Maroon87
02-21-2008, 12:13 PM
Doug Brocail takes 26 pills a day to stay healthy after having two heart procedures
By BRIAN McTAGGART
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
KISSIMMEE, FLA. — Doug Brocail was sitting in a doctor's office, looking at a poster that showed what a healthy heart should look like while comparing it to the heart scan he saw on a monitor.
Brocail didn't need a doctor to tell him the image on the screen showed a heart that was in bad shape, leading the pitcher to draw the conclusion that the heart belonged to the visibly upset woman across the room.
"I kept looking at the poster, and I thought, 'Damn, that lady is (in trouble),' " Brocail said.
The heart image, as it turned out, belonged to Brocail — a frightening realization for a 38-year-old professional athlete with five daughters and a wife at his Houston-area home.
"When I finally realized it, it wasn't panic, but it was scary," he said of his incident during spring training 2006 with the San Diego Padres.
Brocail's left anterior descending coronary artery, which supplies blood to the left ventricle and front wall of the heart, was 99 percent blocked. He underwent an angioplasty and had a stent inserted in the artery.
A month later, Brocail underwent a similar procedure, had three more stents inserted and only then began to understand how fortunate he was. Especially considering heart problems ran in his family.
"I didn't fully grasp the fact that I beat the widow maker," said Brocail, referring to the nickname of the artery that was blocked. "The doctor explained that usually when they find the widow maker, it's in an autopsy. Now I've got clean pipes, and here I am."
Two heart procedures and multiple arm surgeries later (including two Tommy John surgeries), Brocail, 40, is coming off his best season and is hoping to cap off his career by winning a World Series ring with the Astros.
The Astros signed the righthander to a one-year, $2.5 million contract on Nov. 27 after he went 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 67 appearances with the Padres. His role is to pitch the eighth inning and get the ball to closer Jose Valverde.
"I'm impressed, and I think anybody who knows the particulars would be impressed," manager Cecil Cooper said. "Most guys who've had stuff like that, this is not their profession. They might be sitting behind a desk, but here this guy is pitching and being competitive, and he's had a lot of success"
Brocail is relatively healthy, but he's not without concern. He takes 26 pills per day, including a blood thinner, for heart-related issues. If he ever gets hit with a ball while on the mound, bleeding could be a serious problem.
"They're not all prescriptions, but that includes my aspirin and prescription fish oils, which is all cholesterol-based and heart-based," Brocail said. "Everything I take is cholesterol- and heart-based. The only struggles I have are from taking statin drugs, so my large muscle groups throughout the day stay a little bit sore, but I can live with that."
Selected in the first round of the 1986 draft by San Diego, Brocail has appeared in 534 games as a starter and reliever in 13 seasons, going 44-43 with a 3.99 ERA. He pitched for the Astros in 1995 and 1996 and signed again with the club in 2001 but was limited to three minor-league appearances while recovering from elbow surgery.
Brocail passed a physical before signing with the Padres in 2006 but began feeling disoriented during a pair of spring-training outings. Because he had a history of asthma, he used an inhaler to try to remedy the problem.
But Padres team doctors told him to go immediately to a cardio care center. An angiogram diagnosed the heart problem.
Brocail wanted to keep playing but couldn't get a definitive "yes" from doctors, who were concerned about how the sudden rises and drops in adrenaline would affect the heart.
"After a long talk and meetings with a bunch of the San Diego doctors and making phone calls, we decided I could be the guinea pig as long as I OK'd it with my wife and kids," he said.
In 2006, he wound up throwing 28 innings in 25 games for the Padres before having one of the best seasons of his career last season. Now, a healthy Brocail would like to get the one thing that has eluded him — a World Series ring.
"I'd like to play this year and next," he said. "I really would. I'm not worried about my arm anymore; I'm not worried about my heart. If my legs hold up with all these medicines I take, we'll see beyond that.
