I Had A Heart Attack - Part 1

I am writing this article from a bed in the cardiac ward of my local hospital. They do not do surgery here; it is a diagnosis and pre-op ward. Patients are parked here while waiting for a bed to free up in one of the city hospitals that carry out heart surgery. I have been diagnosed with arterial heart blockage and require quadruple bypass heart surgery. A scan of my heart revealed a total of 9 blockages ranging from 40% up to 90%.

Though I am in my late seventies, I am in excellent health. Or so I thought. I walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day, take long hikes two to three times a month, eat a relatively modest diet, stay away from fast foods and I don't drink to excess.

Up until I woke up around 1:00 AM on Monday morning, the 27th of September, with a painful left arm, I considered myself a very healthy 77-year-old. I sat on the edge of the bed for a while, thinking I had lain on my arm the wrong way. When the pain had not gone away after ten minutes, I took a couple of painkillers. Eventually, the pain subsided and I went back to bed.

In the morning, I was feeling a little washed out and not feeling up to breakfast which was unusual. I look upon breakfast as the most enjoyable meals of the day, a time to ease into the day, enjoy a coffee, read the newspaper and some Vocal stories on my smartphone.

I mentioned the incident to my wife, who is a retired hospital Lab Tech. She suggested checking my blood pressure, a suggestion that probably saved my life.

The reading on one arm came back 207 / 95 and on the other arm 217 /100. I almost fell off my chair. (Normal is around 120/80) She was heading out for a few hours and told me to call my MD. I phoned his office and his receptionist said he could not see me until the following day so I made an appointment.

When my wife arrived home, she asked me if I had seen the doctor. I told her he could not see me until the next day. She said with my blood pressure readings, there was no time for waiting around and to go to our local walk-in clinic on the next block - as in now!

After a 15-minute wait at the clinic, the doctor on duty checked my BP and heart rate, paused, looked me in the eye and advised me in no uncertain terms to have my wife drive me directly to the local hospital emergency clinic. He said I was suffering from hypertension which in simple terms is stroke territory.

After being checked in, a nurse took my blood pressure. The reading was 231/107. Astronomical! Within a short time, I underwent a series of blood tests and an ECG and was provided a bed.

At this time, I was not thinking it was anything but high blood pressure for whatever reason. About an hour later, I had a visit from the hospital cardiologist. He told me I had suffered a heart attack.

What? A heart attack? Me?

How could that be? Over the past ten years, all my annual checkup tests had come back normal. My weight was fine and all my organs seemed to be working as they should. So a heart attack! My god!

An anticipated three-hour session at emergency had now turned into a three-day stay that included a trip over town to Vancouver's cardiac hospital. There awaiting me (at this time of writing) is an angiogram to determine what was going on with my ticker. So here I sit in hospital been being attended to by a bevy of wonderful nurses and hospital staff, all free, courtesy of the great Canadian national health system.

TO BE CONTINUED.

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