My Cardiac Journey So Far....Heart Attack, AF, Ablation, Cardiac Arrest, Angioplasty, Stent and ICD

[JH6419]

In 1998, aged 34, I had a heart attack for which I received great treatment from the NHS at Northwick Park. My wife was pregnant with our second son at that time and in January 1999 he was born.

Following roughly 10 years of AF I had ablation in 2009.

On 31 August, aged 59, I suffered a cardiac arrest and my second son, who is now 25 performed CPR on me and saved my life. When the medics arrived they managed to get my heart pumping again. I was lucky enough to end up in Harefield Hospital where I spent 8 days - I had angioplasty and a stent inserted and 5 days later I had an ICD inserted into my chest.

The treatment and care I received at Harefield Hospital was truly inspiring and really helped me during these 8 days. I currently go to Harefield Hospital 2 times a week for my physical rehab. I could not really want more for my inpatient and outpatient experience and the NHS are amazing. I recently retired because of various health issues.

20 days after my cardiac arrest on 20 September we took out our son Josh to celebrate his 30th birthday. This month I celebrated my 60th birthday in a cottage in Dovedale, Derbyshire. Both were very special occasions and I feel so grateful to still be here and to be able to spend this precious time with my wife and two sons.

I truly feel blessed and I want to really champion CPR, Harefield Hospital and the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity and the way I would like to do that is by pushing the BHF 15 minute online course on CPR. 1 in 5 of us in our lifetime will witness someone who has had a heart attack/cardiac arrest that needs resuscitation - unfortunately the vast majority of that 20% do not know how to give CPR.

I suggest to everyone that on a daily basis they should let their loved ones know that they love them, and to give them each a big hug, as you never know what is around the corner. My chances of surviving the cardiac arrest were only 10% and I really feel my stars were aligned and that it wasn't my time to go.

I feel so lucky that when I was in hospital I was on a ward with three other cardiac patients. We really bonded and I am still in touch with them and have made friends for life. I hope to get and give the same support by joining this group,

Although my cardiac journey has not been easy I feel incredibly blessed to still be here and I so appreciate my loved ones more than ever. 💓💓💓💓

[NotFromRoundHere]

I am so glad you are here to promote CPR. Good luck on your continuing recovery.My husband had a cardiac arrest just over 3 weeks ago and our 24 yo daughter saved his life by doing CPR. Where I work is now offering CPR training to all staff on behalf of my family. It should be part of the national curriculum.

[JH6419 in reply to NotFromRoundHere]

Thanks for your lovely message. I do feel so lucky to still be here. Sorry to hear about your husband and I hope he is doing ok now. In due course I am sure he will appreciate how lucky he is still to be with us and I find I am appreciating every day so much more. What treatment is he on? I was lucky enough to have an ICD inserted into my chest and it gives me and my family so much comfort and reassurance. Your daughter did an amazing job and I am sure you are all so grateful to her and are incredibly proud of her. I am sure you are keeping an eye on her as it is an incredibly traumatic experience for her to go through. My son did say that for the first three weeks he felt as though he wasn’t really there in that he must have been reliving this traumatic experience . We try to talk about it whenever we can and we try to use humour to deal with it. My son actually cracked/broke some of my ribs which all the nurses and doctors told me was a sign of really good CPR! I keep teasing him saying that the most painful thing to recover from the whole experience was my cracked ribs - for about six weeks it was really painful but well worth it! That is great that your work is offering CPR training - the more of us who get trained in this essential skill the better. Agreed it should be part of the school curriculum. I hope your husbands recovery is going well - please tell him not to rush it and to take his time. Please take good care of yourself and your family and if you don’t mind could you give your daughter a massive hug from me as she did an amazing job! ♥️

[NotFromRoundHere in reply to JH6419]

Thanks

My husband also has had an ICD fitted, less than two weeks ago, so he is still adjusting to having that, I am sure it will become normal eventually . He also has cracked ribs due to the CPR, seems that both of you received good emergency treatment from your respective offspring! Hugs all round to them I reckon. Take care and best wishes to you and your family.

[JH6419 in reply to NotFromRoundHere]

Hope your husband is doing well. Although it takes some getting used to I do hear from many people and their families that the ICD gives them peace of mind, I am still getting used to having the ICD in my chest especailay when I twist to the left or I raise my left arm - no pain but just a strange pulling sensation at the top of my left hand chest!! Your husband I are are very lucky that 1) we survived 2) that we have had an ICD inserted 3) that we have amazing support from our families and friends. I don't remember much of the first 24 hours and I think it is almost worse for close family as they have to witness everything whereas I was completely drugged up to my eyeballs and only have fleeting memories of that time!! How is your daughted doing - I did speak to someone else who went through the same experience and their daughter had PTSD about 3 weeks after the event. Take care 💓

[iansHealth1]

I’ve recently completed a first aid at work course and hopefully will never need to use the CPR element, but it does give me the confidence that I will use it if needed.

Your story is awe inspiring.

