Different pain. Different location. For four months, I convinced myself it wasn't my heart. Then my trainer saw something during a workout that made him stop me. Three days before my scheduled procedure, everything changed. When they opened me up, the doctor found something he wasn't equipped to handle. I had to be transferred to another hospital. Here's what doesn't make sense: they told me the one thing that saved my life was the same thing that was supposed to keep this from happening. So what was I missing?

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There's more to the story. Follow @readbeforeyoueat on Instagram. If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

After my first stent, the pain was gone. I felt relieved. I thought the hard part was over. This episode is about what came next — the recovery, the job change that finally got me home, and my attempts to build a healthier life. I was running again. Training twice a week. Eating better. But here's what no one tells you: doing better isn't always the same as doing enough.

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I was 49, running 10Ks and doing Spartan races. No family history of heart disease. I thought I was healthy.

But I ignored the warning signs—chest pain during a run, discomfort while mowing the lawn. Then one night at 2am, the pain wouldn't go away. That ER visit revealed a 90% blockage. My first stent. My first heart attack.

If you've ever told yourself "it's probably nothing," this episode is for you.

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There's more to the story. Follow @readbeforeyoueat on Instagram. If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs to hear it.