On September 2nd, Timberwolves Television Analyst for Fox Sports North Jim Petersen went in for quadruple bypass surgery. Petersen, who is no stranger to heart issues, told his story to Chad Hartman on WCCO Tuesday afternoon.
First, there was a significant heart attack in 2010 where Petersen was experiencing chest pain, what felt like heartburn and was sweating profusely. Petersen called Dr. Sheldon Burns, a friend and medical director for the Timberwolves. Burns told Petersen to call 911 immediately because he was having a heart attack.
"You were there when I had my first heart attack in 2010," Petersen told Chad Hartman. "We were supposed to play golf when I had another episode back in 2018. You've been through all my trials and tribulations here. But I feel great now."
The journey from 2010 to his bypass surgery last week has been full of bumps in the road.
"I haven't had a heart attack since then (2010). I've only had episodes where I've gone in and interventionalists have placed stints. I have eight stints," Petersen says. "Many people don't know this. Right before the (2019) season, we were getting ready to play Brooklyn, I went in with chest pain on a Friday, had a stint place on a Sunday, I was on the Timberwolves plane Monday getting ready to do the game on Tuesday."
It was earlier this summer when heart issues crept back in.
"This summer, June of 2020, during COVID, I had pain again," says Petersen. "They had to do an angeoplasty so had they open up my arteries. And when they did that, they took away my ability to have bypass surgery. You can't bypass open arteries. So once they open the arteries, I had to wait until they closed back down again. Basically, I was playing Russian Roulette this summer."
It got to the point where Petersen and doctors couldn't wait anymore, and bypasses were needed.
"Two week ago I started having more chest pain. Luckily I was able to feel it. A lot of people don't have those nerve-endings in their heart where they can feel it. And a lot of people ignore those feelings. You can't ignore it, you have to listen to your body and go in."
Petersen told Chad he thinks this is the longterm fix he has needed.
"It's been really frustrating. I'm waiting after June, waiting for consultation, they tell me I have to play this waiting game when I can have bypass surgeries. I experienced some chest pain again, now I know something is going on. I'm emailing with my surgeon, he's on vacation, emails me back Sunday night. I'm having exploratory surgey Monday. But he couldn't do the bypass surgery until the following Wednesday. So I knew this was happening."
Petersen had bypass surgery at Mayo Clinic, and talked about how the experience.
"Going back home was a situation that was a little scary. They said take it easy, come back down here if you're feeling anything. I go back Wednesday for surgery at 8:00 in the morning. It was a six, seven hour surgery, my wife Tika was able to see me right away after surgery in intensive care. I didn't have the zipper on my chest going into surgery that I knew I was going to have coming out of surgery. I wasn't in excruciating pain. I mean, they're sawing your sternum in half. I'm a big guy, six-foot ten, and they were able to handle me. There is also COVID. The ability to only have one visitor. It was definitely harder not being able to have my wife there as much as I would have wanted. "
Post-surgery, Petersen says it got difficult, but being an athlete his entire life helped his recovery. "That first night was awful. So much discomfort. My wife was feeling helpless but she was great, to have her by my side. Some of it is that I'm in pretty good shape, I'm in pretty good physical health."
Both Petersen and Hartman talked about the warning signs for heart attacks, and how so many people ignore those signs.
"When you start having these experiences, there are a lot of people who don't call 911 because they don't want the ambulance coming into their neighborhood in front of their house! In 2010, I called 911, they were at my house in minutes, I was at Methodist, and it was maybe an hour from the time I called and I was resting in my room. I think men think they're bulletproof and it's not going to happen to them. It was happening to me and I still didn't think it was happening to me."
Hartman added, "You should never feel shame about that. It's so important."
Petersen also took time to thank the fans that have reached out since last week. "The overwhelming part of all this is the well wishes."