Heart Attack

Today I'm going to tell you about what happened when I had my heart attack in February 2003.  It was a Saturday night and we were eating tea.  Louisa had made salad rolls and mine was really tasty. Strange how you remember the most mundane things.

I'm eating away when my left arm felt strange.  Not pins and needles, just strange, then I started with a sensation in my chest, under my breast bone almost as if there was a rat gnawing away with his horrible teeth.  I had a couple of Nurofen (apparently the worst thing you can take).

We tend not to panic in this house but I did say to Steve that it might be a good idea if we visited the local hospital just to make sure all was well.

Off we went and they put the leads on, did a blood test and an X-Ray and put me into an observation ward.  Everything came back negative so they sent me home.

The next morning we had our children, plus a couple of extras and we were all eating Maccas when it started again.  I'd felt it through the night but didn't panic.  I stopped eating, which is unusual for me and told Steve I didn't feel well and he suggested I go lay down on our bed.

When I was laid there I started sweating and asked for the air conditioning to be put on.  Louisa came in and threw the remote control at me saying she didn't know how to work it and I had to turn it on myself.  Just a little while later I went dizzy and really didn't feel well.  Louisa, James, Beth and various other people all went out to the markets to see if they could get any bargains.

I still didn't realise it was anything serious, it never entered my head to call for an ambulance and I told Steve I wanted to go back to hospital.  He moaned a bit but I really felt rough so off we went.  I told him he'd have to get me a wheelchair because there was no way I could walk and he'd have to park close to the entrance.

He pulled in and went off to find a wheelchair.  There was an ambulance parked at the side of us.  Steve came back and told me there was a queue and he couldn't find a wheel chair.  He didn't say it but he was thinking I'd tell him to take me home.

I didn't and the ambulance people told him where he could find a wheelchair.  When we got inside he went to reception and told them I'd been there the night before with chest pains and I was no better this morning.  The staff fannied about and whilst Steve was talking to another person a nurse came and called my name.  When she saw me sitting on my own and realised she'd have to push me into the department she said she'd come back later and left me there.

Eventually she came back and Steve pushed me to the bed she pointed to.  By this time my dress was soaked through and I crawled onto the bed, she fixed on the leads and within 30 seconds all hell broke loose.  Looking back I can laugh about it but at the time it was very dramatic.  Steve's face was a picture when the doctor told him his wife was having a heart attack.  (guilt).

I don't know how long we were there for but they transferred me to The Mount which is a private hospital in Perth.  We'd got private insurance in 2000 because after I'd had cancer in 1998 I fully expected Steve to have a meltdown and I wanted to have the best care for him.  We'd also arranged good life and trauma insurance but we're still waiting to claim on it because he's too damn healthy.  If he'd have a heart attack or lose a leg we'd get enough money to clear our debts but will he? no he won't.

Stayed in The Mount under the care of a lovely cardiologist who looks as if he should be playing rugby for Australia.  He did an angiogram and the result was that the artery was too small to insert a stent so he dosed me up with medication and told me I'd have to take it for the rest of my life which I'm doing.  I've had follow up tests and they've all been fine.  I used to see him every year and a couple years ago he asked if I knew what had triggered the attack. Had I been upset, arguing, anything at all?  Louisa got married the month after the attack but I wasn't stressed about it so he told me I was unique but we knew that already.

I didn't see him last year, I had the dodgy hips going on.  The year before I'd seen him and I'd been stuck in the waiting room because my knee was locked and I couldn't move.

The pain was not the elephant sitting on my chest.  As I said, it was as if something was gnawing at me and I've had indigestion that's been more painful.  I have to say though that when I do get indigestion I do wonder if it's my heart and still I don't panic.  I have one of those spray things but the first thing I do is have a couple of Rennies.  The pain goes away so it's not cardio and since it usually happens at night I go back to sleep and wake to see another day.

My words of wisdom regarding health are, if in any doubt whatsoever, see a doctor.  I used to think I was a bit of a hypochondriac but it doesn't matter how many visits you need to make, if you're worried take yourself to see a professional.

What shall I write about next?