Monday night I assumed I had COVID – hot sweats, violent sickness, dizziness, numb jaw, tingly fingers. By Tuesday morning this was just a dull ache in my chest. 111 phoned me an ambulance which arrived within minutes. The ambulance team undertook an ECG which showed no abnormalities. They advised me to go to A&E, advice I almost dismissed until they told me to get in the ambulance and they would take me. 

I was able to walk and was led to the ambulance cohort room where I stayed for 3 hours (it was pretty busy…) – no fuss, no urgency, no problem. I was then transferred to an A&E cubicle where my bloods were taken, and I was talked to by a nice Junior Doctor (it was August...) who was unsure what was wrong. All other vital signs were fine. He advised it was probably reflux but to go for a chest Xray in any case. While waiting outside Xray following this I saw a nurse running down the corridor and thinking ‘oh no someone’s in trouble’ – alas she was looking for me. My blood results had come back and they were frantically trying to find me between A&E and x-ray. I was wheeled down to corridor into resus where a group of nurses and an A&E consultant were waiting for and I was then informed I had suffered a heart attack – this was 11pm and almost 60 hours since I had suffered my first mild heart attack. Immediately I was wired up, tubed up, and medicated. I arrived on the Coronary Care Unit at 2am.  I would find out the following day how bad it was, but I had been stabilised. 

The following morning after a strange but quietly peaceful night in a single room, I was blued lighted at what felt like 100 miles an hour to another hospital where I was prepared for surgery. I had an angioplasty, and a double stent in my right coronary artery. It was 99% blocked so the amazing consultant was fortunate to reopen it. All of this while I was awake. My abiding memory  of this was relief when it was over and realising his choice of music during surgery was Celine Dion - My heart will go on - i couldn't make it up. 

I was discharged on the Friday where, once home, I could only manage a slow 5-minute walk before being absolutely wiped out. I later found out, as with many heart attacks and starvation of oxygen, my heart is permanently damaged, and I will likely be on medication for the rest of my life. I am, however, alive and have a second chance. I was extremely lucky, and the probable causes could be several things which will never be definitively understood – I thought I was fit, healthy and I exercised regularly. I never though at my age I had even the slightest risk or thought of a heart attack. It was, and still is, a massive shock I am still coming to terms with. 

I did not see or understand the symptoms. I would never have phoned 999. I questioned the ambulance crew’s advice to go to A&E. I thought I was going to walk out of A&E having wasted their time. These people saved my life, without a doubt. I was one of the 70% of heart attack victim survivors. Organisations like the British Heart Foundation and Cardiac Athletes helped me live again - fitter, healthier, happier.

The ask....

If you read all this, thank you. Over the last 6 months I have progressed from walking 10 minutes at Cardiac Rehab to running over 8 miles. For anyone my age its impressive, for a heart attack survivor its determined but certainly not impossible and I hope I have given others like me the advice and encouragement I needed so much when I felt so alone. I want to give back what I can and I hope you can support me. 

Further information and support....

Welcome to the British Heart Foundation (bhf.org.uk)

Cardiac Athletes

HealthUnlocked | The social network for health

CPR Counts – Sutton Coldfield based, we run free training courses in first aid for Heart Attacks, Cardiac Arrests and Choking. Also how to use a defibrillator.