QuoteCongratulations LH on the news that rumours of your demise are greatly exaggerated. 

It beats this exchange I had.

Me (having my first ever ECG check): "Everything OK?"
Nurse: "I hope this machine is broken."
Me: "What? Hope? Why?"
Nurse: "If it isn't you're dead!"

Had one the other day as part of a, "You're getting on a bit, shall we check that ticker of yours?" appointment.  These days, they can do it on an iPad with a couple of sensors, just remember to take your (second) phone (iPod) out of your pocket before they start... 

As "a male in their 65th year" I was invited to an Abdominal Aortic Aneurism screening. The nurse was rubbing the scanner thing over my abdomen and frowning.

"I don't like the look of that face" I said - assuming my abdominal aorta was about to explode.
"It's just my resting bitch face" she said. "Everything's fine."   

Quote from: fsn on 18 May 2026, 10:16:34 AMAs "a male in their 65th year" I was invited to an Abdominal Aortic Aneurism screening. The nurse was rubbing the scanner thing over my abdomen and frowning.

"I don't like the look of that face" I said - assuming my abdominal aorta was about to explode.
"It's just my resting bitch face" she said. "Everything's fine."   

 

QuoteAs "a male in their 65th year" I was invited to an Abdominal Aortic Aneurism screening. The nurse was rubbing the scanner thing over my abdomen and frowning.

"I don't like the look of that face" I said - assuming my abdominal aorta was about to explode.
"It's just my resting bitch face" she said. "Everything's fine."   

I got that sort of look when I had mine a few years back.  Got referred for a second scan, in Stratford rather than Enfield.
It later transpired that my aorta has a slight spiral and the relatively inexperienced nurse wasn't quite sure what he was seeing in the images; so I was referred to Stratford, which is a much larger set-up, where the nurse pronounced herself satisfied and explained what had been the issue to me. 

QuoteAs "a male in their 65th year" I was invited to an Abdominal Aortic Aneurism screening. The nurse was rubbing the scanner thing over my abdomen and frowning.

"I don't like the look of that face" I said - assuming my abdominal aorta was about to explode.
"It's just my resting bitch face" she said. "Everything's fine."   

I like that one, too !!  

QuoteWhat is it about the word "Never" that the interweb doesn't understand.

I mean.......when I click on "Never", I don't expect to get exactly the same sodding question every time I log in to certain sites.

I've said "Never" and I mean "Never."  

All the best - Confused of Wales.

I'm getting increasingly irritated by websites that use Cloudflare and thus spend minutes "verifing you are human" before allowing you to connect.


How? Turn on the webcam and spy a veritable human? How else? Annoying beyond belief. 

Quote from: Raider4 on 18 May 2026, 07:33:07 PMI'm getting increasingly irritated by websites that use Cloudflare and thus spend minutes "verifing you are human" before allowing you to connect.


How? Turn on the webcam and spy a veritable human? How else? Annoying beyond belief.

Not sure what they would do with me the, - Yes I am human before any of you make smart arse comments. I don't have a web cam on the PC

I haven't been able to clarify this comment,  as the connection for some reason would work in Harefield Hospital.

Where I had been blue lighted by Stoke Mandeville.

On discovery I'd had effectively had a MASSIVE heart attack.

Which I HADN'T NOTICED.

I thought 18 hours was a bit long for minor heartburn...

So, full story.

Saturday I pottered around a bit in the morning, had a bowl of porridge.

About 1-ish I get heart burn. Nothing major, just a bit of a pain just below the sternum. Nothing much, and very centralised - literally at most the size of a 2p. I had a moan in a WhatsApp group I'm in, where we had been planning to go to a gig in one of the pubs.

One of my friends said 'maybe it's a heart attack."

It OBVIOUSLY wasn't a Heart Attack. It was a mild, very localised pain. Heart attacks radiate out from the chest - arms, sides, even shoulder and head.

I shot out, bought some indigestion tablets.  The first pair didn't work. An hour later the 2nd pair didn't work. Had some toast and a cheese sandwich.

I didn't go to the gig, instead late at night took a third pair of tablets, and went to bed, at about 12.

