Marcus Giles Has Heartburn, Not Heart Disease
 |
James Joyner | Tuesday, September 5, 2006 |
Marcus Giles has heartburn, not heart disease.
The Marcus Giles heart-surgery scare was apparently a major false alarm, and the Braves second baseman was cleared to return to the team after undergoing a battery of tests Sunday in Atlanta. “He was diagnosed with acid reflux and no cardiac condition,” general manager John Schuerholz said before Monday night’s series opener against the Mets at Shea Stadium, where Giles arrived 40 minutes before the 7:10 p.m. game after flying from Atlanta. “They did a stress test, and the good news is, he’s fine. No restrictions.”
Giles said, “It’s definitely comforting, a big relief for me and my family.”
He didn’t play Monday but said he expected to be back in the lineup today or Wednesday. Giles will see a gastroenterologist Thursday in Atlanta to reconfirm the latest diagnosis.
“The next step is to find out what’s going on down there, but I don’t think we’re talking about anything too serious,” Giles said.
After being told Saturday by a Philadelphia doctor that he might have a heart-valve problem that would require surgery, Giles left the team and returned to Atlanta for tests with Dr. John Cantwell, the Braves’ cardiologist. “As far as we’re concerned, our doctor examined him and eliminated unequivocally any heart defect,” Schuerholz said.
Giles spent 10 hours at a Philadelphia hospital Saturday after experiencing what he described as knee-buckling pain after taking a sip of soft drink in the morning. The pain subsided after about 10 minutes, but Giles said he still had some discomfort at the ballpark as he prepared for Saturday’s doubleheader.
Giles met with a doctor who he said told him about the potential heart defect and said if he had the ailment, he needed to get it taken care of promptly to eliminate the potential risk of stroke or other calamity.
Asked about the disparity between a heart-valve problem and acid reflux, Schuerholz said, “I didn’t go to medical school, but it sounds like a big difference.”
Acid reflux is as an inflammation of the esophagus caused by regurgitation of food or drink. Its most recognized symptom is commonly known as “heartburn.”
Giles said Monday that the Philadelphia doctor did not mention acid reflux. “The most comforting thing was that the first opinion was by a trauma emergency room doctor [in Philadelphia],” Giles said, “and the next opinion was by a heart specialist.”
Sheesh. Good news for the Giles family but an unnecessary scare. The Philly doc’s caution in wanting to rule out the most severe possibility given the symptoms is certainly understandable; one would think, though, that he’d have avoided alarming the patient until he had more to go on.
- Braves’ Marcus Giles Tested for Heart Defect
- Marcus Giles Signs with Padres
- Five Russian Hockey league players found to have heart defects
- Former girlfriend sues Padres’ OF Brian Giles
- Concern over Cuttino Mobley’s heart holds up Clippers-Knicks deal
- Samford University basketball player Jim Griffin dead at 23
- Philadelphia Eagles Def. Coordinator Jim Johnson has cancer
- Aaron Boone back playing minor league baseball 5 months after having heart surgery
- Braves Trade Ramirez to Mariners for Soriano
- Boston Bruins’ Defenseman Matt Hunwick has spleen removed
- Arizona State Baseball Coach Pat Murphy resigns
- Clipping their wings- Florida Panthers beat Detroit 2-1
- LA Clipper announcers suspended for one game
- Backup power- Miami Dolphins beat Carolina Panthers 24-17
- Steve Elling of CBS Sports is jealous
- Detroit Lions put two defensive backs on Injured Reserve
- The Dirty Dozen- Milwaukee Bucks beat New Jersey 99-85
- Outdueled- Florida Panthers beat Buffalo 6-2
- Collision Course: LPGA and Champions Tour in Oregon on Same Week
- Cleveland Brown QB Brady Quinn fined by NFL
Comments are Closed
