Dr. Robert Smallridge, retired director of Oak Ridge Schools, took one of the most important tests of his life in early December, and he failed. He failed miserably.

The testing included an echocardiogram and heart catheterization, which revealed that Smallridge had five major blockages in his heart. He was immediately admitted to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, where Dr. William Hall performed a five-vessel bypass surgery the following day.

“Some areas of my heart were 70 to 80 percent blocked, and some were 60 percent. All of the blockages were significant,” Smallridge noted.

The Oak Ridge resident initially went to the doctor because of weight loss and a low hemoglobin level. He gave little or no thought to another subtle symptom: the slight ache that occasionally occurred in his arms when he jogged during morning walks with his dog, Annie.

“I didn’t connect this symptom with my heart,” he said, despite the fact that his father and his brother died of heart-related problems.

When preliminary tests did not reveal the reason for his weight loss, Smallridge went to Dr. Wendell Lawson, a board-certified cardiologist at Methodist Medical Center. Dr. Lawson performed a stress test, heart catheterization and echocardiogram.

“I didn’t do well on these tests,” Smallridge said in an understatement. In fact, Lawson would not let him go home. He immediately admitted him to the hospital and called in Dr. Hall, a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon.

“Dr. Smallridge did not have the classic, textbook symptoms people normally associate with heart problems,” Lawson said. “If he and his physician had not followed up, the consequences could have been devastating.”

Hall performed five bypasses on Dec. 4, 2008 to redirect blood flow around the blockages and to allow more oxygen into the heart.

The long-time educator was hospitalized at Methodist for five days, four days to recover from surgery and an extra day as a precaution because he developed an irregular heartbeat. The condition, called atrial fibrillation, is not unusual after bypass surgery, and it was temporary for Smallridge.

He became a patient of Methodist Medical Center’s cardiac rehab program shortly after surgery. He goes to rehab three days a week, where he rides a stationary bike, walks on a treadmill, exercises on steps, lifts small weights, and uses a device called an ergometer to improve upper body strength. The staff constantly monitors him during exercise and checks his weight once a week.

“When you have an operation like this, it’s pretty traumatic,” Smallridge said. “Monitoring gives you confidence that you can do it and that things will eventually be normal,” he stated.

At Methodist, Smallridge also is learning how to eat a healthier diet. Before surgery, he was “somewhat” careful in that he drank skim milk, ate very little red meat, and tried to be careful about salt and saturated fats. It was not enough. Since his operation, he has become more diligent about reading food labels and trying to maintain a healthy diet, although it’s still a struggle.

His efforts are paying off. Within a few weeks of surgery, Smallridge could tell a difference in his appetite, weight and muscle tone, and he has resumed walking Annie about two miles on non-rehab days.

“I feel more like myself,” he said. “I’m definitely feeling better.”