[JH6419 in reply to iansHealth1]

That is great to hear! As you say hopefully you will never have to use it, but if you do you are doubling that persons chances of surviving by giving them immediate CPR. As someone said to me we are all First Responders. Thanks so much for completing the first aid training - you could well be a life saver! Please take care of yourself and you loved ones

[pasigal]

I try to feel the same as you, having suffered and survived an out of hospital CA, but was saved by a stranger. CPR training is key. Out of curiosity, what was the initial cause of your HA at 34?

[JH6419 in reply to pasigal]

That is amazing to hear and the fact that you were saved by a stranger is inspiring! I have, via the NHS website, sent a message to all of the medics that came to help me that evening expressing my gratitude to them. Agreed CPR training is key - it is actually a simple skill. I took the BHF's 15 minute online course for learning basic CPR. One of the things they do is make you practice on a pillow for 1 minute and make sure, via your phones camera, that you are doing it at the right pace. I was shattered after 1 minute! Thank goodness my son goes to the the gym as he did it for me for about 8-9 minutes before the medics arrived! When I had my initial HA at 34 I was asked did I smoke and did I drink which I did not do and they said that I was just very unlucky that a sub artery got blocked as the rest of my arteries were fine. How are you doing now? How long ago was your CA? Please take good care of yourself and your loved ones 💓

[pasigal in reply to JH6419]

My savior was a reserve firefighter and it was her first time on a living person, although I was barely alive🙂. She did CPR for 15 minutes! In my case, a bit of plaque apparently broke off in my circumflex artery. I was out for a run, and was on the ground in about 30 seconds. That was 3.5 years ago.

[JH6419 in reply to pasigal]

That is amazing - thank goodness for your reserve firefighter hero! It’s crazy to think we were both technically no longer of this world and we made it back. I get to thank my son pretty much every day and tell him how proud of him I am. Hopefully everything is going well for you now and you are probably taking much better care of yourself both physically and mentally. Keep safe and take good care of yourself and your loved ones

[Lezzers]

Similar story to my husband. He had a HA & CA in 1997 when he was 42. I was completely useless, my neighbour did CPR, she broke some ribs & his sternam but she saved his life!! Once his recovery started I spent an afternoon with the red cross who taught me how to do CPR. I've done as many refresher courses as I can since then, fortunately I've never had to do it & hope I never will. Doing CPR on someone is incredibly traumatic, my neighbour said that she was only able to do it as she felt it was too late anyway! I hope your son is ok.

In the years since then my husband has embraced life, when you've almost lost it, it becomes even more precious. He had an ablation last year due to VT's & he's recently had his ICD upgraded to a CRT-d, as his electrics have decided to join in the game with his severe heart failure! Our life has changed but it's still a good life, in our busy lives we often forget that just sitting together chatting can be the perfect way to spend the day. And yes, it's important to tell you loved ones you love them

Good luck & thank you for your inspiring post

[JH6419]

Thanks for your lovely reply and it is great to hear that your husband is doing well and that his perspective on life has changed since then. Mine certainly has - every day since my CA I wake up to I am thankful for that and I make sure that I enjoy the day.

When I had my HA in 1998 it was far less traumatic in that I just had chest pains that felt like bad indigestion which got worse throughout the day. My wife called 111 and they said I should go the to hospital and get it checked out but it was probably only caused by stress. The medics said the same thing and they said they see it all the time. I got to the hospital and they did some tests and said I had to stay in overnight as they wanted to do more tests in the morning. That morning I had an echo scan on my heart and the Doctor told me I had had a heart attack! This time with the CA it felt far more serious and really made me feel like I have had a second chance at life.

It sounds like your husband has had a very similar cardiac journey to mine - please send him my best regards and it is always good to hear another persons story. 20 days after my Cardiac arrest we took our sons out for our eldest sons 30th birthday. Five weeks later the 4 of us went to Derbyshire for a weeks break to celebrate my 60th birthday and we had a very special week. I feel so grateful and blessed to be able to do this as my story could have been very different. We hardly used our phones and just spent quality time together chatting at thee table or in front of the fire were able to build in the cottage that we stayed at. Its Ironic how technology has made us more distant from each other but the amazing ICD technology is keeping an eye on your husband and myself. By the way what is the difference between an ICD and a CRT-d?

It's great that you are keeping your first aid training up to date - well done for doing that! If you do see someone collapsed from a CA or HA and you perform immediate CPR on them you are immediately doubling their chance of survival. As you say hopefully you won't have to do this but you have the skill to save someone's life and that is an amazing gift to give to them. As my son did for me.

Your neighbour did an amazing job breaking your husbands ribs and sternum!! As a family we talk about it a lot and my son seems to be doing OK thanks for asking. A few weeks ago he said to me that he was finally feeling normal again - bless him.

It is so much more traumatic for the loved ones as I said in my reply to the previous post. My wife and two sons are really the heroes in my story as the love, support and care that they have given to me has been so amazing. We were a close family previously but this has made us even closer and I am so proud of them. They are amazing human beings.

