Living Nightmare! (At least I'm living!)

[Gary221]

Just over a month ago I had a MI. The Heart Attack came on very suddenly, all the classic symptoms, band around chest, numb left arm, pain in my jaw.

I was sitting down drinking a cup of tea at the time, so, finished my brew, popped aspirin and drove myself to hospital.

- Why didn't I call 999? A week earlier I'd spent 9 hours waiting for an ambulance kneeling in a puddle of urine with a man I'd found unconscious, not breathing in a toilet block. Opened his airway, he vomited, I cleared his airway, put him on his side, his GCS started to change, and he regained conscious, although unable to move. Suspect historical spinal injury, which depreciated to lead to this current position on the floor.

9 hours.

That's why I drove to hospital.

I arrived at hospital - a pretty major site, to discover, A&E had closed down. No MIU. I was about to drive to the next hospital (30 mins away) that has all these facilities, but, for some reason, the support staff didn't think this was a great idea. They summoned a nurse, who agreed. I was taken to an assessment unit of kinds.

They took blood, ECG (3 lead, which showed NSR - of course, because I wasn't dead, and it was only 3 lead), 8 hours later, they said it looked like I'd had a heart attack. They took more blood, 5 hours later, they told me Id had a heart attack and needed an angiogram - but it couldn't be done at this hospital, but I needed to be admitted, 4 hours later (Now the early hours of the morning) I was led to a 1960's 4 person bay, which, a little later, I found had 'bed blockers' in it.

The unit had Covid present on it, and was almost entirely filled with patients who had nowhere to go. An unreal experience.

I was started on some medication, now had the benefit of a several lead ECG. 5 days later transferred to another hospital where the Angio took place (3 days later again).

The hospital I was transferred to was quite a lot more modern, now a 6 person bay, 2 bed blockers in this cardiac unit, now on a cardiac monitor.

The Angiogram was quite an experience. I could (for some reason) feel everything going on, the insertion of dye, something moving from the radial incision, passing the brachial, and then I felt a lightweight feeling, went cold, and started to hallucinate a little.

A few stents later, I was back on the ward, a little while longer, discharged, some medication - some for a year, some for life.

Staff were amazing, but, up against it, clearly.

I always thought there was support for us when we had life issues, and perhaps fell on hard times - particularly with health. I may have been wrong.

I'm still of working age, Expected at least another 30 years of being quite proactive.

Not so much the heart attack, but, everything that's come with it has kind of set me back - work wise, and life wise.

I have psoriasis (Had it for years). Now, due to some of the meds, from these outbreak sites, I bleed profusely (Not bleeding out, but, enough to make my house look like a murder scene). Bedding needs changing daily. I went over a friends place, sat for an hour, had a chat, stood up, left what looks like a map of the world, in blood, on their sofa. Then dripped blood to their bathroom as it rolled down my leg.

Not an issue, Blood can be cleaned up quite effectively with cold water etc... but still. Work wise, clients may be put off a little if I drag my half lifeless body in bleeding everywhere.

Then there's anxiety, depression, a touch of PTSD.

And the breathlessness - I've gone from running up mountains, an Army veteran, full of life guy, to having to stop halfway up the stairs to catch my breath (A side effect of the meds so I'm told)

I think it's reasonable and fair to say, for now, work isn't really an option (I work self employed).

Here's the next issue - I've never claimed benefits. I filled in some forms - and the job centre replied to say I'm missing some National Insurance payments (There was a period where I didn't work some years ago, and didn't claim benefits). They therefore wont pay ESA.

9 years British Army, 13 years of other work, maybe 2 years without work - and because of this gap - no help?

I had a snotogram from the JobCentre wanting something called a 'Fit note' from the Doctor, spoke to my GP who didn't even know I'd taken ill.

They eventually got the hospital notes, thankfully the attached pharmacy is slightly more switched on, and were able to give me my script for the pile of meds I'm on.

I managed to get a 'fit note', under condition it says " ?Myocarditis" - the questionmark is a bit perturbing, The cardiologist was clear it was a Myocardial Infarction, I'm not entirely sure what Myocarditis is, but, I've been given a month off work.

Fit note submitted to Job Centre.

Life was hard before - but now - no food in the house, not even considering putting heating on, bills paid for this month, next, well, that's not going to happen.

And as I've typed this, I've just noticed the carpet below my left foot has blood all over it. My psoriasis ridden knee last fuel dumped some blood down my leg.

I'm laughing at it, because I'm not dead, and I'm sure I'll figure out a way through it, but, it's a bleak and barren world out there without much help it seems!