A Pewaukee woman learns what matters most after life-threatening diagnosis

Some athletes are sidelined by sprains, pulled muscles or broken bones. In 2006, Pewaukee resident and triathlete Margo Lehmann, who is also one of Wisconsin Woman magazine’s account executives, was unable to participate in the July 2006 Danskin Women’s Triathlon due to something way more serious — a hole in her heart.

“I was 34 years old when I found out I had an atrial septal defect (ASD). I was training for a triathlon - one of many triathlons that I have done - when I found out the news,” said the wife and mother of two girls.

According to the American Heart Association, ASD is a defect in the septum between the heart’s two upper chambers. The septum is a wall that separates the heart’s left and right sides.

Lehmann, who had pulled a muscle in her chest a week earlier, reached a point where she was unable to talk, laugh and even breathe because the pain from the pulled muscle was so intense. She went to her doctor for pain relief, but left with the understanding that there was something much more to her issue.

“I went to the doctor on a Monday for a muscle relaxer so I could finish training that week and run my triathlon on Sunday. He was a new doctor and he listened to my heart for a long time. He asked if I always had a heart murmur and I said no,” Lehmann explained.

Lehmann underwent an electrocardiogram, a test that measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat. The test came back abnormal. She was then sent to the hospital the next day for more tests.

“They kept me overnight,” Lehmann recalled. “They ran every test there was and found nothing wrong until the very last test.”

The final test was a transesophageal echocardiogram, which Lehmann refers to as a TEE-stick. The procedure is an ultrasound study where, according to Lehmann, a tube is inserted down the throat to capture pictures of the heart, which in turn gives the doctor a detailed image of the heart’s movement, valves and chambers.

“That is when they found the hole,” Lehmann said. “It was almost the size of a half dollar and I had it since I was born.”

According to the American Heart Association, “everyone is born with an opening between the upper heart chambers. It’s a normal opening that exists in the fetus before it is born that allows blood to detour away from the lungs before birth. After birth, the opening is no longer needed and usually closes or becomes very small within several weeks or months. Sometimes this opening is larger than normal and doesn’t close after birth. As many as one in five healthy adults still have a small leftover opening in the wall between the atria.”

Being one of the statistics, Lehmann said she was somewhat alarmed by the diagnosis. “It was quite a shock for me and my husband since I am an athlete and have worked out my entire life with no signs or complications ever,” said Lehmann. She had always worked out regularly, whether it be running, attending boot camps, biking, Jazzercise or adventure races.

What was more shocking was that if the ASD went undiagnosed, Lehmann’s future could have ended abruptly. “If they would not have found the hole in my heart, the right side of my heart would have eventually given out and I would have died,” she said.

Because she was home with her daughters in the summer and co-chairing a major fund-raiser that wasn’t until September, Lehmann got approval from her doctor and chose to wait a few months to have surgery. “I never slept once through the night that summer and neither did my husband. We were both very scared as to what could happen to me,” she said.

But faith, family and friends helped ease the worry. “I worried about it, but I didn’t. We have an awesome faith and had so many people praying for me,” Lehmann said. “I felt confident and knew it was going to be okay. My husband, on the other hand, was extremely worried, but I had this calm.”

On Sept. 26, 2006, Lehmann underwent surgery at ProHealth Care’s Waukesha Memorial Hospital. “Basically, my chest was split open. They cracked my ribs,” she explained. “The good part about the surgery was they were able to take tissue right from my heart to repair the hole.”

“Surgery involves patching the hole with a piece of the membrane that normally surrounds the heart — the pericardium,” explained Dr. Robert McManus, chairman of cardiothoracic surgery at Waukesha Memorial Hospital, and the doctor who performed Lehmann’s surgery. “Mortality and complication risks are very low for this type of surgery and most people are back to their normal lives within three to four weeks.”

Lehmann’s goal was to be back on her feet and active again as soon as possible. Three weeks post-surgery, she was at Jazzercise and slowly taking on more each day. She said, “After the surgery, I never looked back. I only looked ahead.”

“I know that I was able to bounce back so quickly after my surgery due to the fact that I worked out hard previously. That was such a huge help in my recovery process,” she said.

Today and every day since her surgery, Lehmann admits she looks at her life quite differently. “I have a whole new outlook,” she said. “My heart is a lot lighter than it used to be. Family, friends and my faith are what mean the most to me. The little things don't bother me like they used to. I believe you have to look at life as a blessing, a gift. Live for today, because tomorrow may never come.” That has been Lehmann’s motto for over three years now.