Well this entry I never expected to be writing. After 3 months of angina attacks and the frustration in trying to get a referral to a cardiologist, I had a heart attack on Sunday. Lucky for me the health system in Australia is not totally stuffed. I presented at Wyong Hospital at 4.15 am by ambulance on Sunday morning and at the time I was in the middle of a heart attack. The blood results did not show anything wrong until later that day. The emotional trauma that I went through was very horrific. I take this moment to thank the registered nurse who told me that I might have multiple blockages, this did not add pressure to my already bad condition, but gave me strength when I was given the life saving angiogram at Gosford Hospital on Monday afternoon.

I had two stent’s placed into my arteries and 2 balloons for another part of my heart, done also.

Here we are on Wednesday and I started to look for local support for what I had been through, only to find that the system does let people down when it comes to a near death experience.

I don’t want to thank either hospital for the sleep deprivation they inflicted on me. The first night I can understand, because they gave me something called GTN to reduce the pain in my chest, the side effect was a massive blood pressure drop and they had to keep monitoring it to make sure it did not go to low.

After the angiogram and everything had stabilised, I hit the roof, 2 days with only 2 hours sleep and they thought they where looking after me well, all I wanted was a bit of sleep and the blood pressure would come back down by itself. I take my hat off to Dr Bates for saving my life.

If you suffer from angina, don’t wait for them to call you in after waiting 3 months. As soon as you get more than 2 lots of chest pain don’t stuff around ring for an ambulance and get yourself off to an emergency department. Statistics has shown that people die waiting for their turn to come around. I consider myself one of the lucky ones and after what I have been through I will support anybody wanting to get a website up and going that has to do with heart health support.

In conclusion of telling of my experience, I find that there is not enough emotional support after the hospital, I use to be a nurse and I am very aware how drained I felt after all the process had been completed. There is very poor emotional support after a cardiac operation, there was offers of support while I was in hospital but they rapidly dried up when I got home.

I want to end this on a positive note, the incredible surgery that hospitals can do with Angiograms, has left me feeling in awe. A small puncture mark in my wrist, and a special pressure seal bandage to repair it over night. Thank you to all the medical staff that got me through this medical nightmare.