On Monday afternoon last,I was transferring to my car at Crawley hospital, when, I felt a deep crushing pain in the centre of my chest. I drove the three miles home knowing my Son, Tom and daughter Lucy, were there, on hols from uni.
On my arrival in the driveway to my house the pain had intenseified, and I was becoming breathless, so I hit the hooter and T&L appeared.....
I've been in Renal failure for 28 years and am no stranger to the A&Edept, but useually fob pain off as musculer etc.
This was far worse though.
Tom called 999 and within five mins a fast responce paramedic was on hand. Blood pressure, ECG, GNT spray asprin and soothing talk followed.
15 mins later An ambulance had trf me from my car, and we wwere off up the moterway to east surry A&E.
Under the influance of ozygen we hit the hospital then "Holby" style I was rushed to the waiting Re-suss team.
My clothes were removed,lines were incerted, drugs given.....Morphine, for pain, Heperin..to thin the blood.
And imaging started.
AT 1:30 am, I was trfd to cardiac care unit, and over the next 24 hours received the fullest standerd of care, frm o the highly trained CCU team, and it was descovered I had a clot which was embedded in an artury going to my lung........hence the breathlessness.
clot busting injections had been started, and pain releif had continued, my children were at my bedside.
I must admit that when i was sat in my car in the drive, I took a long lingering look at both Tom and Estpechily Lucy,
cos i beleived it may be my last view.
But due to the fantastic quick intervention my the whole team of experts who were in attendance, from the team at East surry, and at St hilier's in S London were i was transferred to on tues evening........i'm now at home.
I was allowed home last evening from st hillier were my renal dialysis could be carered for, with my blood thinning tablets,until i must return on sunday at 10 am for blood tests.
IF there are no further incidents i'll be allowed to return to my local hospital on monday for my usual treatment.
I have ended up with a Clot which ks hopfully disirating over the next few months and so called Artirial fribulation(Heart murrmer) which apparently i can live with.
So for the hundreth time I've cheated the grim reaper, who has been on my back since I was first rushed to hospital in 1957 at three months old. with suspected kidney failure.
The old maxim live for the day now comes sharply into focus.......but whatever the next few days brings,
All I have in my Heart, is the love of all the people both personal and professional that I hold close.
They all, plus all the people i've come onto contact with, and all those i've seen, read about ,and even only heard about second hand. have made this life a journey which I can in all honesty say, I've enjoyed !!!
Author