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"Dr. Thomas Matthew did my surgery. What a great guy he is. He knew what he was doing of course, but he was
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Ricardo Carerra
Fort Morgan, Colo. |
also friendly and made me feel comfortable. After my surgery, I thought to myself, 'How am I ever going to recover?' But the doctors and heart team at Medical Center of the Rockies encouraged me. They motivated me to get better.
"Today, I'm a lucky guy. I'm in good health; I've got great kids; wonderful grandchildren, one of whom was born just two weeks after my bypass; and I'm back to fishing again."
Ricardo's advice to others
- Pay attention to early warning signs of heart disease.
- If your body doesn't feel right, don't ignore it. Go see your doctor.
- Get screened for heart disease.
More about Ricardo
Ricardo spent his career at Cargill working his way up from the boning department in a meat packing warehouse to supervisor of the quality assurance department. After 38 years, he retired to enjoy his family and do a little fishing.
Walking up a hill at the North Sterling Reservoir one day, Ricardo noticed that he was out of breath and noticeably sweaty. He thought it odd for a man who was in relatively good shape, didn't smoke and wasn't a heavy drinker. Ricardo chalked it up to his age and carried on a normal life for the next three months.
During his annual physical, he told his doctor that he was sweating a lot at night and felt tired during the day. Ricardo was referred to Dr. William Sammond at Heart Center of the Rockies in Fort Morgan. Tests revealed the need for a quadruple bypass.
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