Please take good care of yourself and your loved ones 💓

[Lezzers in reply to JH6419]

Thank you. I think your mindset plays an important part in your recovery and future. My husbands heart attack started on boxing day 1997, over the next 2/3 days my husband went to the hospital 3 times & the GP once with what we now know to be classic HA symptoms, but each time his HA was missed until he went into CA at home 20 mins after he got home from the drs. The first thing everyone said was 'sue the hospital'! It was not something we wanted or felt we needed to do, the hospital couldn't apologise enough! We don't blame the hospital, it was Christmas & A&E were working flat out! It was manic, lots of people there unnecessarily, often with all their family!! Some were racing each other across A&E in hospital wheelchairs, lots of drunks with the police bringing more in!! I do however blame all those idiots that were wasting the hospitals time!! Our priority was, and still is, is making sure he gets the best care possible and thankfully he does. Sorry, rant over!!

The difference between an ICD and a CRT-d is: an ICD is there to try & pace you out of a dangerous heart rhythm, if it isn't able to do that it will shock you to restart your heart as it'll recognise you're going into cardic arrest. However, other than it can be set to ensure your heart beat doesn't go too low, it doesn't actually help your heart in any way or improve its function etc.

A CRT-d does the same as an ICD but it also gives cardiac resynchronisation therapy, which basically means it's makes the ventricles beat in time/sync as, in my husbands case, his ventricles were beating out of sync which could further damage his heart. It's hopeful, but not guaranteed, that having the CRT-d pacing him 100% will improve his heart function🤞

I hope that makes sense. I'm glad you've made such a good recovery & that you son is also feeling more himself.

[JH6419 in reply to Lezzers]

What a tough journey you all went through with your husbands HA and eventual CA. It hasn't changed in A&E has it . The NHS are all amazing and I can't imagine how they can deal with this sort of behaviour as well as try to save peoples lives! Your attitude about the the NHS staff is spot on and good on you for ensuring your husband gets the best care possible. Its good to rant once in a while and you are so right and entitled to do so!

Thanks for explaining the difference between an ICD and a CRT-d - you explained it so well! I do hope the CRT-d does the trick for all of you. Isn't the technology amazing nowadays? Technology has made our lives mentally much more difficult, but what you as a family and us as a family, are benefiting from is incredible. One of my sons calls me a Cygborg! Please take good care of yourselves,

[Cavalierrubie]

Thanks for sharing your remarkable story. It makes me pale into insignificance and has been very humbling, a wonderful reminder that we should never give up, and every day is special and a gift. Your strength and courage is exemplary. It’s good to hear you are still here with us, enjoying your family and retirement. Happy Christmas and every blessing for 2025.

[JH6419]

Thanks so much for your lovely reply - it really touched me and my family❤️ I do feel so lucky to still be here and so blessed. I think no stories are insignificant - they are personal to you and your loved ones and having any issues with your heart is scary stuff! I have chosen not to live in fear but rather to embrace this second chance I have been given. Last week at my Rehab at Harefield hospital gym I was talking to a lady and I found out she was waiting on a heart transplant - despite that she was working out in the gym and had an amazingly positive outlook to life. Afterwards I was waiting in the reception area and a well dressed lady, who was wearing a face mask, walked up to the reception where they asked her how her new heart was doing! So inspirational for me! I hope you and your loved ones have a lovely Xmas and all the best for 2025. 2024 is a year I am certainly not going to forget - although what happened to me was not great, I am thankful as it has given me a much more positive outlook on life. Please take care of yourself and your family x

[Cavalierrubie in reply to JH6419]

Thank you. Have a wonderful Christmas. Love and prayers to you and your family. ❤️

[Di1966]

I also had a cardiac arrest 7 mths ago. CPR by my fiance definitely saved my life. I have always appreciated life but even more so now. I want to see my 5 grandchildren grow up and live my best life. At 58 I want another 30+ years of life 🤞.

[JH6419 in reply to Di1966]

Sorry to hear that Di - great job by your fiance and yes it does give you an even greater appreciation on life doesn't it! We really are the lucky ones aren't we, so we need to make the most of it! As long as you take care of yourself and listen to your body there is no reason why you shouldn't have another 30+ years of life. It sounds as though you have many exciting things to look forward to! Wishing you all the best

[Di1966 in reply to JH6419]

HI Jh. Thank you. I certainly hope so🙏 . Take care of yourself and best wishes.

[SCA_UK]

That sounds like such a familiar journey — you might find real comfort and connection at the SCA UK "10 Years Together" Conference on 17th May 2025 in Hinckley. It’s a chance to meet other survivors, share experiences, and hear from expert medical professionals. 💜 Find out more and sign up here: scauk.org/10YT — we’d love to see you there!

[JH6419 in reply to SCA_UK]

Thanks for that suggestion. My wife and I are already signed up for the conference and we are really looking forward to it. For anyone who has a sudden cardiac arrest I recommend that they have a look at the scauk.org website where there are some great resources