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A distance runner averaging 1,500-2,000 miles each
of the past 20 years, Jerry Allanach understands the
importance of listening to your body. But when his breathing
became so labored during races that he had to walk instead
of run, he forgot to listen. He blamed himself instead.
Perhaps he was starting out too fast, not working out
hard enough, or just getting old. Jerry even started
wearing a heart rate monitor during his runs. When the
monitor registered 235, he bought a new one. But the
new heart monitor continued to show what Jerry thought
were absurdly high readings.
 One
day while watching the monitor during his run rather
than at the end of the run, Jerry noticed an odd occurrence
– just before his breathing got short, his heart
rate would spike to more than 200. That’s when
he decided it was time he listened to his body. A visit
to his doctor showed that Jerry suffered from atrial
fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm that worsened
during his runs, especially in the summer. Not sure
if drugs would help and not ready to stop running, Jerry
went online to find others with the same condition and
get recommendations. The best advice, however, came
from his primary care physician who referred Jerry to
an electrophysiologist, a physician specializing in
abnormal heart rhythms, at Loyola. “He helped
me understand my condition and weigh the options available
for treatment,” says Jerry. Loyola’s electrophysiology
team is recognized among the nation’s leaders
in the care of patients with heart rhythm disorders.
On Aug. 29, 2003, Jerry underwent a procedure called
radiofrequency catheter ablation, a non-surgical technique
that destroys (ablates) parts of the abnormal electrical
pathway in the heart causing abnormal heart rhythms.
Just five days after the successful procedure and with
permission from his physician, Jerry went for a light
jog. He gradually increased his duration and pace during
the months that followed before taking his “test
drive” in November, running a 10K in 46 minutes,
and a 5K in 22 minutes a few weeks later. “That’s
pretty respectable for a 54-year old,” said Jerry.
“More important is that there were no abnormal
spikes in my heart rate.”
Less than five months after his procedure, Jerry was
back running marathons, completing his 49th in 3 hours,
44 minutes. He no longer takes the medications that
were initially prescribed, and completed his 50th marathon,
one that required running up and down mountains. By
listening to his body and entrusting his heart to Loyola,
Jerry is back in the race – running, not walking.
Related Links
Center
for Heart and Vascular Medicine
Electrophysiology
Services
Radiofrequency
Catheter Ablation Brochure - 
217K
Clinical
Trials
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