It’s Sunday afternoon and I’ve now had a three or four days to come to terms with the events of this week. For the next month I’ve got to take my time getting back up to speed . I can’t drive for a week and I’m getting to grips with my meds

Now for someone who balks at taking anything to have to take over 7 different tablets – 4 in the morning and 3 at night is a challenge but one I have to succeed with. Simple solution a weekly pill holder split into days and morning and evenings. Amazon to the rescue!

I think the hardest thing has been coming to terms with my mortality. Stacking up all the ifs and maybes my conclusion is that I’m very lucky to still be here. In fact the various people who helped me on Monday really helped save my life and I thnak them for that. To the man who pushed me off the tube in disgust – I hope he never has to go through an event like that.

At present I’ve just completed my first walk round the mini block under the stewardship of my wife. The aim is a little further each day. I felt no ill effects but I felt like I’d done a much longer walk! This week my aim is to walk to the shop at the end of our road and back – simply to fetch a paper! By the end of the month to be fit to go back to work I will need to be walking in excess of 10,000 steps.

I now have time on my hands, box sets to watch and more importantly a chance to get going with my 3D printer. The lovely Issy has allowed it to be placed in the conservatory – a huge honour I’ll have you know!

Up in the ward I started to feel human again. No pain but so many wires.

My close friends from work, I was informed, were waiting to see me. It was great to see Laura and Shankar but I really need to see my wife Issy!. Laura and Shankar were brilliant and assured me ‘they’d keep the shop running’ while I was away. In fact they were very forceful on that point!

The problem you find at these crazy times is that you lose are sense of what is important. Having faced death and survived still doesnt stop you worrying about the most stupid of things….

Very shortly I got the news my wife had arrived. Not though, just my wife but also my lovely daughters Rachel and Anna. Now Anna just doesnt do hospitals so I felt well blessed.

It was lovely to see them but I could tell this was to be a flying visit – well from the daughters at least. Issy, on the other hand, was stopping the night. Hotels.com quickly sourced a hotel and all was good.

A little later Jason, my boss arrived, really good to see him and receive the lecture on what I wouldn’t be doing over the next period!

The staff on the ward were awesome and looked after me so well. The whole team provided a great environment to recover in.

The news that evening was that I’d be spending between 48 and 72 hours at Barts followed by at least a month at home.

Issy stayed until 8pm and then an Uber took her to the hotel. I had a reasonable sleep until 5 am and was then wide awake.

Tuesday saw many visits by the various medical teams. More tests, an ultra sound and an introduction from the rehab team. The result was I would be leaving tomorrow lunch time.

Another good nights sleep and another hotel for Issy.

Wednesday morning and I was ready to leave. Of course that meant waiting until after lunch but not before my shipping order of drugs arrived!

A relaxing train journey home and my rehabilitation started!

One of the joys of a hospital like St Bartholomew’s is no AE so it meant on arrival I was whisked straight into Theatre for assesment and treatment without triage.

With in seconds of arrival I was descended upon by god knows how many staff. It was quickly ascertained what the paramedics had deduced was correct. For my part it was total fear juxtaposed with the expereince of a number of nurses quickly removing my clothes.

What followed was totally beyond my ken! I was briefed that I needed an operation and the manner of this was to be with a little invasion as possible. I signed the form and laid back waiting to be knocked out. It was then I was informed I be awake during the whole thing……

A tube was inserted into a vein in my arm which then made its way to my heart. Aprratently my blocked artery and partially blocked artery were cleared and other arteries checked.

Then the clever bit two stents were fitted and all was good.

Around 2.5 hours later I was up on the ward recovering.

I have nothing but praise for the team and what they did.

So I’m in the back of the ambulance with two super paramedics sorting me out. This bit of my adventure is not the clearest but basically they connectedv me up to all their machines and confirmed what I had suspected I was having a heart attack. They gave me pain relief and a wonderful spray that opens up the veins and artiries. They also had a suberb bedside many that helped me so much in these key moments.

Once they had confirmed my worst fears it was time to head to hospital. What also really helped one of these wonderful ladies also rang my wife who was over 70 miles away down in Portsmouth.

At no timewas there any panic or a feeling of anything other than total control by the crew. I managed to gather we were heading, very quickly, to Barts probabley one of the best heart hospitals in the UK.

It was blues and twos all the way and in what seemed to be only seconds we were at the hospital.

Thanks for joining me!

On the first of July 2019 my world changed completely.

I was traveling on the London Tube between Victoria and Kings Cross when I started to feel unwell.

Over the weekend I had suffered from a very high pollen count that had caused me a few breathing issues. By Sunday this had turned into a very heavy cold. Monday morning I didn’t feel that good but was due in London for our management meeting and then traveling on to a customer in Nottingham.

So back to Monday and the Tube. Initially I thought that I was feeling ‘ill’ from my cold and had also pulled a muscle in my arm, my left arm.

Walking through the underground at Victoria I started feeling quite hot and a little disorientated. Once on the tube I needed to sit down. After the first few stations passed by I started to go down hill.

My left arm began to ache its whole length, I had a painful ache around my shoulder blade and my chest went very tight. Added to this was a cold sweat and nausea.

In short I realised I was having the start of a heart attack……..

The next station up was Warren Street (hence the picture) and the tannoy also said it was the home of London University so this seemed the place to get off! I asked for help as I stood but was ignored, infact one passenger thought I was drunk and ‘helped me off’ the train with a push!!!!!

I staggered to the escalator and hung on for life to the top where I collapsed and an was then ‘rescued’ by the excellent staff. Quickly they found me a seat and water. At that point the ‘luck of the gods’ came to my rescue. Parked around the corner from Warren Street was an ambulance accompanied by two paramedics having lunch.

Quickly I was in the back of the ambulance and being assesed.