Heart Attack !

ChrisMusic

A week ago last Sunday, with the low evening sun raking across the countryside, I had the privilege of a ringside seat whilst the villages and hills of Worcestershire rolled out beneath me.  This truly is a very beautiful part of Britain.

An hour and a half prior, I was enjoying playing with next doors cat, an extremely intelligent young Siamese tomcat, with boundless energy and razor sharp responses.  The typical slim Siamese face, dipped in chocolate fur, is home to the most stunning and piercing turquoise blue eyes I have ever seen.  Eyes which then turned to deep black holes with the intensity of the game, a game which was interrupted by a burst of severe discomfort and a wave of nausea.

I can normally manage pain pretty well, but the sequence of events unfolding meant the first 999 call of my life became inevitable, and even then I only rated the pain a 6 out of 10, and yes, I do know what a 10 feels like.  After what seemed an age of questioning on the phone (and I’m sure they must have asked my shoe size at some point! )  the most remarkable machine swung into process, a machine that gives me the privilege of being able to write this now.  We lose the miracle that is the NHS, and the dedicated folks who make it all happen at our peril.

The Paramedics were in the house within 10 mins, and a remarkably well placed, twin tailed cannula was the entry point to what seemed like an endless stream of liquids was introduced to my body.  The tiny bit of Morphine was almost too little to be appreciated, and they wouldn’t apply intravenous Whisky, more is the pity.  As to the rest of what was pumped into me over the next two hours, well I am surprised I wasn’t the size of the Michelin Man by the end.

My good lady handled all this remarkably well, and later commented that the fact I was calm throughout helped her stay grounded.  However the comparatively jovial banter subsided as the ECG traces changed.  An increase in nausea, and the more concerned looks on the Paramedics faces, plus the fact that apparently my skin colour was rapidly approaching a colour to match the sheets, heralded a quick decision to call in the Air Ambulance, who arrived pretty much as we got to the heliport (the local cricket field) ~ which is where this thread started.  Probably just as well there was no Scotch then !

The Air Ambulance crew were exemplary, and the flight was stunning.  From the most beautiful low glancing light enhancing every tree and fold of the rolling countryside between Ludlow and Worcester, to the exhilaration of the effortless power of the tiny helicopter, and the undoubted skill of the pilot.

Twenty minutes after the chopper landed in the cricket field, I was in theatre ~ remarkable.  Even with flashing blues, it would have been an hour the old fashioned way, and I probably wouldn’t be here now.  I would personally like to extend a huge “thank you” to all who support the Air Ambulance service.

My experience in theatre was no less remarkable, but do they really need to shave your privates ?  Well, apparently yes, just a bit, in case the preferred path through the arm’s arteries to the heart is problematic, so ‘plan B’ is the old fashioned way via the groin.  Thankfully they did not need ‘plan B’ !

What seemed like gallons more liquids found their way via the Paramedics cannula, including the (radioactive?) dye they use to track the progress of the catheter to position the ‘balloon’ used to open up the hearts arteries (to the pressure of a car tyre and beyond so I’m told!), and to position the stent which will keep that part of the artery open for the rest of my lifetime, hopefully.  My ultimate saviour, Dr Helen Routledge, was sat by my side, somewhat forcefully manipulating the catheter at my wrist, while the action end goes all the way to the correct position, in the correct artery, in my heart.  Such amazing skill, it seems to me to almost border on magic.

All the while I am watching the proceedings, and the hovering X-Ray machine just above me is monitoring the details.  I was privileged to see the before and afters, one major heart artery, non existent in the X-Ray image, then with the stent in place and full blood flow restored. WOW !

72 hours of hospitalised monitoring ensued.  The staff were absolutely wonderful, kind, friendly, helpful, professional, I cannot speak too highly of the whole team in the Cardiology Unit at Worcester.  That goes out to everyone from the cleaners, with friendly help and information, the endless round of teas and coffees and food delivered with a joke and a smile (and yes, I will miss your sense of humour too), all the nursing staff and student nurses (you are truly amazing), right through to the ward sister, doctors and consultants, and not forgetting the Paramedics and Air Ambulance crew too.

The NHS is a remarkable and unique institution.  We really do need to protect such a precious gem.

Sorry, this is a bit longer than I had intended, thanks to all of you who shared it with me…

  Let me share this thought with you:
A simple breath of fresh air is the sweetest thing I have ever tasted

Handsome_Chris

@ChrisMusic , sorry to hear about your bad health.  Get well soon.

richardhomer

Wow - what a story! Delighted to hear you received such fantastic treatment - and that you're still with us!

digitalscream

Jeez, man...glad you're still around (and well enough) to post this!

goldtop

Any photos of the cat?

/j - glad you're here to tell such a positive story. All the best!

guitarfishbay

Wow. Best wishes.

proggy

Just glad you're still here geez. Get well soon.

Strat_a_tat_tat

Sorry to hear of your trauma.

Glad to hear you're pulling through.

Keep enjoying those breaths of fresh air.

guitars4you

glad your still with us - some don't survive such events so better to have a scare and write the story - my dad had stent fitted a few years ago and no issues since other than a tweak on his food - best wishes and hope all goes well

Grunfeld

Bloody hell!  Glad you're sorted -- great story of the treatment and care you received too.

Nikko

Never seen such a traumatic event described so beautifully. Best wishes to you, Sir.

TheBlueWolf

Wow!

It's good to know you're still with us, thanks to the well trained professionals. I hope you have a full and speedy recovery

Moe_Zambeek

Glad you are still with us! 

ThorpyFX

Incredible post, thanks for sharing and best wishes

Ravenous

Scary - VERY glad you made it.  Fantastic story.

And thanks for the post. (at the moment we seem to be getting swarmed with tales of how the NHS screws things up, genuinely nice to have another data point.)

ourmaninthenorth

What a smashing post. 

Brought a smile to my face. 

All that's good to you both. 

fretmeister

Fuck me.

Glad you are still here.

I know from personal experience there is nothing more awful than being in an ambulance and the doors closing, cutting off access to crying relatives.

Top tip - when you have your after care appointments. Follow every bloody word for the rest of your life.

Sporky

Seems a bit extreme just to get a go in a helicopter...

Best wishes and all that.

rlw

This is what the NHS is brilliant at and we shouldn't forget it.

What they're shit at is lots of the stuff  - not the doctors and nurses but the fucking admin - that might have prevented it happening in the first place, speaking from personal experience.

Glad you're well.  A few weeks ago I thought I might be in the same situation but, luckily, I wasn't, although I did get to try hospital food and showering without soap............

Emp_Fab

Welcome to the Myocardial Infarction Club my fellow stent wearer!  Glad to hear you survived.  I had the same thing five years ago, minus the helicopter ride.  If you have any questions about your recovery etc, feel free to PM me and I'll answer what I can.  First off, you're likely to be on clopidogrel to reduce the clotting ability of your blood so a clot doesn't develop in the stent.  Be aware Mrs Chris music is going to get pissed off with you ruining all the bed sheets and pillow cases, as the tiniest spot or nick will take ages to stop bleeding!

Take it easy.  I trust you don't smoke - if you did, you don't anymore.  Not if you want to live.

Definitely take up the offer of the cardiac rehab classes, and the discounted gym membership later on (dunno if it applies in your area though).  Anything I can help with, gimme a shout.

We are the lucky ones - I think the statistics are that only 50% of heart attack victims make it to the hospital alive.

Welcome to your second chance at life!

freakboy1610

Great story. Glad you're not dead. I hope you swiftly recover.

goldtop said:

Any photos of the cat?

Priceless comment! I nearly wet my pants!