[clarkie]

Here's the aftermath of when I was lucky enough to have an M.I. and had a stent placed in my heart.

I took this pic when I was off my tits on morphine and had been removing massive clots the size and shape of sun-dried tomatoes, when the nurse came along and cleaned and replaced my pressure dressing. It bled like hell, as I was on a 24 drip of anti-clotting medication.

I really wish I'd got a pic of when it was proper minging!

The worst part of of the operation was when they were taking the tube out my artery. I didn't feel it until the snapping-clunking sensation down my shoulder and arm, as it pulled backwards through all the chambers in my artery. It felt like it was a 6" thick cable, when in reality it was about as thin as a hair!

If anyone is interested, I can post an account of the day I tried to die...

[shavedkitty]

Please tell all.....

[emarieu]

I am interested--I have one of my own.

[vagabond]

I am interested- what is an 'M.I.'?

[exKitten]

Originally Posted by vagabond ↗

I am interested- what is an 'M.I.'?

Myocardial Infarction (heart attack)

[kellyhound]

great pic writing the whole story would be interesting

[clarkie]

Let's see...

The two weeks leading up to the 8th of March, 2013 were the most uncomfortable of my life. I was doing a lot of running and it was cold and wet outside, so I wasn't too concerned with the burning sensation I was experiencing in my chest. It felt EXACTLY like when you go from somewhere nice and warm into a cold, bitter and damp environment, so big whoop, man up.

By the morning of the 8th, it was happening more often, lasted longer and was more intense, but I'm a Royal Marine so I carried on regardless. (D'oh)

I had the day off, so I ran some errands (in the car, with my youngest daughter!) and at lunchtime, we decided to have a "carpet picnic" for her 3rd birthday as it wasn't nice enough to go outside for one.

I was about to tuck into my lunch when it felt like I'd been kicked square in the chest. By the Incredible Hulk.

I went for fresh air, had a lie down and even took some antacids, but nothing helped. My wife insisted we go to the doctor's surgery as they could hear my cries of pain from downstairs. I couldn't lie flat and could barely lift my chin or pull my shoulders back as the pain was so intense.

None of this shooting pains in the left arm, or any of the "classic" symptoms. It felt like my chest was being pulled in and, by Christ, it BURNED. It was almost cramp-like in my neck and jaw and I eagerly agreed to get my ass to the doctor.

Initially, the receptionist refused to let me see a doctor, as I'm in the Forces and not registered at the local surgery, but my wife...convinced her that I didn't just have the sniffles and I saw one of the partners quite sharpish after that.

By this point I was a deathly grey colour and in intense pain, but the doc wasn't sure what was wrong. I was only 36 and very fit and wasn't presenting classic MI symptoms. After a massive shot of morphine, I was able to actually talk to him and tell him how I felt and a brief history of my symptoms.

He got a funny look on his face and called an ambulance for me, whilst I tried talking to the strange faces that were winking at me from the pattern in the carpet tiles...

I was wheeled out of his office and into the ambulance where my ECG was sent wirelessly to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (the leading cardiac unit in Scotland, if not the UK) where it was confirmed I was having a heart attack. Bollocks.

I had to swallow a massive pill, an anti-coagulant which I had to swallow with saline solution as it was too big to dry-swallow, and I already had an aspirin dissolving under my tongue and was blue-lighted to the RIE.

There's a Krispy Kreme place on the way and I remember asking to stop for donuts on the way, just before I decided to stop breathing. They were calling me by the wrong name and I remember thinking "shit, Graham. You're not breathing and they're calling you names. Sort it out!" and I decided to breath again.

By the time we got the the cath-lab at RIE, we found some tosser parked illegally in front of the crash doors at the cath-lab and the ambulance crew and passers-by literally bumping it out the way so I could be admitted.

I was trundled straight in, stripped naked and had my third massive shot of morphine that day. WHEEEEEE!

I had a local put into my right wrist and they made a tiny incision to gain entry to the large artery there.

I don't really recall much of what happened, but I remember watching the monitors as they fed the tiny filament up my arm and into my heart before they pumped in disclosing fluid to see where my blockage was.

At this point I was totally off my tits and could see the ceiling tiles melting and warping above me and I was convinced that the doctors and nurses were dressed in combat uniforms and hard hats (I know, right?).

The stent was placed and the blockage cleared with the clot-busting drugs they were pumping me full of and as it was fully cleared, I felt a rush of warmth from around my navel area and down my legs. I was convinced I'd pissed myself and was quite distressed, but a nurse assured me that it was a good thing as it was a clear indication that full circulation had returned to my body.

They started pulling out the filament they had used to place the stent and that was the point the procedure became uncomfortable. I was a long, slow process that turns my stomach to this day. The filament was pulled bit by bit out of the incision on my wrist and with each chamber of the artery it passed though, I felt a "massive" CLUNK as it was pulled backwards through the valves. I begged for them just to yank it out in one go, but that would have destroyed the valves and made me even worse!

Eventually, I made it into recovery in shock and still buck naked. At this point, the consultant popped his head around the curtain and asked if I minded if he brought in a few student doctors. So, there's me shivering and bloody, as naked as the day I was born talking to all these student doctors about what happened, with my shrivelled little tinkle flapping in the breeze! A nurse, rather kindly, told them all off and covered me with a blanket and I started to warm up.

I spend two days in the Coronary Care Unit, before moving to a ward. I had to poo with the door open and a nurse watching to make sure I didn't try to die again and I enjoyed a long, hot shower. I had a little chat to myself in the shower and decided I was never going to feel sorry for myself about this. It happened, I survived, so move on and get better.

I was discharged on the 11th of March and walked out of there with no help and was dropped off a 1/2 mile from my home and walked back on my own.

Since then, I've run a 10k road race and a half marathon in aid of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, completed over 100 parkruns and can pass my Royal Marines Personal Fitness test (2.4k personal best run) in less time than a 30-year-old gets.

Up yours, heart attack.

Thanks for reading!

[Wiley]

Thanks for sharing your story. Good luck!

[Sterlig]

Excellent rebound!

[emarieu]

Very interesting blow-by-blow account. Glad you made it thru