Woke up at 4 in the morning, still with the same localised minor pain. "Indigestion can't last 15 hours surely?"  Checked the internet. Yes it can.

Still...

So at 6 I drove down to A&E at Stoke Mandeville. Thought would be for best - can't be busy at 6 on a Sunday morning.

Said to reception "I know I'm being silly, but I've had indigestion since 1 yesterday afternoon, and just want to check it's not actually a heart attack. I know you are going to tell me not to be silly, and send me away."
"We wouldn't tell anyone they are silly" was the receptionist's reply. She directed me into something called  Same Day Emergency Care (this department definitely exists, however not 100% it was this - Though "SDEC" does ring a bell).

NOT the normal A&E...

This should have triggered an alarm! It didn't...

From this point on things happened REALLY fast. You know how when you attend A&E it takes hours for each little bit? Not this time.

I was given multiple tests, with very little waiting time between them. And then they did some of them again.

The doctor then said "We think you might have had a cardiac arrest, we are talking to Harefield as the experts - we're sending {scans and stuff} over to them. We might transfer you."

He came back a bit later, and said "we are just working out the transfer". This seemed a bit OTT, but didn't know how to challenge him with "but it's just heartburn".

I managed to contact my friends on WhatsApp and said "I think I might be transferred to Harefield, can someone pick my car up?"  A volunteer quickly volunteered, and said she would get her son to drive her up to get my keys.

Just as she arrived a few minutes later, as the Ambulance crew had arrived. I had just enough time to hand my keys over.

Getting the briefing, the doctor told the paramedic "Troponin level of 23,000". The medic was shocked. "Oh hold on, 21,000."
"Oh that's ok then," said the P-M sarcastically.

I was put on a trolley and wheeled to the ambulance.
"What's a normal level of that Trip thing?" I asked the paramedic.
"Troponin? About 400, you usually can't detect it. 21 thousand is the highest I've ever seen."

I was Blue Lighted to Harefield in North West London. (The hospital's most famous surgeon was Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, who performed the UK's first heart and lung transplant at Harefield in 1983.)

I was quickly introduced to the cardiac surgery team, and prepped. Within 15 minutes or so of arrival they were putting a stent in. 

By 14:25, 8h20 after walking into A&E in Mandeville 40 miles away, I was being wheeled onto the recovery ward - Acute cardiac care unit (ACCU). It turns out an Obtuse Marginal artery on the heart had collapsed - OM1 to be precise.

Checking Monday, the lead surgeon said it had gone the best as he could have hoped (in a good way - not 'Oh well, I suppose that's what we should expect')

I've spent 2 days there, the first 24 hours not allowed to leave the bed, so learnt to pee into a cardboard tube! (Luckily I didn't need #2!). I was discharged about(ish) 14:00 today. 72 hours after 1st symptoms, and 56 after arrival at Stoke Reception.

And now am not allowed to drive for 28 days.

Oh, and in case you are wondering...

Quote20,000' is considered a major cardiac event.

I HAD A SMALL DISCOMFORT, THAT FELT LIKE HEARTBURN!

Iesus Christós Paraboloicus!
Hope you are okay mate. Recover well.

Hi Last Hussar

Snap! Mine was in 2010 when I was 54. Kind of gave me a new perspective on life.

Look after your self and do the rehabilitation programme.

Cheers Paul

Wow, just wow LH ! Glad you appear to be OK now .

Yeah. It's weird. It was, apparently, a major event.  I have a feeling words in the area of 'life threatening ' have been used. But because it felt so minor, I'm having trouble wrapping my head round it!

Our neighbour had a silent heart attack years ago, and it was only at his partners insistance that he phoned for an ambulance, so pure luck on his part and funny that he'd just gome back from the GP!

Just as well you didn't ignore it and go back to sleep! My brother in laws case was similar and he ended up with stents, followed by a quad bypass op.

Glad you are home, take it easy and, as T13A said, follow all the rehab regime.

Wow, that's a hell of a heartburn!  Glad to hear that you're OK though and make sure to take it easy for those 28 days.