As with any journey you have to start somewhere. I would imagine most people go to see their GP. Some will walk into A&E and some will arrive in a ambulance after a heart attack. For myself, I went to my GP. I’m a firm believer of a “if you give the body enough time it will fix its self” philosophy. As a motorcyclist I fully understand why after a crash the rider will rush over to his bike dragging his severed limb to inspect the damage to his pride and joy. He knows the limb will grow back but the damage to the fuel tank and the bent handle bars will never be the same.
I booked an appointment to see my GP on November 13th 2015. I figured I needed some sort of antibiotics to make these pains go away. After explaining the location and frequency of the pains I couldn’t help but notice the concerned look on the doctors face. He was not convinced with my “chest infection” theory. I was noticing that this examination was taking considerably more time than the usual 4-5 mins and he kept asking if I had a “tightness ” in my chest. What would you class as tightness? I had a pain in my shoulders chest and upper arms, as if I had over exercised the day before. After the lengthy consultation the doctor explained he was going to refer me for tests to check my heart out and fit me up with a 24 hr blood pressure monitor. Before I left I was given a prescription for a spray that after 1-2 squirts under the tongue would ease the pain if the “tightness” didn’t go away.
The following week a hospital appointment came through to go see a Doctor Lee at Sandwell General Hospital on the 27th of November 2015. On arrival in the cardiac outpatients department my height and weight was taken. I was also sent for a Cardiograph where little sticky pads were stuck to my chest wrists and legs, then wires were clipped on and a reading was taken. Armed with all this fresh information Doctor Lee called me in to discuss my problems. He asked about my family history and at this point it was only my Father who had died. He was a smoker, drinker and vastly overweight so in truth it was no surprise when he died years ago. He was convinced my problem was in my Arteries and the best course of action was a angiogram. This, he explained was a tube that is inserted into the wrist under a local anaesthetic and pushed up into the chest where a dye was injected through the tube and the results recorded with the use of a x-ray machine. He explained that if they found a narrow artery he should be able to stent ( angioplasty) it there and then. With an estimate of 3-4 weeks to get things sorted and a prescription for four lots of medicine I was sent away to wait for the appointment to come through.
I was now in the system…
Phil's Quadruple Bypass 