Life-saving Heart Scans For Twin Brothers

Mike and Charles Claxton, 61-year-old twin brothers from Franklin, Ind., have a strong relationship even after growing up in their hometown. Together, they continue to enjoy tennis, golf and fishing.

Even with their great relationship, they didn't believe the idea of "twin telepathy" was legitimate. While there's no scientific evidence to support this idea, the journey following their heart scans shows that caring for your loved ones' health can lead to better health decisions and inspire others to take their own health seriously.

'It Raised The Flags For Both Of Us'

Both Mike and Charles received heart scans that led to life-saving procedures. Charles was the first to have a heart scan, which showed a high calcium score. Following his heart scan results, he called his brother Mike and suggested he get one as well. Charles was shocked to learn that Mike had a higher calcium score than he did.

After a talk with his medical providers about next steps, Mike had stents inserted during his procedure at the Franciscan Health Indianapolis Heart Center. As for Charles, he woke up one day with discomfort but waited a couple of days before addressing it. Due to his wait, he ended up in the hospital following a heart attack and had a stent procedure like his twin brother.

"If Charles hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have paid attention at all, because neither one of us ever showed any signs of chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, any of the things you hear about," Mike said. "We never showed that, so that's a testament to what the heart scan can do. It raised the flags for both of us."

Studies show that 1 in 5 heart attacks are silent, meaning that no obvious symptoms were present before the heart attack.

Silent heart attack symptoms can include:

• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Heartburn like-symptoms
• Upper back muscle strain sensation

'Get A Scan'

Their heart health family history included their father's heart attack. High cholesterol and relevant family history are the reasons Charles suggested that his twin schedule a heart scan.

"When I told him he should get his cholesterol looked at, I thought I was sailing through blue waters and my cholesterol was going down," Charles said. "I thought everything was OK. When he said he was going in to get the heart catheterization, I was like, 'Wow, you are in bad shape,' not knowing that I was going down the same path."

It's not a surprise that Charles didn't recognize his poor health before his cholesterol examination. High cholesterol usually has no symptoms and is usually identified alongside potential heart risks during cholesterol screenings like a lipid panel blood test with your provider.

Mike and Charles agree that their heart scans were the first step to saving both of their lives and they encourage others to have heart screenings done as well.

"Get a scan," Mike said. "You hear the public service announcements, and human nature is to kind of blow it off. Don't blow it off. This could have ended differently for both of us."

"All three of my sons, I've told them, don't ignore it," Charles said. "It's easy to get checked out and there is a history in our family. It's something that is so easy to rectify. Don't wait."