"I'd like to win a World Series, and if I win a World Series this year I might just call it quits. I would love to go out with this team getting a ring on my finger."
brian.mctaggart@chron.com
By BRIAN McTAGGART
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
KISSIMMEE, FLA. — Doug Brocail was sitting in a doctor's office, looking at a poster that showed what a healthy heart should look like while comparing it to the heart scan he saw on a monitor.
Brocail didn't need a doctor to tell him the image on the screen showed a heart that was in bad shape, leading the pitcher to draw the conclusion that the heart belonged to the visibly upset woman across the room.
"I kept looking at the poster, and I thought, 'Damn, that lady is (in trouble),' " Brocail said.
The heart image, as it turned out, belonged to Brocail — a frightening realization for a 38-year-old professional athlete with five daughters and a wife at his Houston-area home.
"When I finally realized it, it wasn't panic, but it was scary," he said of his incident during spring training 2006 with the San Diego Padres.
Brocail's left anterior descending coronary artery, which supplies blood to the left ventricle and front wall of the heart, was 99 percent blocked. He underwent an angioplasty and had a stent inserted in the artery.
A month later, Brocail underwent a similar procedure, had three more stents inserted and only then began to understand how fortunate he was. Especially considering heart problems ran in his family.
"I didn't fully grasp the fact that I beat the widow maker," said Brocail, referring to the nickname of the artery that was blocked. "The doctor explained that usually when they find the widow maker, it's in an autopsy. Now I've got clean pipes, and here I am."
Two heart procedures and multiple arm surgeries later (including two Tommy John surgeries), Brocail, 40, is coming off his best season and is hoping to cap off his career by winning a World Series ring with the Astros.
The Astros signed the righthander to a one-year, $2.5 million contract on Nov. 27 after he went 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 67 appearances with the Padres. His role is to pitch the eighth inning and get the ball to closer Jose Valverde.
"I'm impressed, and I think anybody who knows the particulars would be impressed," manager Cecil Cooper said. "Most guys who've had stuff like that, this is not their profession. They might be sitting behind a desk, but here this guy is pitching and being competitive, and he's had a lot of success"
Brocail is relatively healthy, but he's not without concern. He takes 26 pills per day, including a blood thinner, for heart-related issues. If he ever gets hit with a ball while on the mound, bleeding could be a serious problem.
"They're not all prescriptions, but that includes my aspirin and prescription fish oils, which is all cholesterol-based and heart-based," Brocail said. "Everything I take is cholesterol- and heart-based. The only struggles I have are from taking statin drugs, so my large muscle groups throughout the day stay a little bit sore, but I can live with that."
Selected in the first round of the 1986 draft by San Diego, Brocail has appeared in 534 games as a starter and reliever in 13 seasons, going 44-43 with a 3.99 ERA. He pitched for the Astros in 1995 and 1996 and signed again with the club in 2001 but was limited to three minor-league appearances while recovering from elbow surgery.
Brocail passed a physical before signing with the Padres in 2006 but began feeling disoriented during a pair of spring-training outings. Because he had a history of asthma, he used an inhaler to try to remedy the problem.
But Padres team doctors told him to go immediately to a cardio care center. An angiogram diagnosed the heart problem.
Brocail wanted to keep playing but couldn't get a definitive "yes" from doctors, who were concerned about how the sudden rises and drops in adrenaline would affect the heart.
"After a long talk and meetings with a bunch of the San Diego doctors and making phone calls, we decided I could be the guinea pig as long as I OK'd it with my wife and kids," he said.
In 2006, he wound up throwing 28 innings in 25 games for the Padres before having one of the best seasons of his career last season. Now, a healthy Brocail would like to get the one thing that has eluded him — a World Series ring.
"I'd like to play this year and next," he said. "I really would. I'm not worried about my arm anymore; I'm not worried about my heart. If my legs hold up with all these medicines I take, we'll see beyond that.
"I'd like to win a World Series, and if I win a World Series this year I might just call it quits. I would love to go out with this team getting a ring on my finger."
brian.mctaggart@chron.com