Cardiology Center. \u201cI shared with him that I suspected that he had several blocked arteries and ultimately he may be a candidate for open-heart surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">Veilleux was shocked. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cBut I\u2019m only 40 years old. I never thought anything would be wrong with my heart. And I have to work. I run my own business. The recovery time from open-heart surgery would be at least 6 months before I could return to my drywall construction\u2019s heavy lifting,\u201d said Veilleux.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">Schulman ordered a diagnostic angiogram test to have the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at UConn Health take a closer look inside Veilleux\u2019s heart arteries to confirm the suspected diagnosis. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-181252 alignleft img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fed-at-work-IMG_0256-e1643597051519-300x265.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"290\" height=\"256\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fed-at-work-IMG_0256-e1643597051519-300x265.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fed-at-work-IMG_0256-e1643597051519-768x679.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fed-at-work-IMG_0256-e1643597051519-475x420.jpg 475w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fed-at-work-IMG_0256-e1643597051519-752x665.jpg 752w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fed-at-work-IMG_0256-e1643597051519.jpg 948w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 290px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 290\/256;\" \/>Interventional cardiologist, Dr. Michael Azrin, director of the Calhoun Cardiology Center\u2019s Cardiac Cath Lab uncovered that Veilleux\u2019s two main heart arteries were severely blocked. The left main artery was blocked 95 percent while his right main artery was 90 percent blocked.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">During the angiogram Azrin asked Veilleux: \u201cStents or open-heart surgery?\u201d\u00a0Veilleux said: \u201cI\u2019d rather have stents!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">Azrin responded: \u201cWell we have a big job to do.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">The Cath Lab team proceeded right away to successfully place 7 stents over several hours to open up his heart blockages to prevent a future heart attack and avoid the need for open-heart surgery. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cIt was such a relief to be able to avoid open-heart surgery at my age. I was only home for a week recovering and then was able to go right back to work,\u201d said Veilleux. \u201cI\u2019ve been feeling great!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-181254 alignleft img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Frd-and-kids-3-IMG_0260-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Frd-and-kids-3-IMG_0260-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Frd-and-kids-3-IMG_0260-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Frd-and-kids-3-IMG_0260-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Frd-and-kids-3-IMG_0260-1536x1154.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Frd-and-kids-3-IMG_0260-559x420.jpg 559w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Frd-and-kids-3-IMG_0260-885x665.jpg 885w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Frd-and-kids-3-IMG_0260.jpg 1600w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/225;\" \/>Interestingly, a then interventional cardiology fellow named Dr. Fadi Fahad, who also had lived in Canada, in addition to Veilleux\u2019s preferred language of English additionally spoke some French to him during hospital rounds. \u201cThe doctor kindly told me in my native French, if you want to see your three kids grow up you need to stop smoking and eat healthy. Since that day I quit smoking.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">Veilleux is very grateful for his second chance and restored heart health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cI was a ticking time bomb. I was on the verge of having a heart attack at any time &#8211; and due to\u00a0the severity of my blockages it would have been hard for doctors to save my life. Thank God I went for my checkup, and followed up with my stress test and angiogram. I am very lucky.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">Since his June minimally-invasive procedure Veilleux is back to his daily heavy lifting at work of more than a ton and a half \u2013 and keeping up with his three young children. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cThe doctors at UConn Health saved my life and my livelihood,\u201d he exclaims.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: black;\">His message to other young men, fathers, and men of all ages: \u201cDon\u2019t wait! Go see your doctor once a year. Don\u2019t think because you\u2019re a guy you are made too tough. Don\u2019t think you\u2019re invincible. If I would have gone to the doctor sooner, I would have known my heart disease risk factors sooner such as high cholesterol, and maybe even prevented these heart blockages.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-181255 alignleft img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-IMG_2743-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-IMG_2743-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-IMG_2743-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-IMG_2743-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-IMG_2743-315x420.jpg 315w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-IMG_2743-499x665.jpg 499w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Fred-and-kids-IMG_2743.jpg 1512w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 225px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 225\/300;\" \/>\u201cI tell everyone we all are like cars. We need checkups from time to time and sometimes even some part changes too,\u201d says Veilleux. \u201cIf you develop heart blockages, don\u2019t worry because they are curable. But you do have to go get checked at the doctor each year to find out about them \u2013 and to get any fixed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">He stresses: \u201cUConn is the best hospital. The doctors saved my life. It\u2019s an amazing place and the heart specialists are one-of-a-kind. They all are an amazing team.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cWe are so happy to have had the opportunity to help diagnose Fred\u2019s heart blockages before a heart attack could strike, get his heart issue fixed quickly, and get him back as soon as possible to both his young family and his job he loves most,\u201d says Schulman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fred Veilleux, 40, of East Hartford is a father of three children and the picture of strength. Learn how UConn Health&#8217;s Calhoun Cardiology Center got him quickly back to his family and also back to work lifting 3,000 lbs. a day. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":181454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1969,179],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1873],"class_list":["post-181246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardiology","category-uconn-health","series-heart-health","series-patient-perspective"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-08 18:42:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181246"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":187402,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181246\/revisions\/187402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/181454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181246"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=181246"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=181246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}