Near death discoveries

New understandings arise from near death experience

By Grant Dixon

"I credit most of my success to what I eat - my whole food plant-based diet. I very much doubt I could do any of this without it. In fact, I think, I'd be dead by now."

Eighteen months ago, I died. Well, not exactly. I was out running wearing my brand new running shoes for the first time, along with brand new orthotic inserts. They completely changed my gait.

As was my habit, I rested for five minutes halfway, sitting near the Hobsonville Point wharf in Auckland, taking in the ambience. I then stood to restart and tripped on the awkward new shoes. I realised this is what happened when more recently, I accidentally put on walking shoes which also caused me to trip mid-run.

When I tripped at the wharf that afternoon, I was observed to have stumbled, then came back up quickly, then suddenly collapsed, hitting my head hard on the concrete. I believe coming up quickly caused me to blackout and hitting the concrete caused the cardiac arrest.

My doctors think a cardiac arrest caused my fall, but I think it was the other way around. I take my own blood pressure and know that directly after running, it can get very low and cause me to feel faint.

I had blacked out in a similar way a year before while watching a soccer match on a hot day. But then I collapsed onto astroturf and quickly regained consciousness. A few days later, my GP reduced my blood pressure medication so it wouldn't happen again. I believe my fall 18 months ago was the result of overmedication - an issue I still struggle with today. Being an active heart patient causes a bit of a quandary for doctors, it seems.

By the way, did I mention that I gained four stents following a heart attack back in 2010? If you would like the complete story, please rent my documentary, The Big FAT Lie.

So back at the wharf, what happened next? Well, after being brought back to life by a Royal Air Force airman with the help of an EGC shock, just like in the movies, I was rushed to hospital and spent a week in ICU. I then slowly recovered, regaining my memory and my former health. While there, I also gained an ICD (Implantable Cardio Defibrillator), an embedded restart machine in my chest with a lead actually inside my heart pump! I spent 37 days in hospital. I had gained an infection there, and the surgeon didn't want to touch me until it was truly gone. Trying to regain a bit of fitness while on the ward, I soon became a well-known figure, repeatedly walking up and down the 50-metre corridor. I also picked up a rolled ankle in a stairwell on the way to an outside walk.

Regaining my fitness

Over the next year, I slowly regained some of my former fitness, with a lot of bike riding on a new $1,000 bike, with a little jogging thrown in.

I finally got to the point where I could re-join my weekly Saturday morning 5km Parkrun, which conveniently starts a kilometre from Whole food advocate and documentary maker, Grant Dixon, is back pounding the pavement after surviving some serious speed wobbles. To find out more about his WFPB journey, check out his doco, The Big FAT Lie. Go to: https://apple.co/2QBMKnd

my front door. Parkrun is a free international volunteer-driven movement to help people get together for a healthy timed jog around a local park. There are Parkruns throughout New Zealand and Australia. Our one regularly attracts 2 to 300 runners and walkers.

But then, six months ago, another hiccup.

This time I was out to beat my PB (personal best) and was running at a good pace when, at around halfway, I noticed an irregular motion in my chest. It momentarily made me feel a little sick, but as it quickly passed, I carried on. Then a few metres down the path, I suddenly felt an electric shock across my chest - nothing great, a bit like a party electric buzzer. Realising my ICD had discharged, I stopped and gently walked back to the start line and then walked home with some friends. What followed was a 7-hour wait in the local hospital emergency room. But I passed on a request to stay the night - I knew where that would lead. Overlooked the beta-blocker

In hindsight, before the run that morning I foolishly had not taken my beta-blocker pill. I forgot being told, "Make sure you take it twice a day, as it will hold down your heartbeat and help prevent the ICD from going off". On that day, I decided not to take the pill until after the run, thinking it would slow me down. But I was slowed down regardless! I have also learnt not to disregard irregular chest discomfort, as it is probably the ICD trying to regulate my heart rhythm.

I now have doubts about getting the ICD, as I think it may have been fitted for the wrong reason, and it gives the specialists too much information ... but it is what it is. I could request it be removed when the battery is due for a change in a few years' time, but removing the wire inside my heart could cause damage. However, I should feel good, as the ICD will reboot my heart if needed and if caught somewhere alone.

So today, I'm back on the road. Most weeks I run 15 kilometres but at a slower speed to keep my cardiologist happy. However, old age is now catching up on me - I turn 70 in a few months. Over the years, I have picked up many injuries, including a ruptured Achilles tendon during a friendly soccer match, six months before my heart attack. I also badly twisted an ankle as a young man while filming

on Tongariro National Park's Mangatepopo lava flow.

I was then a film director at the National Film Unit. But one injury has lingered, - a damaged right knee. I've had it for years. I used to treat it with a bit of TLC, and before long, I was back on the road. But recently, it has proven to be more troublesome. Ironically while bad enough to stop me from hiking or taking long walks, it's not bad enough to stop me from running. My physiotherapist tells me a different part of the knee is used when running as opposed to walking. So I'm still out there jogging three times a week - hopefully, I still will be when you read this! Blood pressure control

Which brings me to what stirred this article. In the last issue of Whole Food Living, there was a piece about running aids. Following my hospital visit 18 months ago, I bought myself an expensive sports watch to monitor my heart rate when running. However, it has proven to be of questionable value, as it didn't stop my ICD shock six months ago. It then told me my bpm (beats per minute) were 145, but it would have needed to be 190 for the unit to discharge. So today, I deliberately keep my bpm to under 140 to be safe. These days for most runs it stays under 120 (except for the first kilometre when it can get high, I think it may be calibrating). I also record the run map on Strava while listening to BBC History podcasts on Spotify via Bluetooth earbuds. But getting all three apps to work correctly simultaneously requires a carefully ordered turn-on sequence, or they simply don't go.

So yes, it is possible to regularly run while being a heart patient and a senior - despite my brother thinking I'm mad!

However, I credit most of my success to what I eat - my whole food plant-based diet. I very much doubt I could do any of this without it. In fact I think I'd be dead by now - it probably would have happened a few years after my initial heart attack.

I see getting out there on the road as a calculated risk. So give me a wave if you see me out there, and I'll wave back! I now know to stop if I feel unwell, and after a mid-run rest, I get up very carefully and start off gently. I also wear leather bike gloves to break my fall if I trip, and wear my Parkrun emergency contact tag just in case.

Oh yes, I wouldn't mind doing the Parkrun in July when I turn 70 as I think I've a good chance of a top-three finish. When I last looked, there were only three or four competitors in that age group!